Photo : via Gary Andrews
Master for the voyage from Hobart, Captain Nick Dunn, summed up his new ship perfectly, "The vessel has performed admirably throughout the voyage," he said. "Power, performance and quality all meet expectations and the Norman Arrow on appearance alone is sure to catch the public imagination. She is set to revolutionise cross channel travel and provide an exciting new option for passengers," Captain Dunn said. On a packed quayside at Dover to welcome the vessel after 12,000 miles of long ocean passages were crew relatives, friends and well wishers, including Incat's Chairman Robert Clifford. "Nineteen years ago, our first generation 74 metre catamaran, the Hoverspeed Great Britain, made her first crossing between Dover and Boulogne, so it obviously gives me great pleasure to see what is now the English Channel's largest fast ferry arrive to take up service on this important link," Mr Clifford said. Speaking after disembarkation from the ship was Captain Guy South, who assisted Captain Dunn on the voyage from Hobart "The last leg of our journey illustrated perfectly the capability of the Norman Arrow: 2,272 miles at an average speed of 39 knots running at about 80% MCR (Maximum Continuous Rating, i.e. power)", he said. "As a crew we are looking forward to seeing what the Norman Arrow is capable of in service and hopefully changing the face of the UK short sea market with our enhanced weather ability and freight capacity. "To a man we enjoyed the delivery voyage, a once in a lifetime experience. The Norman Arrow is a fantastic craft and we will endeavour to get the best out of her and push the LD name to the forefront of the UK short sea sector," Capt South concluded.
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