OT : If you ever go across the sea to Ireland.....

[Adrian]

Oooh - you are awful !

Adrian

[Doctor Drivel]

The EU has a transport dept that looks at transport for the EU 20, 30, 40 years hence. The aim is super fast intercity trains between all major cities/centres. One idea is a tunnel between Liverpool and Dublin. As Holyhead is the halfway point between the two cities that appears a dumb suggestion and a loooooong expesnive tunnel. But a tunnel from Ireland to North Wales at the shortest point and then a fast link to Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, London is feasible.

But damming in the Irish Sea to make lagoons to produce all the power for the UK and Ireland would create at least two land links anyhow and maybe one to the Isle of Man.

[Andy Hall]

Very good.

Actually, it is possible to provide a variety of levels of service and make good money doing it. The issue is getting the business models right.

For example, in the Baltic, Silja Line operates a service between Stockholm and Helsinki. It runs overnight, leaving early evening and arriving early morning.

For the well heeled traveler, there are cabins equivalent to 4*+ hotel accommodation, good quality breakfast included etc.

For the business person, there are cabins to 4* level, breakfast and a fare structure less than the cost of an overnight hotel stay plus a flight.

For the holidaymaker, there are 3* level shared cabins.

For the party person, there are bars and shops open all night. Fares are as low as ?12

There are extensive duty free shops which are allowed, even though Sweden and Finland are both in the EU, because the ship docks briefly in the Aland Islands, which are technically outside the EU.

The ships are well used because trouble has been taken to provide each group of customers with what they want.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Andy Hall saying something like:

I wish they'd come and do something in the Irish Sea. Irish Ferries aren't *too* bad, but Stena are a bunch of pirates.

[Andy Hall]

I really despair.

It's perfectly simple to have a customer service ethic and a range of products and services to sell them. None of these ships are exactly small, although the Baltic ones tend to be pretty large - something like 12 decks.

I've used Brittany Ferries a few times. The standard of the better cabins is just about acceptable, but the quality of the food is utter crap.

It's a pity that the Isle of Man is where it is. If it were somewhere off of Cardigan Bay, it would be possible to have a Mariehamn arrangement.