VILLANDRY and VALENCAY

Rare times when in port together

By Stephen Morris

Photo: Illustrative image for the 'VILLANDRY and VALENCAY' page
Photo: Illustrative image for the 'VILLANDRY and VALENCAY' page
This page was added by Stephen Morris on 10/08/2017.
Comments about this page

Yes, much more common to see them together in Dieppe. Lower photo looks interesting. I wonder if this was one of the all too frequent 'lightning strikes' that plagued the route. Normally they'd plan the strikes for when they were both at Dieppe, though!

By Andy Gilbert
On 11/08/2017

I think this might have been when the linkspan at Dieppe collasped from the stern of the senlac killing a spanish lorry driver. The route closed for a couple of days untill the French port control managed to arrange to use the ramp in the other dock through the swingbridge.

By Mick Cutler
On 13/08/2017

That had certainly crossed my mind, Mick. That was in October 1981. It was around a month before they started using the inner basin's ramp, and April before the Quai Henri IV ramp was reinstated. Didn't Senlac sail Newhaven-Boulogne in the interim?

Going by the shadow of Villandry's bow visor on Valencay, the lighting angle in the photo suggests a summer's evening. And it looks like Darnia or Ulidia astern of Villandry, so I might be able to narrow down the date with a bit of digging.

If not an SNCF strike, maybe one of those fishermen's blockades of Dieppe harbour, perhaps?

By Andy Gilbert
On 23/08/2017

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