I heard that after Chinese New Year there will be bigger ferries from Central. Anybody know more. The HKKF website has been redesigned but says nothing.
Might be a story for you Lamma Gung

"Bigger" doesn't bode well.


I'll tell you what though, if they started running a 2am service, I bet it'd be an instant 5-10% on the value of Lamma properties.

Sure, not everyone goes out clubbing til the small hours, but it also stops you being able to have full evenings in Macau, and when you book flights abroad you have to make sure they're back before 11pm to give you enough time to pick up your bags and get to Central. All the little things that add up and it just seems so stupid that an island of 6,000 only 1 mile away from HK is all but cut off for almost a whole quarter of every day.

_________________
"go and stick your dog up your arse"
-- G.O.D.S.

The late ferry thing has been tried and abandoned, and I don't think much has changed in the 4 years since. Refer to the Lamma Ferries forum e.g. http://www.lamma.com.hk/forum/viewtopic ... c&start=20

Only 30 people average patronage for 2:30am from Central during the trial period.

Maybe move this thread to the Ferries forum?

I wouldn't expect it to have a huge attendance, but I'll bet every single one of those people were really glad of it. This is why the big boat thing worried me - we don't need a bigger boat, we need smaller more frequent boats.

_________________
"go and stick your dog up your arse"
-- G.O.D.S.

No we don't.

If newer, bigger boats mean they get rid of the small death-trap boats they use at 7pm then good. But if bigger just means slower boats then it would be a disgrace.

Yes, definitely, thanks!
I'll try to find out more, but I haven't had much luck in the past in getting news out of HKKF. I'll try again...

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I avoid that awful 7pm ferry as well, scares me silly!!!

i do not want to see any more small ferries, i think they are a deathtrap if things go wrong. why hkkf use these ferries at all is beyond me. Imagine with those small aisles and prams and shopping bags and god forbid the people on the top floor, if things went bad in a storm or a typhoon on it's way in, stampede. what does anyone else think about these scary ferries?

That's not an inherent necessity of small ferryness though, that's just those specific ferries they run. I'm sure it's not beyond the wit of man to have some smaller ferries with a safe layout.


Yes, that's exactly what I said, and exactly what I was communicating.

I can do that too, you know!

aww, don't be so hard on yourself.

_________________
"go and stick your dog up your arse"
-- G.O.D.S.

Oh, ha ha, yes, Ive misunderstood you. You dont want smaller boats. Ive enjoyed our little exchange, thanks.

the little ferries are unsafe - they are so unstable. I can't believe these ferries run during typhoons - an accident waiting to happen.

Ferries don't run during typhoons ....

Anyway, while they may be uncomfortable and feel dangerous in rough weather, that's a long way from being in real danger of capsizing. I can't remember any accidents involving ferries except for collisions.

They run when typhoons are on the way and everybody is scrambling to get back to the island. I caught one a year of so ago against my better judgement and it was wobbling so badly the sides almost reached the surface of the sea. People were screaming and being sick - it was more than just uncomfortable, it was very frightening.

And as for accidents, do you remember the one that caught on fire several years ago? The passengers were evacuated by police.launches.

Again, absolutely none of the above things are a necessary consequence of boat size.

_________________
"go and stick your dog up your arse"
-- G.O.D.S.

You said "during typhoons".
They always stop hours before the typhoon strikes, as you know. Don't be melodramatic.


I didn't say it was fun. I just said they don't capsize.


Okay. But that doesn't seem related to size.

They may be grotty, but the Marine Department does take safety very seriously.
If you have any real issues, make an official complaint. Or vent here but don't expect anything to change.

I beg to differ Alan - they don't stop hours before a typhoon with the implication being many hours. The last typhoon that hit had ferries running up to around 2 hours before and I waited at central pier and watched 2 - could have been 3 - small boats go out, until a big one came along that I would feel safe on.

Just because there hasn't been a capsize doesn't mean there will not be one - how close has one of these boats come before - again around a typhoon, just shortly after the signal went down - when it tilted to the left so deeply the right-hand upstairs passengers described staring through the left-hand portholes at churning seas? "Like looking into a washing machine" as described by a friend ......... They are scary at the best of times, unsafe at the worst.

I didn't say or imply "many hours". Two hours is still hours.

In any case, the whole territory knows when a typhoon is coming. If you leave it to the last possible moment to get back, you may get a rough ride. It's up to you.

One of the advantages of living on Lamma is that you can always get off work early on a typhoon day.



Just because alien flying saucers haven't landed yet doesn't mean it won't happen tomorrow. Watch the Skies!

Have had this experience as well, clearly Alan wasn't in it. Disaster waiting to happen.

Scary, yes. But "looking into a washing machine" is not life endangering.
I've been on roller coaster rides that scared the shit out of me, despite knowing that they were perfectly safe. You can't measure real risk by how frightened you feel.

But if you really think it's a risk crash at a friend's place.
No one forced you to get on the ferry.


That's sort of the definition of "worst".
If you think it's dangerous, DON'T GET ON.