To Glasgow or not to Glasgow

On Monday night I took the ferry home from Cairnryan to Belfast. It was the last one that day as the next two sailings were both canceled due to the coming storm. And yes, it was a choppy crossing I can tell you!

During the night the wind was howling and the storm was very real. As I woke up several times I was worried about my journey to Glasgow on Tuesday. But when I woke up at 8 am, the wind had died down and the weather was really good. No worries then!

And there weren't. Until I arrived in the port of Belfast and there was no ferry! I was told the ferry would be two hours late, so the first thing to do was ring the office, before I was going to check in. Well, all ferries that day would be two hours late and I could get on. They would get a relief driver for when I got back to Belfast at whatever time I would get back. 

Nearly an hour after we were supposed to leave, the ferry arrived. The departure time had already been pushed back to 2.30pm (three hours late) and we waited. And waited. And waited. Finally we were allowed to board. I had blagged my way to a 'front row seat', because I needed to get off that ferry asap, then on to Glasgow and then back to catch the ferry again. 

Because we arrived so late, by the time we got to Glasgow, the traffic was not rushing anymore. However, by that time I had already been told that I had been booked onto the 11.30 sailing as the two hour delay was no more and the ferry that I had hoped to catch was leaving early. *Sigh*

I dropped off one lot of passengers, picked up the return lot and drove back to port. Brilliant. Fantastic. Great. The ferry arrived on time and they started disembarkation. After that there was the shunting of unaccompanied freight. However...

In the early morning a ferry from Larne in Northern Ireland to Cairnryan in Scotland, had had a massive incident as several lorries had toppled over. It must have been in sight of the harbour, as apparently several people were injured and the ferry would be out of commission for a while. Which meant that a lot of traffic that would have used that service, had to use the service I was on. 

You know where this is going don't you? It took ages to get everybody on, because it has to be just so to make it fit. And instead of 11.30 pm, we left an hour later. Of course. Someone in the office had had the bright idea to send me to Glasgow again today (after all, I would be relieved in Belfast), but that was a big no-no from me! So, they took me off, which was good, because I didn't see my bed until gone 4 am. Absolutely knackered. 

I believe I mentioned I don't like ferries?