Day 8 Southampton: Saturday 1st June
I was awake in the night and looked outside to see lots of lights on the starboard side. A quick check on the TV map and I guessed this was Cherbourg.
When I next looked out it was 6.50 am and we were docked at Queens terminal. I looked below and the unloading of cases was in full swing. A smart new baby JCB was taking two cages of case enough at a time, very impressive.
We were down from a final breakfast at 8 am in the International Dining room. This time we were sat with well travelled passengers, two of whom are been the most travelled on our cruise. They had been on the ship for five consecutive weeks and today was the last day.
Everyone was very busy and we struggled to get served and unusually had to wait. Not an issue for us but our table companions had a car waiting for them and they were very stressed. Our breakfasts finally came at 8.30 am.
We said our goodbyes and headed out to the meeting room to wait for our departure slot at 9.30 am. The room was empty and we were told that departure was now 40 minutes ahead of schedule so we could just go. We were in the baggage hall at 9 am searching for all cases.
This was a different terminal to the one we had left from and my car was in the short-term car park. This meant walking the whole length of the building and then into the multi-storey car park. As we drove out towards the dock gates the railway crossing barriers across the road came down. The car in front had ignored the cross hatching and had to do a quick reverse to get out of the way of the train.
The car carrying train that we had seen countless times with new Minis was now pulling away empty. It took 7 or 8 minutes to pass before we could finally leave the port.
We drove into traffic jams immediately outside as we met traffic from the other dock gates merging onto the road. As well as Britannia there with two other ships in port. These were all much bigger than the Sapphire Princess. But once out on the motorways we had a clear drive home.
From the Cruise Log
Southampton – Saturday, 1st June 2019*
Throughout the night Sapphire Princess maintained various north-easterly courses across the busy English Channel. In the early morning we left the eastern side of the Isle of Wight on our port side as we prepared to embark our pilot at Nab Tower.
At 03:45 the Officer of the Watch instructed the Engine Control Room to ‘Stand by Below’ as once again we readied the vessel for manoeuvring. With the pilot on board at 04:00, Sapphire Princess proceeded inbound and we prepared to come alongside our berth.
Sapphire Princess cast her first line ashore at 07:00 and we were all fast at 07:15, at the same time the Officer of the Watch instructed the Engine Control Room that the Bridge had ‘Finished with Engines’ as Sapphire Princess settled down for a quiet day alongside in the Port of Southampton.
*Approximate at the time of printing.