Nautical Webcams

[Guest]

The choice of live webcams is increasing all the time.

 

The image quality and frame rate of many is now as good as live TV over a fast Broadband connection.

 

I keep searching out for any that give good views of my old haunts around the country.

 

This one is high up in the rigging of HMS Warrior, in Portsmouth Harbour.

 

It's unusual in that it automatically cycles through a number of pre-determined areas of the harbour.

 

Click in the bottom right corner to go full screen HD. (of the one in the live link, not this captured still image ! )

 

http://www.hmswarrior.org/webcam

[GeoffandWendy]

Thank you for the link to this. It brings back a few memories of my time in the RN. The area hasn't altered much, except there was no Spinaker Tower back then, The new shopping area by the tower, is where HMS Vernon used to be, the Torpedo & Anti Submarine Training Establishment. and of course, HMS Warrior wasn't there either. Just HMS Victory in the sixties. The Gosport ferry is still going I see, Iv'e crossed on that a few times I can tell you.

[Guest]

I remember it from 50 years ago, in the 1960's.

 

The Isle of Wight Car Ferry used to run from Camber Dock, I waited for it there many a time.

 

There was a much bigger fleet in the harbour in those days !

[Guest]

I found another of my old photos of the old ferry terminal at Portsmouth's Camber Dock, from 1969.

[BroadScot]

I am reliably informed that the IOW ferry IS the dearest in the UK. No competition I guess.

 

 

Iain

[Guest]

I don't know for sure if it was the dearest, but it was certainly expensive all the years that I used it, from the 60's to the 90's.

 

Strange thing too, we always hear how competition keeps prices down, but that was never the case there.

 

The three car ferry routes were run by two different companies, yet there prices were almost identical, despite widely varying journey times on the three routes.

 

So I nearly always used the Southampton - Cowes route, to at least get a one hour cruise down Southampton Water thrown in for the price.

[BroadScot]

Strowy,

 

My friend runs a business from Gosport, and does a lot of work on IOW, the price of a book of tickets is silly money. I had the same problem with the Calmac Ferry over to Arran for years, very dear no competition. 

 

Thankfully, the price has dropped considerably, over £50 or more, so I intend in going over this year, hopefully.

 

BTW, Warrior is truely worth a visit, lovely ship indeed.

 

 

Iain.

[GeoffandWendy]

If I remember correctly, the passenger ferries, were run by British Rail from Portsmouth Harbour Station to Ryde Pier, where you could then catch a steam train, to almost anywhere on the Island. Sadly, all now gone! Except the steam heritage railway at Haven St. 

[Guest]

If I remember correctly, the passenger ferries, were run by British Rail from Portsmouth Harbour Station to Ryde Pier, where you could then catch a steam train, to almost anywhere on the Island. Sadly, all now gone! Except the steam heritage railway at Haven St. 

 

Yes, Portsmouth-Ryde and Lymington-Yarmouth were the passenger ferry routes originally run by British Rail, then Sealink, and now Wightlink.

 

The Southampton-Cowes route was (and still is, I believe), Red Funnel.

 

When I was a lad, back in the 1960's, I remember the Haven Street steam engines running from Ryde Pier Head, before they were replaced with the ex-Underground electric rolling stock.

 

I also stood on Bembridge and Cowes station platforms, after they had closed, but before they were demolished. 

 

The only good thing to come out of the closures (small compensation) is the excellent footpath/cycleway between Newport and Cowes, along the old trackbed.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Hi Strow,

 

that`s excellent quality, thanks for posting it. It`s wet and windy along there today, not a lot different from when we went along there in October last year.

 

How exactly do you find out about where to see webcams?. I`ve watched webcams from several different places, but only ones that others have included a link to. There`s plenty of places i`d like to see from a webcam.

[Guest]

.....How exactly do you find out about where to see webcams?.....

 

I just keep Googling for them Neil.

 

I find that typing webcam and a place that interests me usually turns them up.

 

Like Webcam Cowes ,

 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=webcam+cowes&biw=1031&bih=542&source=lnms&sa=X&ei=xcXpVN77FMjLPbvXgcAH&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAA&dpr=1.25

 

They keep growing in numbers all the time, so it's worth retrying every now and then for a favourite place.

[ranworthbreeze]

We like looking at webcams where we visit such as the ones of Hope Cove in the South Hams down in Devon.

http://www.camsecure.co.uk/SalcombeHopeCove.html

Usually there are a couple more which are currently off line.

Regards

Alan

[TrevorAndDeirdre]

Yes thank you for posting. Your right it is red funnel from Southampton. I grew up in Gosport in the 50s and 60s and then worked on the IOW in the 80's. It is the most expensive crossing per mile than any other. Just think of the 80's when fuel on the Island was sold at 1p more because tankers were not allowed on the ferries.

[Guest]

I spent a great deal of time on and around the Island in those days, a wonderful place.

 

Here's another more unusual photo that I took off Cowes in the 1960's.

 

It shows the unusual combination of the original RMS Queen Elizabeth, together with the SRN4 car ferry hovercraft on trials before it went into service.

 

SRN4 was built in the nearby waterside factory at East Cowes and seemed very futuristic then.

 

Funny to think that they're both gone now, the QE burnt out in Hong Kong harbour, and the hovercraft now languishing in a museum.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

That`s a good pic Strow, and have you noticed, the SRN4 is actually at rest?, you can tell because the skirt in not inflated.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

 

 

SRN4 was built in the nearby waterside factory at East Cowes and seemed very futuristic then.

 

Funny to think that they're both gone now, the QE burnt out in Hong Kong harbour, and the hovercraft now languishing in a museum.

 

 

Yes, Lee on Solent, and one of my next planned visits later this year. I did phone them to find out when they were open, but they said they were closed for important repairs to public areas, what ever that meant?.

 

I`ve always had a facination for hovercraft, and am still interrested in buying a small personal on to blast around Poole Harbour in. With a hovercraft, we could go all over the flats etc, and get everywhere you can`t either by road or boat.

 

The REAL problem is to try and hide it somewhere so Karen does`nt know :naughty:

[Guest]

That`s a good pic Strow, and have you noticed, the SRN4 is actually at rest?, you can tell because the skirt in not inflated.

 

Yes Neil, maybe they were going through the safety tests for the handover, to show that it floated even if the engines failed.

 

p.s.  better cover Karen's ears as well if you get one ...  

[riyadhcrew]

I hope you don't mind me digressing a little, but many years ago I was travelling back from Calais to Dover on the SRN4 and when I pulled into the car park, the hover had just left. A few minutes later, another one turned up (he was testing after a deep service), and they let the 4 cars that were waiting go on board and depart. Anyway, the crossing seemed to be going very fast and we actually overtook the other SRN4 and landed first. Just before leaving, the Captain said that he hoped we had enjoyed our flight and "please don't tell anyone how fast we crossed". TWENTY FOUR MINUTES FROM RAMP TO RAMP.