I recall the first time I had a really rough crossing. Took me by surprise as I'd travelled on the big old ferries quite often. The swell was pretty wild when in line with the gap between the heads. I had seen it really wild once in 1964. I was just a little kid and for those who remember the ferries Dee Why and Curl Curl, they'd remember they were sisters who had two very tall stacks - much taller than the others. Standing on Manly wharf everyone was amazed that the Dee Why with those tall stacks was disappearing completely when she went into a trough. I would not have enjoyed that trip.

I used to wag school and go ride those ferries anytime there was a sea running.

Best spot was just down the stairs from the bow. You would stay mostly dry but still get the thrill of the waves towering over the old girls while also being able to see the waves washing in through the main doors and all the way across the cabin and out the other side.

Just great information.... just sayin......

Sala de tv

The Emerald-class would be next in an episode of Seconds from Disaster if sailed on those waves. The Freshwater-class are proper ocean-going vessels and can handle just about anything. Made in Newcastle, NSW using Australian steel. If only a government could build something like this now instead of contributing to the national brain drain by importing boats one wouldn't sail across a bath tub with.

It’s fun when the sea is up. Had some great trips accross the heads.

Sure is and. Well known for it. Let’s hope we never loose these boats.

Im surprised services werent suspended. But as wild as this looks it pales in comparison to completing the trip on the South Steyne or Curl Curl in similar conditions. Whenever the weather was like this my father used to take my sister and I on the run to Manly and back for the roller coaster ride and fresh cinnamon donuts on the Manly wharf. Waves would wash in to the main cabin, right across the deck and out the opposite side. Being up on the bow was still permitted and ensured a complete drenching. The best spot was just below the stairs leading up to the forecastle which was partially enclosed for a length. You could stay dry and get the best view of the waves coming in, towering over the ferry when at the bottom of troughs. I think Im getting old. 😂

I agree they were the ferries I grew up on, it was my mother that would take us on them when it got rough..lol...I also loved the hydrofoil in rough sees, they always shut them down before they shut down the ferries. I think the old ferries originally sailed out from Scotland! Thanks for your reply to my comment on this video

@@tory3625 You're right. I seem to recall being told that they had temporary plates along the sides on the lower deck to keep bigger seas from breaking on board as they sailed them to Australia.

PianolaDanOz and let’s hope they don’t get rid of them for the sake of what Sydney needs.

@@ihaig72 yes been following this topic as best I can , was extremely disappointed and depressed when I 1st heard it . I've heard nothing of late and was hoping they have been given a retrieve for now.

They'd have to be to be able to sail across seas coming in on the beam like that, especially with the risk of broaching. As bad as it could get - and some I've been on across the heads were rough enough to have you memorizing where the lifebuoys were located - I always remained cognizant of just how experienced the captains are and how many years old glories like the South Steyne have put in plying those waters. I'll be sad to see them go. Lots of memories tied into those old ferries.

'Rock & Roll'! 👍😀 And for some it's a 🤢 ride. On board is best listening to the passengers Whoas Whoos and Whahs as she rocks and rolls past the heads.

Yep, that was the trick, wait until the last one when there was a storm on.

Oh? What's happening to them? Those old ferries have been around forever and came out from the UK, if memory serves me correctly.

@@timwilde4200 They were built in Australia they are Freshwater class .The Queenscliff was retired a couple of days ago . They are being replaced by Catamarans absolutely ridiculous.They were built in the 1980s

@@JB-ie9hj I was referring to the ferries I grew up with, like the Curl Curl, Dee Why, and South Steyne, which were built in Scotland and sailed out. I haven't lived in Sydney for a long time, so I wasn't aware they had long been retired. They were the ferries of my younger days, sailing the route between the Quay and Manly.

As did my grandmother. She liked to be on the last ferry before services were suspended. I'm talking of the mid-50's and a bit later.

That's exactly it. They're designed to be able to head straight into a busy terminal like Sydney's circular Quay - it's so busy that it would be impossible trying to manage them all if they had to turn around and reverse in. One of the fun things to do at Circular Quay in fact is go to the Manly terminal over to the right (nearest the Opera House) and watch as one of the big ferries comes in and hits the bow prop to slow down - all the water turns into a frothing and roiling maelstrom as the ferry comes to its own version of a screeching stop.

MV Collaroy has both props engaged. Push-pull.

Yes it was. I remember it well.

Yes that's the formerManly Ferry North Head

They go both directions. They pull in to the quay and the captain simply relocates to the other bridge and away they go. They never need to turn around.

@@Squashed8Ball so they have props at both ends?

@@Mahalo_83 Yes.

@@Mahalo_83 And rudders.

😳

That is open ocean - this is a commuter ferry in the Harbour - a lot different.

@@hardknuckle8143 yep, maybe he hasn’t heard of Bass Strait...

Trust a kiwi to start a pissing contest. lol Next he'll be throwing the America's Cup at us. :)

They have a schedule to keep...

They only endure the heavy swells for a short distance across the entrance to Sydney Harbour. If it gets really rough they do stop the service. Never been any incidents in my life time. The previous generation of ferries were an even wilder ride. They were longer, narrower and sat lower in the water. They were sailed out from England where they were built. That is a journey I wouldn’t have wanted to take.

@@Squashed8Ball Yep, that was one hell of a ride back in those days.

The magic word mate is ‘work’

Maybe it looks that way, but they have done it for almost forty years without any issues.