The Swansea-Cork ferry could take place this Wednesday if final certification checks are approved. 

Hopes are high that final checks will be done this afternoon with the 1st sailing tonight from Swansea at 2050.  The service is sure of a big welcome if the Julia arrives in Cork Thursday morning just before 7am.

Many congratulations to Conor Buckley who was named as Cork person of the month.  Conor received the award for his work in reviving the Cork Swansea ferry service which will start on the 01^st of March.

Well all good things come to an end.  My consultancy period with Fastnet Line is now over.  I wish the company & all the people involved in getting this route up and running all best success.

FASTNET LINE LAUNCH BOOKING SYSTEM FOR SWANSEA TO CORK FERRY SERVICE

Thousands of people expected to book sailings in the coming weeks

Fastnet Line today launched the booking facility for the Swansea to Cork ferry service which will commence sailing on March 1^st 2010 from Cork to Swansea. Sailings can be booked on www.fastnetline.com

The price of travelling on the new service starts from € 99.00 one way for a car and driver. For bookings made by April 1^st, 2010 and for travel in that year, 3 children per car booking will travel free each way, (excluding cabin). Children under 4 travel free all year round.

The service expects to enjoy strong demand from both tourist and freight customers on both sides of the Irish Sea. Fastnet Line believes that it will contribute greatly to the development and promotion of tourism in the south and sustain more than 1000 jobs. The service is worth more than €50 million annually to the local economy.

Tom Barrett, CEO of Fastnet Line says, “”Today marks another important step towards our first sailing between Cork & Swansea on 1st March 2010. Since the start of 2009, funds have been raised, a ship purchased and now today, our 8,700 pre-registered passengers and many more, can book their preferred sailing dates. We look forward to welcoming them aboard our fantastic ship and providing a relaxing and efficient route between the South West of Ireland and the UK”.

Benefits of the Swansea to Cork Ferry Service:

• The service will save 600 km driving on a round trip and connects direct with the M4 motorway
• Sailing will be overnight departing at 21.00 hours and arriving 07.00 a.m. next day
• The service will operate 6 nights a week with additional sailings in July and August
• Extensive selection of bars and restaurants, shopping, cinema and kids area onboard. Dog kennels are also available.
• The service will operate all year round for convenient travel in and out of season

Log on to www.fastnetline.com or call 0 21 453 0440 for further information

Ends/

For further information contact:

Christine Duggan,

DMpr

028 23756 / 087 9641729

Well another week down.  As we get closer to the New Year you realize once we soon hit 2010 we will just be over 8 weeks away from our 1^st sailing.   The dream of an amazing group of people who started the whole Bring back the Ferry campaign  will become a reality.   

This week Cork County council decided to invest in the Cork to Swansea Ferry service by Fastnet Line.  In these tough economic & political times it should be noted that all 48 councillors supported the investment.   A sure sign of the goodwill towards the reinstatement of the link. 

Everyone agrees that this service will bring benefits into the Cork & Swansea regions.  

Our pricing has been up now for over a week.  We are very happy with booking levels so far.  Thanks to everyone that have contacted us so far with feedback.    We meet every day to discuss the previous day so all feedback is discussed. 

We are getting questions on Land bridge, Tesco breaks club etc.   We wanted to get our regular pricing up 1^st and hope to roll out other pricing initiatives soon.  

Ann Cronin our Sales Manager spent a few days in Wales this week.   She meet up with supporters of the service.  Visit Wales and companies interested in using the Cork to Swansea service. 

On Friday I received a visit from Mick Regan & friends from  www.dispora.ie .  It is great to hear people saying how impressed they are with the onboard facilities.  

I would like to wish a very happy Christmas to everyone & will we will talk again before we hit 2010.

www.fastnetline.com

The week was an eventful one for Fastnet and also myself. 

Unusually I will start on a Sunday 

Last Sunday I took a visit to Hosfords garden centre just outside Bandon.  It was their annual Xmas Farmers market.  I was very lucky to get a car space at 1pm.  I really enjoyed the day.  I had lunch as I enjoyed xmas carols. 

It was great to  meet John Hosford & Adrian Brentnall both major players in the Bring back the Ferry Campaign.  

Check out http://www.hosfordsgardencentre.ie/ for more info.  Well worth a visit anytime of the year.

On Tuesday it was an early start to meet the people who provide our booking engine.  They are the 2morrow group based just outside Oxford.  I spent the day going through last minute checks before our pricing went live. 

 I also spent some time in their call centre.  I had a chance to listen in to some Agents taking reservation calls.

 Later that night we drove down to Portsmouth to see the operational side at Portsmouth Ferry terminal.  It was very interesting g to see how quickly the vehicles get on and off the ships. 

Everyone at the 2morrow group were very helpful and I enjoyed the trip.

Thursday was the big day.  At 12pm we set our prices live on www.fastnetline.com Bookings for the 1^st day were very positive.  We also received some feedback on things on the website/booking engine you would like to see and we will consider all feedback.

Just to recap some important info.

The Inaugural sailing will be from Cork on the 01^st March 2010.

The Julia will then revert to schedule leaving Swansea the 03^rd march 2010.

Our opening prices include up to 3 children  with and adult & car travel go free.

Michael McGrath TD with Fastnet Line General Manager Paul O Brian (right) & Fergus McLoughlin Financial advisor

(left)

 Another week another visit.  On Friday we had Michael McGrath TD onboard.  Everyone who has visited us so far have been very impressed with the Julia.  The main feedback we are getting is the very spacious public areas & the amount of Restaurants/Bars we have onboard. 

It has been a funny week for me personally.  We are getting  close to going live with our prices.  What some people may not know is that behind the prices you see online can be a very complex backend booking engine.  These are more commonly known as Extranets.  

I have come across many Extranets in my time but each has its own way of doing things.  Most of this week was  spent tweaking, testing & a bit of screaming (at myself)   More testing (screaming) to come next week. 

I am also getting up to speed with shipping terms.  When I worked in Hotels I could tell you every Bank & School holiday 2 years out.  I think I am getting the same way with tides.  Rising tides, low tides you name it. 

The Coop are considering some great ideas for some of our shop spaces onboard the Julia.   Produce of Cork.  Onboard  Farmers Market.   Watch that space.  Watch this space. 

Interesting facts of the Julia 

The Julia has seven bars & restaurants that offer a fantastic selection of fine food & drink as you cruise across the Irish Sea in style.

1st picture Padraig Fleming & below Tom Barrett below with 1 weeks growth on the right.

This week was a good week to be based onboard the Cork to Swansea Ferry route ship the Julia.   I am sure with the weather the way it was many people were wishing their work was onboard a ship. 

Cork was a bit flooded this morning but she still looked good in a Venice kind of way.  Let’s hope it will be another 20 years before we see rain like that again.

I hoped you tuned into the Business show on RTE radio1 last Saturday morning to hear our CEO Tom Barrett been interviewed.  We really enjoyed having John & Alan onboard.  Status update on Toms charity moustache see picture above.   He is looking more like a seaman each day. 

This week I had the chance to have a brief chat with Padraig Fleming.   Padraig is one of the founding members of the West Cork Coop movement.   In little over a year these people have managed to purchase a ship & it will start service next in March 2010.   Yes we can?   Yes they did.  

Padraig has been involved in tourism for a while now.  Along with his wife Mary he is the proprietor of  Anchor Bay Cottages in the beautiful West Cork town of Courtmacsherry.  Padraig said the whole West Cork & SW Ireland region will benefit from the return of the Cork to Swansea ferry link.  

He is looking forward to the 1^st sailing in March & to seeing every Parish, Village & Town in the region benefiting financially.  

Check out Anchor Bay Cottages at www.irelandholidayhomes.com or email Padraig abcottages@hotmail.com for more info. 

Update on our prices.  We are still on schedule to have prices online someday next week.   Those of you on our email database will be the 1^st to receive an email letting you know.   We also hope to be doing some deals with other ferry operators to provide a Land bridge to Europe as soon as we get our own prices are online.  

We also plan to have a new look website over the next few months.

I would also like to welcome anboard Catherine Murphy who will look after the admin side of things for Fastnet line.  If you need info drop an email to info@fastnetline.com & Catherine will get back to you. 

Interesting fact about the Julia.

Her last route was from Helsinki in Finland to St Petersburg in Russia.  The service was discontinued after promises by the Russian Government to relax visa regulations never happened.  Helsinki & St Petersburg’s pain.  Cork & Swansea’s gain.

Until next week.

www.fastnetline.com

John & Alan from the Business show on the bridge of the Julia Ferry with Fastnet Line CEO Tom Barrett & Ships Master Fergus O Driscoll.

Another interesting week onboard the Julia.   Today we had a visit from John Murray of the RTE radio 1 show The Business.   John was given a walk around of the Julia by Fastnet Line CEO Tom Barrett.   

Tom gave John an update of the progress made getting the Cork Swansea Route back running again.    John also tested one the beds in one of our 300 cabins. 

At the end of the tour John asked our CEO Tom Barrett to join the Mo-vember moustache challenge.  Tom has just 2 weeks to grow the best moustache.  This is all in aid of Irish Cancer Society to raise funds for Action Prostate Cancer.  A very good cause I am sure you agree. 

Want to sponsor Tom?  Go to http://www.rte.ie/radio1/thebusiness/1307849.html & make your donation.  I will start by making a donation of €100.  It is the least I can do after setting up Tom. 

Did John get to blow the fog horn?  Listen in tomorrow on RTE radio at 10am.  The show is live from the English market in Cork City. 

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of giving a tour of the Julia to Corks top radio presenter Neil Prendeville of 96fm. Neil was very impressed with the facilities onboard the Julia.

We also have had a visit from a number of U.K Journalists who are currently touring the West Cork region.

Fastnet Line are in the final stages of putting together the schedule & prices.  These will be online at www.fastnetline.com within the next 2 weeks. 

 I have had a lot of requests to see images of the interior of the Julia.  

We are doing a photo shoot next week and as soon as we get we will have online.  We have a lot to show off so we cannot wait to show you.

This week onboard the Julia I got to have a chat with the Ships Master Fergus O’Driscoll.   Fergus is a West Corkman. 

Since I have stepped my foot into the Ferry business I seem to be coming across a lot of West Cork people in the shipping game.   

Maybe this is not such a surprise as the whole Bring Back the Cork Swansea Ferry campaign has its roots very much in West Cork. 

The Julia will begin service on the 01^st March 2010.  Is there much for the Ships Master to do now?   Yes. 

Fergus has had a few visits from the Cork Fire Brigade this week training on safety procedures.   This is a very important part of getting the Julia prepared for business.   The same will happen on the Swansea side.  

Currently there is major work ongoing on Deck 3 moving flood barriers.  This will make the Julia an even safer Ship. This work is been carried out by the company Safeline & Fergus & the Crew. 

Fergus is looking forward to getting the Julia service started.  He said it is great for the whole Cork region to have a link to the U.K again.  Fergus mentions that the Julia is the best suited ship he has being on for overnight sailings.   

Anyway a lot more work ahead for the Ships Master & crew before the Julia heads for Dry Dock for here annual survey in Jan 2010.

Other news

This week we signed a contract with a company who will provide our booking engine.  Once all the specifications are setup we will be able to have our prices online.  We expect this to be in the last week of November so not long to wait now. 

We are also are building & designing a new website which should go live before the end of year.

People have asked if we will have an open day onboard the Julia.  The answer is yes and we will have all info on this on www.fastnetline.com as soon as we can confirm a date.