From Sailer to Saint

Photo: Alongside the Refit Berth in 1990 is the St Cybi. © Judi & Lee Brown.

Additional Pages:  Fire in the St Cybi   Cybi's Greek Decline 

Taken on charter from Stena Line, the arrival of the Stena Sailer at Holyhead in 1987 marked the reintroduction of a second ship on the service to Dun Laoghaire after a gap of over two years. A far cry from the previous 'second ship', the St David, the Stena Sailer was welcomed as a chance to build freight levels. In her initial months her continued operation was somewhat touch and go, but as traffic levels increased so her future was secured and eventually she was purchased and renamed St Cybi.  

First Impressions

It fell to Capt Glynne Pritchard to collect the Stena Sailer from lay-up at Falmouth and bring her to Holyhead at the start of her bareboat charter to Sealink British Ferries in March 1987.

His first impression of the Stena Sailer? “A ship not up to Sealink standards, I think she had been laid up for a while, which I think explained the build up of mussels in the sea water cooling pipes. It was not until we were on passage that her faults really showed up,” says Capt Pritchard. 

• Thurs 12th March - Standby at Holyhead to collect Stena Sailer from Falmouth

• Fri 13th - In the office and collecting charts etc.

• Sat 14th – Shipping & Port Manager Colin Burkitt, Cledwyn Roberts C/E and I left Holyhead at noon for the drive to Falmouth

• Sun 15th - On the ship all day, back to the hotel in the evening.

• Mon 16th - Due to sail, but cancelled due to NUS activities at Holyhead.

• Tues 17th - Left Queens wharf at 0900 for Bunkering Jetty. Depart Falmouth at 1400. Engines US. Hugh Farrell 2/O and Dick Jones C/O. As soon as I took Bridge control the ship stared moving astern at a rate of knots. The Stena people could have told us that 'zero' on the port engine combinator was in fact 'one' astern! On the passage from Falmouth to Dublin we had various combinations of the four engines. Of the two British Polar engines on each shaft I don't think we had the four all working together for any length of time.

• Weds 18th - Arr Dún Laoghaire at 1400. I remember the sleet was coming in horizontally through the side wheelhouse window. The pier master, Ray Travers, wanted me to go out again and try the berth stern first. No chance! Left Dublin 1815 and arrived home (in the house) at 0100.

• Thursday 19th - shifting around the harbour in wind NW 35 knots with dud engines - never again!

Recalling that Thursday Capt Pritchard recalls “It all started with trying to shift from the Refit berth to the Admiralty Pier with the wind from the NW at 35 knots. The wind kept blowing the heaving lines back on board, but we eventually got a line ashore ford. Every time I started to screw the stern in the engineers would phone up to ask me to ease off because the engines were overheating. I had to abandon it in the end and decided to go outside to swing and came back into the inner harbour.

“We then had to anchor in the inner harbour off the refit berth.  I'll never forget Cledwyn, the Chief, appearing on the bridge, his face black with soot, with white rivulets of sweat running down his cheeks, saying ‘We've got to stop the engines, the exhausts are glowing cherry red, can you anchor here?’

“We did, before finally making it back to the refit berth.”

The following morning, on Friday 20th March, saw the Stena Sailer set off on her first commercial trip, from the station ramp at 0600. But the drama was far from finished as in Ireland the introduction of the ship was causing something of a stir.

At that time the Irish Sea ferry operations of Sealink and B&I Line were the subject of a revenue pooling and capacity sharing agreement which both companies entered into in 1986 covering the two year period to December 1987. For Sealink the Stena Sailer was a supplementary vessel to the St. Columba, her purpose being to leave the latter free for tourist traffic while she catered for freight vehicles. B&I Line had informed the Irish Government that the Sealink proposal to operate an additional vessel into Dún Laoghaire was in breach of the agreement. A senior level meeting between the two companies was arranged for 24 March.

The Irish Government took the view therefore that, pending the outcome of those discussions, the status quo in relation to shipping services into Dún Laoghaire should be preserved. Their views in this regard were conveyed to Sealink and the then operators of Dún Laoghaire Harbour, the Commissioners of Public Works. Sealink, nonetheless, indicated their intention of proceeding with the introduction of the service in advance of the discussions arranged. At the Minister's request, the Office of Public Works indicated to Sealink that in that event facilities would not be made available for the Sealink vessel.

Sealink chose, nonetheless, to sail the Stena Sailer into Dún Laoghaire on 20th March. In line with the position which had been indicated earlier to Sealink, offloading facilities were not provided for the vessel by the Office of Public Works.

Later on Friday, with the Stena Sailer sitting in Dublin Bay, representatives of Sealink sought a meeting with Government officials. At that meeting, the Sealink representatives confirmed their agreement to discussions with B & I on 24th March. They also asked if the responsible Minister would agree to the unloading of the Stena Sailer on the basis of an undertaking from Sealink that the vessel would not operate into Dún Laoghaire pending consideration by him of the outcome of the planned discussions.

On the basis of that undertaking, and having regard to the difficulties which had arisen for those with cargo on board the Stena Sailer, the Minister requested the Office of Public Works to provide the necessary unloading facilities for the vessel.

The ship eventually left Dun Laoghaire at 1820 and after discharging cargo tied up at the refit berth where her engines received some much needed attention. The talks held between the two companies were not conclusive and some weeks passed before the service could get going again.

The photographs below were taken from the coastguard station, possibly by Dave Percival. The onboard shots were taken with Capt Pritchard's camera, by one of his "passengers", (the late Richard Hughes, C/E, who was working ashore at the time). 

And so began the Stena Sailer’s life at Holyhead. She was a rough and ready little ship, but over the course of the next five years, through purchase and renaming as St Cybi, she was lovingly cared for, becoming a valued member of the local fleet.

As built, B+I Line's Dundalk on charter to Sealink for the Newhaven - Dieppe run. © Les Harris, courtesy of Andrew Gilbert.	The Stena Sailer at Dun Laoghaire during her first season on the run, 1987	Swinging off the end of Dun Laoghaire's St Michael's Pier on her 2015hrs sailing to Holyhead.
A most unusual view, the Stena Sailer laying over on the old departure berth at Dun Laoghaire.	On the former mail departure berth, summer 1987.	On her usual Dun Laoghaire berth in May 1988
A battle weary foc'sle!	Under the command of Capt Trevor Shaw, the Stena Sailer arrives at a fog cloaked Dun Laoghaire, May 1988. The Earl William can be seen loading for her 1030hrs sailing to Liverpool.	Alongside at Birkenhead in May 1988 prior to transferring to the Fishguard - Rosslare service for the summer season. Her place at Holyhead was taken by Dover's Seafreight Highway. © Judi & Lee Brown

Having enjoyed a period of prolonged reliability a major incident befell the St Cybi on 10th October 1990 when fire broke out in the engine room. Only the prompt action of the ship's crew averted what could have been a very serious situation indeed. Read On. 

All Photos by Justin Merrigan © unless otherwise stated