The Sandbanks chain ferry Bramble Bush Bay returned to Poole Harbour on 7 February under tow by the tug Mercia following its overhaul at Falmouth, which has included a change of hull colour from blue to red.
The floating bridge sustained serious damage to one of its prows during the tow to Falmouth last November, which has delayed its return to service.
New steel prow sections, fabricated in Poland, were loaded in Gdansk onto the cargo vessel Danica Violet, which arrived at Poole’s Bulwark Quay on 6 February.
The new steelwork will be fitted alongside at the Port of Poole and, following recommissioning tests and a window of specific sea and tidal conditions to reconnect it to its chains, the ferry is expected back in service between Sandbanks and Shell Bay at the end of February. Bramble Bush Bay was delivered by Richard Dunston of Hessle in 1994.
Report and photo by Kevin Mitchell
Danica Violet unloading chain ferry prow at Poole on 6.2.2023.
