# RO/RO Ferries - do you worry about riding one? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 3, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-ro-ferries-do-you-worry-about-riding-one/342872 "2006-02-03T18:19:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-ro-ferries-do-you-worry-about-riding-one/342872/21 "2006-02-05T09:10:20Z")
The [Blue Nose](http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/StenaJutlandica1973.html)out of Maine to Nova Scotia is a side loader and feels and acts and is shaped like a real ship. Great ride that. - About ½ way down the page.\* ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-ro-ferries-do-you-worry-about-riding-one/342872/22 "2006-02-05T10:13:24Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > By the way, are there _any_ car ferries that aren’t RO/RO? I always thought “car ferry” pretty much implied you can drive a car right into the ship. I vagulely recall [this](http://www.irishships.com/images/Roll%20on%20Roll%20off/ulysses-stacks.jpg) (Irish Ferries’ _Ulysses_) not having a bow door, and so all loading was done from the stern, with traffic driving around in a U-shape on the car deck. I suppose depending on your definition of ro-ro, this doesn’t quite qualify. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-ro-ferries-do-you-worry-about-riding-one/342872/23 "2006-02-05T13:15:14Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > The [Blue Nose](http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/StenaJutlandica1973.html)out of Maine to Nova Scotia is a side loader and feels and acts and is shaped like a real ship. Great ride that. > > - > > About ½ way down the page.\* For the last 7-8 years or so, the Bah Hahbah to Nova Scotia route has been handled by the [cat ferry](http://www.catferry.com/the_ship/). It’s a nice ride and it has easy slot machines! ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-ro-ferries-do-you-worry-about-riding-one/342872/24 "2006-02-05T14:46:56Z")
> [@Scruloose](#): > > For the last 7-8 years or so, the Bah Hahbah to Nova Scotia route has been handled by the [cat ferry](http://www.catferry.com/the_ship/). It’s a nice ride and it has easy slot machines! Hey, that looks kinda fun. My Wife and I have taken the ferry from Cozumel to Cancun. We ride outside, on top at the back of the ship. I think that’s probably the safest spot. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-ro-ferries-do-you-worry-about-riding-one/342872/25 "2006-02-05T22:32:00Z")
Cool on th e’cat’ ferry. Been a while since I was up that way. Can you even get to an outside deck on that? I liked being up in the bow on the Blue Nose. ---
**Author:** ![Suse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Suse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suse)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-ro-ferries-do-you-worry-about-riding-one/342872/26 "2006-02-05T22:54:25Z")
What **scr4** said. This is the ferry we will take to Manitoulin if our vacation plans come through: [Chee-Cheemaun](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi-Cheemaun) . ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-ro-ferries-do-you-worry-about-riding-one/342872/27 "2006-02-05T22:57:52Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Cool on th e’cat’ ferry. Been a while since I was up that way. Can you even get to an outside deck on that? I liked being up in the bow on the Blue Nose. IIRC, the only place can go outside is a [small deck area at the stern](http://www.korval.com/bloorue/cat18.jpg), above the car deck. Given the speed that it travels\*, it’s probably the only place outside you’d _want_ to be. \*The Cat moves pretty damn fast - certainly a lot faster than any Coast Guard cutter. In the winter during the late '90s, the Cat used to operate between Freeport Bahamas and Miami. When I was stationed aboard a patrol boat in Miami back then, we picked up the big, fast moving RADAR contact heading west and gave chase at 30 knots. She blew our doors off; we never came close her. The OpCen confirmed who we were chasing as it passed through Gov’t Cut. We got a hold of her schedule to spare ourselves any future embarrassment. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2006, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-ro-ferries-do-you-worry-about-riding-one/342872/28 "2006-02-05T23:57:02Z")
> [@Scruloose](#): > > IIRC, the only place can go outside is a [small deck area at the stern](http://www.korval.com/bloorue/cat18.jpg), above the car deck. Given the speed that it travels\*, it’s probably the only place outside you’d _want_ to be. > \*The Cat moves pretty damn fast - certainly a lot faster than any Coast Guard cutter. In the winter during the late '90s, the Cat used to operate between Freeport Bahamas and Miami. When I was stationed aboard a patrol boat in Miami back then, we picked up the big, fast moving RADAR contact heading west and gave chase at 30 knots. She blew our doors off; we never came close her. The OpCen confirmed who we were chasing as it passed through Gov’t Cut. We got a hold of her schedule to spare ourselves any future embarrassment. Fffft. Try [this](http://www.akerfinnyards.com/image.cfm?i=63&s=m) - 1500 passengers at 40 knots. Yes, I’m being childishly competitve 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-ro-ferries-do-you-worry-about-riding-one/342872/29 "2006-02-06T01:12:10Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Fffft. Try [this](http://www.akerfinnyards.com/image.cfm?i=63&s=m) - 1500 passengers at 40 knots. Yes, I’m being childishly competitve 😉 I said _we_ were doing 30kts. The Cat does **48 kts**. However, I have no doubt that Stena Lines operates ferries just as fast if not faster than that. But gimme one of [these](http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/phm-2-dvic069.jpg) anyday! ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-ro-ferries-do-you-worry-about-riding-one/342872/30 "2006-02-06T04:01:10Z")
I’ve also ridden the Cape May / Lewes ferry between NJ and Delaware, as well as the various North Carolina ferries to and from Ocracoke. I’ve never felt insecure on any of them. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-ro-ferries-do-you-worry-about-riding-one/342872/31 "2006-02-07T06:29:06Z")
> [@Scruloose](#): > > I said _we_ were doing 30kts. The Cat does **48 kts**. However, I have no doubt that Stena Lines operates ferries just as fast if not faster than that. > > But gimme one of [these](http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/phm-2-dvic069.jpg) anyday! I have hit too many ‘sinkers’ in small boats to be comfortable in that style of hydo-foil. If you are doing 40 kts, might as well be using wings and fly, 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-ro-ferries-do-you-worry-about-riding-one/342872.md?page=1)