[newwheels]

I'll be taking a ferry from Italy to Greece in the summer and I'm a ferry virgin as far as biking is concerned and I'm looking for some advice.
When you leave your bike after boarding, do you leave all your bulky gear still on it ? I'm talking about tents and dry bags etc, not tank bags or valuables.

 

[Stubbsie]

Hi Newwheels,

I'm sure they'll be loads of top tips on this thread ref your concerns.

In my experience I've never had any problems leaving stuff attached to my bike on a ferry, I leave ALL my bulky kit attached & only take what I need like an overnight bag ie my tank back which has all the stuff in it such as documents etc.

I've seen some riders leave their helmets perched on the mirrors too !

Hope this is useful.

 

[BobA]

All the ferries I've used in the past have been UK to France or Ireland, and I've never had a problem.

Chances are, your stuff will be OK, but always remove items of any value that are easy to pilfer.

You will most likely be required to strap the bike down to the deck, especially if the crossing is a bit choppy, and the ferry staff will put a strap over the seat and ratchet the bike down to points on the deck. Good operators sometimes have a pad to protect your seat, but on the rare occasion they haven't, I've used my jacket between seat and strap. I've also put my crash helmet on the deck, and passed the strap though it before securing the bike, so I don't have to carry it round, and to stop someone walking by and just picking it up.

Beware when riding onto the ferry, as the decks are metal and slick especially if wet. Ride slow!

Enjoy your holiday


Bob

 

[Sharribee]

Valuables I keep in a tank bag easy to remove and i stick my sat nav in there and take it woth me. Then depending on the length of crossing I usually have a small overnight bag strapped to the back seat / on the tent which I can grab relatively easily. Everything else stays, never had a problem.



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[newwheels]

Thanks for the replies and tips.

It's going to be a day time crossing and it's going to be mega hot I suspect, so I don't want to have to drag my jacket and helmet around the boat with me. I have a small cable lock that I think I will use through the sleeves of the jacket and helmet and lock it to the bike frame.

 

[Tony Varadero]

Thanks for the replies and tips.

It's going to be a day time crossing and it's going to be mega hot I suspect, so I don't want to have to drag my jacket and helmet around the boat with me. I have a small cable lock that I think I will use through the sleeves of the jacket and helmet and lock it to the bike frame.

as others have said, I only take valuables and at that time of the year the less clothing you take on deck the better it is specially on a daytime crossing.....good luck:thumbup:

 

[Stubbsie]

Newwheels,
Go onto Brittany Ferries website click onto Motorcycle Touring click onto Loading info there's a small video 1 min 21 secs long about a chaps 1st experience of bike touring on a ferry hope it's useful mate.

 

[steveR]

All the ferries I've used in the past have been UK to France or Ireland, and I've never had a problem.

Chances are, your stuff will be OK, but always remove items of any value that are easy to pilfer.

You will most likely be required to strap the bike down to the deck, especially if the crossing is a bit choppy, and the ferry staff will put a strap over the seat and ratchet the bike down to points on the deck. Good operators sometimes have a pad to protect your seat, but on the rare occasion they haven't, I've used my jacket between seat and strap. I've also put my crash helmet on the deck, and passed the strap though it before securing the bike, so I don't have to carry it round, and to stop someone walking by and just picking it up.

LOts of ferry crossings here as well and never a problem with gear being left, I carry the valuables in a tank bag with me, and I keep my helmet and jacket with me too. You will usually find some other riders who will watch your gear when you go to the loo etc

Bob mentions having a pad on the seat, this is a MUST. Last year one of the crossings (cannot remember which) cracked my seat pan as there was no pad and the monkey wound the ratchet down!! It felt weird riding it for a bit and I couldn't work out what had happened... it is now mended and reinforced with fibreglass and mesh. A jacket is a good idea I must remember it in the future...

 

[Nickel Arse]

Thanks for the replies and tips.

. I have a small cable lock that I think I will use through the sleeves of the jacket and helmet and lock it to the bike frame.

Thats what I do, gives me peace of mind, always think some scroat will take something and dump it further down the ferry, I have a coiled pushbike lock

 

[piguglyshandydrinker]

Thanks for the replies and tips.

It's going to be a day time crossing and it's going to be mega hot I suspect, so I don't want to have to drag my jacket and helmet around the boat with me. I have a small cable lock that I think I will use through the sleeves of the jacket and helmet and lock it to the bike frame.

Take valuables, leave all else strapped to the bike, locking jacket & helmet to somewhere secure :thumbup:

 

[newwheels]

I've read that some riders strap the front brake lever up for extra security.

 

[Sharribee]

I've read that some riders strap the front brake lever up for extra security.

Leave it in gear, I've never strapped the brake leave

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[24ftlb]

I've read that some riders strap the front brake lever up for extra security.

I Tie rap the front brake just for my own piece of mind

Paul

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[nickmiddy]

I always put it on the centre stand and than just strap it. Most stuff I leave on but valuables off. On the ferries I use you aren't allowed on the vehicle deck when the ferry starts to go so if you are really paranoid, you can hang about until the crew kick you out and then be first in the queue to go back in at the end of the journey.

I have never bothered doing that but you can if you want to.

 

[Extremist]

I've taken the ferry from Italy to Greece (and back!) several times and did it the cheap way, ie. no cabin, just kipping in a quiet corner on deck somewhere. As such, I'd recommend you keep your doss bag with you - the crossings I took were overnight, and they aren't like a little hop across the Channel, all fruit machines, spot of lunch in the cafe and then you are there. No, I seem to recall that the crossing from Ancona to Patras was about 20 hours, and from Bari about 15 hours. Even Ancona to Igoumenitsa is a good 5 hours.

The boats I took were teeming with, um, those "nice exotic itinerant folk" that Nigel Farage keeps warning are going to launch an invasion of Blighty, and they all apparently wanted to be friends and mill around me, so I've been glad to get inside the bag, fully clothed, with my tankbag as a pillow, and all my valuables upon my person, out of the way. Maybe next time I'll get a cabin, just because I'm getting too old to be slobbing about in all my sweaty riding gear for days on end, and it'd be good to be able to lock the door behind me and relax without worrying about the smiley chap who is invading my personal space while his mate stands directly behind me. Jeeez, I hate that!

The vehicle decks are secure while the boat is at sea, and they are strict about that, so your bike (and anything strapped to it) will be safe, although I think they allow people with campervans access to their vehicles on one dedicated "Camp + Sail" deck, so perhaps watch out if you end up on the same deck. I left my lid locked to the bike with no problems.

As far as I'm aware, the ferries across to Greece don't put out if the weather is anything more than a bit blowy, certainly nothing like North Sea or Channel crossings routinely are, pitching and rolling, but the crews know what they are doing when it comes to securing your bike.
Out in the Greek Islands they use ex-North Sea boats, and they don't sail if there's any white tops at all! (Just as well, because they just put a bit of baling twine on one handgrip and tie it to the side of the boat, no messing about with seat straps!!)