Romilda

The Romilda was built in Holland in 1974. 
Her other names have been:

• Pride of Canterbury
• Free Enterprise VIII

G&A renamed this ship Romilda in 1994. 

There was another Romilda, at least a G&A boat known as Romilda in 1992-3.  I remember sometimes waiting for a ferry, and knowing what the boat I was waiting for looked like, when a completely different boat sporting the same name turned up!  The "other" Romilda is, looking at the Ferry Site, now the Agios Giorgios- and if I remember correctly she was moored in Piraeus gate 9 in August 2011, next to the Superjet, and doing the run to Milos. 


She was scrapped in 2011 (see Old Ferries to Scrap Yard

Some links about the Romilda

The Ferry Site

http://raflucgr.ra.funpic.de/romilda.htm

Old ferries heading to the scrap yard

Old ferries crowding Piraeus port sent to Turkish scrap yard

If I had known that I wouldn't see these old ladies again I would have taken some photos when I arrved at Piraeus last month.  But I was on a High Speed, with no access to the outside, and didn't bother taking any photos through the spray spattered windows.  I saw the row of old ferries, the lower paintwork shades of faded turquoise, moored on the left of the dock near the entrance.

The ferries heading to the scrapyard are these G&A ships

• Daliana
• Dimitroula
• Marina
• Milena
• Rodanthe
• Romilda

I remember when to me travelling on one of the G&A ships seemed the height of luxury!  They were so modern when compared with their predecessors.  Yet when compared with the faster and more modern ferries of today, these about-to-be scrapped ships seem old-fashioned.

Looking back, it is often difficult to recall idiosyncracies of specific ships.  And the names of ships were sometimes changed.  I think of the Dimitra - how did that ship compare with the Dimitroula?  I must do some research!

I do remember the Marina (it was the Marina, i'm fairly certain!).  The Marina was the first ferry I travelled on that went direct from Katapola to Piraeus without stopping.  her unique feature was a small swimming pool on the deck (closed and unfilled at the time of year I travelled on her), and straw covered parasols on the deck (whistling in the strong winds at the time of year I travelled on her!).

These days I rarely travel on the traditional type of ferry such as these old G&A ships.  the Express Skopelitis is much, much smaller.  The Artemis is not as big as the old G&A ferries, and she starts from Syros, not Piraeus.  The last large traditional ferry I travelled on may have been the Romilda, several years ago, when I went from Amorgos to Naxos one winter night.