| Lou,
Howard and I have discussed this vessel before and my views are on the line of his.
The boat is OK. It does bob like a cork is not brilliant in rough seas but then again there are plenty of boats like this. The accomodation below decks can be a little cramped however despite what Fox said, there are indeed three cabins as well as a few 'open' bunks too.
The diving over in Normandy can be a little 'hit and miss' depending upon the weather conditions etc but in general the vis is pretty good. There are some cracking wrecks to dive and of course the history of the sites add to it immensly.
The skipper, John is a good skipper in that he finds the wreck easily and if he tells you that he has put the shot on the "starboard side of the wheelhouse" you can be sure that that is where it it.
On the other hand the skipper has one of the worse attitudes that I have ever met in diving! He has very little in the way of manners, his social skills are virtually non-existant and he really is one of those bolkes that you want to punch - repeatedly!
He is unwilling to remain out of harbour over night and as the 'home base' in France is St-Vaast, which is a tidal harbour timings can be a little tight. The way he rushes to get back anyone would think he had a woman there!!
All in all - the attitude of the skipper outweighs the good things about the boat and I wouldn't dive off this boat again if it was the last vessel afloat.
To dive Normandy I would recommend Mike Rowley with Maureen of Dart or for a smaller charter I know that Len and Maggie on Autumn Dream now venture over there too.
All the best
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Angus |