You have to hand it to the Scots

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:41 pm

Most people on a ferry at sea facing pending disaster would probably panic, scream or start praying.

What did the typical Scots do?

Head for the bar :wah:

Give us a winch | The Sun |Home Scotland|Scottish News

SHATTERED ferry passengers who avoided disaster at sea last night spoke of their relief at being winched off the boat after 22 HOURS trapped onboard.

Travellers on the HSS Stena Voyager experienced terror on Wednesday night when an articulated truck tore free from its fastenings and crashed through the back doors of the Belfast-bound vessel shortly after leaving Stranraer.

The stricken boat managed to limp back to the Dumfriesshire port to safety soon after the drama at around 8.20pm, five miles out in Loch Ryan.

But the 156 passengers and 33 crew could not be taken off because the truck’s trailer — which was dangling out the back of the boat — meant the walkway could not connect to the dock.

Trucky escape . . . lorry cab jammed in doors of vessel

And it wasn’t until 5.30pm last night — almost 22 hours after the vessel embarked on its journey — when fire crews arrived with a cherry-picker that they were plucked to safety.

The operation — lifting people one by one — took several hours.

Passenger Howard Beard, 46, from Blackburn, Lancs, said: “It’s an absolutely massive relief to be off the boat now, I think everyone is pretty shattered.

“No-one is hurt and it could have been a lot worse.”

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Howard also claimed the driver of the truck admitted leaving his handbrake off.

He said: “He was telling people he’d forgotten to put his handbrake on. He was sh***ing himself that the police were going to be coming on to interview him.”

Kerry Cooper, 23, of Bangor, Co Down, was also glad to be back on dry land.

She said: “It is such a relief to be off. We’ve been on there for so long. But I didn’t enjoy getting in the lift. The harness was hitching up my skirt and I was gripping on. I was petrified.”

Her dad Tony, 53, and Howard also told how the bar was shut as some passengers partied a little too hard after their narrow escape.

Tony said: “They shut the bar because a few people took a bit too much advantage of it.”

Howard said: “They didn’t want people getting drunk on the boat.”

And Steve Wright, 24, from Bangor, added “They closed the bar around 12.30 last night because there was a crowd of rowdy customers and they also closed the off-licence as well. But the atmosphere on the boat as a whole was generally quite ambient because I think people were a bit tired.”

Peter McCrory, from Dungannon, Co Tyrone, said the accident could have been fatal.

When the truck burst through the door an alarm sounded in the control deck and power was immediately cut to the ship’s engines.

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Frantic passengers screamed in terror as the front of the boat nosedived towards the freezing water as it lost momentum.

Peter said: “It was frightening. If the boat had taken in water, it could have been a tragedy.”

Adrew Bustard, 37, from Castlederg, Co Tyrone, thanked the crew onboard. He said: “They made it very manageable for us.”

Stena spokesman Nigel Tilson said: “This has been a very difficult time for all concerned and passenger and crew safety has been Stena Line’s number one priority.”

Stena, police and a team from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch will probe the incident.

A SEPA spokesman said the truck’s load — non-toxic ferrous sulphate — posed little environmental threat.

A spokesman for truck owners, Edinburgh-based haulage firm Turners, would only confirm it was their vehicle involved.

abbey · Post by **abbey** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:20 am

Typical Scot?

mikeinie · Post by **mikeinie** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:03 am

Heck, they probably fecked the truck over the side themselves just to get more time at the bar.

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:05 am

jimbo;1122374 wrote: i have loads of scottish friends and i wont have a word said against them

they are loyal lovely lot that have a great sense of humour and love a drink the only thing i will say that can wear a bit thin is their wanting to fight each other at the drop of a hat ,but once you seperate them they all kiss each other and are the best of mates again

:D

and no matter how much they drink even if they have trouble standing they have this knack of never forgetting whose's round it is ..the scottish i love em

:D
I wasn't dissin the great celtic people... it was meant to be complimenatry. Only in Scotland would you see an Al-Quaeda terrorist on fire being punched to the ground.

Galbally · Post by **Galbally** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:15 am

All I can say is that the Scots are about the only people that the Irish would think twice about getting into a drunken brawl with, thats significant, trust me.

I remember when I heard Al Queda attacked Glasgow thinking, oh jaysus, you may finally have bitten off more than you can chew Osama. :yh_rotfl

sunny104 · Post by **sunny104** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:34 am

I'd get drunk too if I was facing a disaster.....

:wah:

Richard Bell · Post by **Richard Bell** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 9:38 am

jimbo;1122374 wrote: i have loads of scottish friends and i wont have a word said against them

they are loyal lovely lot that have a great sense of humour and love a drink the only thing i will say that can wear a bit thin is their wanting to fight each other at the drop of a hat ...

"Brothers and sisters are natural born enemies! Like Englishmen and Scots! Or Welshmen and Scots! Or Japanese and Scots! Or Scots and other Scots! Damned Scots! They ruined Scotland!"

Groundskeeper Willie

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Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 9:59 am

Galbally;1122405 wrote: All I can say is that the Scots are about the only people that the Irish would think twice about getting into a drunken brawl with, thats significant, trust me.

I remember when I heard Al Queda attacked Glasgow thinking, oh jaysus, you may finally have bitten off more than you can chew Osama. :yh_rotfl

I will try to find the link but there was an interview with a witness. he described the Al-Quaeda terrorist on fire and he turned to a Scottish police officer and said 'Shall we help him?' The officer replied 'No. let the f**ker burn'. :yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

An English witness was interviewed and described the same scene saying' I say.. It was just absolutely amazing, I mean there was this man on fire.. it was just like something out of a Thriller video.

don't think Al-Quaeda will be returning to Glasgow in a hurry :yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:01 am

mikeinie;1122381 wrote: Heck, they probably fecked the truck over the side themselves just to get more time at the bar.

That occured to me also :yh_rotfl

Did you notice that it said in the article that they even had to shut the bar down :yh_rotfl

'Feck it...if we're gonna die... we'll die happy

Galbally · Post by **Galbally** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:23 am

By the way, where do you think the Ferry was going? Yep, Northern Ireland.

So you basically had a boat full of people from Scotland or Ireland, there was nothing that could have phased the people on that boat, other than the drink running out.

You know its true. :wah:

Galbally · Post by **Galbally** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:43 am

And Steve Wright, 24, from Bangor, added “They closed the bar around 12.30 last night because there was a crowd of rowdy customers and they also closed the off-licence as well. But the atmosphere on the boat as a whole was generally quite ambient because I think people were a bit tired.

You can interpret that as, "given the seriousness of the situation, a lot of people decided to get boozed up and sing a few songs, and then fell asleep, they woke up in the helicopter chairlift" :yh_rotfl

mikeinie · Post by **mikeinie** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:45 am

Galbally;1122590 wrote: And Steve Wright, 24, from Bangor, added “They closed the bar around 12.30 last night because there was a crowd of rowdy customers and they also closed the off-licence as well. But the atmosphere on the boat as a whole was generally quite ambient because I think people were a bit tired.

You can interpret that as, "given the seriousness of the situation, a lot of people decided to get boozed up and sing a few songs, and then fell asleep, they woke up in the helicopter chairlift" :yh_rotfl

:yh_rotfl