The Ben-my-Chree’s sailings were disrupted last weekend and for the beginning of the week as Storm Ciara battered the British Isles.

It looks as though there will be a similar situation this weekend with Storm Dennis.

We asked the Steam Packet what factors the master of the Ben-my-Chree considered before deciding whether to sail.

They are:

â?¢Wind strength and wind direction.

Each port has different ’bad’ wind directions so a strong wind in one port may not be a problem but the same strength and direction may be an issue at the other end.

â?¢Availability of a tug.

This may make the difference between being able to sail and not (Heysham has no tug and Douglas tug is restricted by power).

â?¢Tidal situation at arrival and departure.

Heysham has a very difficult entrance made worse by a combination of wind direction and tidal flow direction across the harbour entrance.

â?¢Manoeuvring in harbour.

Often the issue is not ’passage making’ but berthing.

Considerations include ensuring the ship is not damaged as well as other vessels in the harbour.

â?¢’Hours of rest’ regulations.

For safety purposes this means that operators can no longer look at single leg journeys without considering if/when the vessel may be able to return.

â?¢Likelihood of damage to vessel at sea and comfort of passengers on board.

Weather routing can help here but not always an option.