Baltic Queen in Mariehamn, 25 June 2012

I apologise for the recent pause in updates to this blog. I have, somehow, managed to be frightfully busy for the past two weeks - quite an archievement considering I'm currently technically unemployed and hence I should have all the time in the world. But, onwards to the point and the last photographs (worth of publishing) from my midsummer visit to Mariehamn with Bruce Peter.

Baltic Queen

IMO 9443255
Built 2009, STX Europe Rauma, Finland
Tonnage 48 915 GT
Length 212,10 m
Width 29,00 m
Draught 6,42 m
Ice class 1A Super
2 800 passengers
2 500 berths
600 cars
1 130 lanemeters
4 Wärtsilä diesels, combined 32 000 kW
2 propellers
2 bow thrusters
Speed 24,5 knots

The Baltic Queen is probably the least-covered Northern Baltic ferry in this blog. For whatever reason, I never manage to find myself in a location that allows good photography of the ship. Except on the recent midsummer trip with Bruce, where the night between 24 and 25 June allowed for rather splendid nocturnal photography of the ship (and when I say nocturnal, do remember that this was midsummer - the photos were around 1 AM and as you can see, a part of the sky was still quite light). The photographs below show the BQ arriving at, and departing from, Mariehamn on her nocturnal tax-free visit. Click on the images to see in larger size.

Feel free to disagree, but personally I think the Baltic Queen has the best-looking livery of the Galaxy-class ships. Of course, these photos don't exactly do the livery justice...

One in the morning and you can see the sun setting. Finnish summer is quite awesome (winter, not quite so).

Turning to reverse into the quay.

Twenty minutes later, the Baltic Queen is outbound towards Tallinn.

Tallink have not skimped on the budget for lamps to light up the sides. Nice for photography purposes.

Next time: (probably) Fjärdvägen.