Bordeaux nights

R M BRADFIELD'S hopes (Independent Traveller, 19 February) for an overnight ferry service to Bordeaux with a sociable timetable (6pm departure, 10am arrival) have been dashed by the director of Brittany Ferries, David Longden. 'The sailing time from Plymouth to Bordeaux is at least 23 hours, and from Portsmouth it would be 28 hours. This is longer than people think, because the ship would sail a fair way down the Gironde, under pilotage and well below cruising speed. Thus, leaving at 6pm from Portsmouth, allowing for the one-hour time difference, it would arrive in Bordeaux at 11 the following evening. And a similar service from Plymouth would arrive at 6pm the next day. Perhaps Mr Bradfield should look more closely at travelling from Portsmouth to St Malo, where the departure is at 8.30pm with an arrival in St Malo (the nearest Channel port to Bordeaux) at eight next morning.' Undeterred, P & O European Ferries is still pressing ahead with plans for a Portsmouth-Bordeaux service. The company will make an announcement shortly.