Passengers and vehicles stranded after Condor Voyager did not dock
CONDOR’S newest fast ferry has got off to a slow start by leaving passengers and vehicles stranded in Guernsey after it failed to enter St Peter Port.
Among those waiting to board the Voyager to go to Jersey, its first scheduled commercial visit to the island, was Izzy Xavier and her husband. They were left in their car watching the vessel’s progress on a marine tracking website at about 1pm.
‘When we first looked we were sat in the pen and it said it was moored, but then it said it was doing six knots,’ she said.
Not long afterwards, they could see the vessel heading back to Jersey.
‘We went to see the staff and the security people and they said they didn’t know what was going on.’
An hour after they were due to leave they returned home, having lost at least one night in a hotel they had pre-paid and reserved in Jersey.
An email from Condor at about 5pm informed them they had been rebooked on a sailing today, meaning they would lose two nights of their stay. Mrs Xavier said they had planned to remain for a week, because of isolating on their return to Guernsey. But with the hotel full it was not possible to move their booking and they have now cancelled the trip.
‘The hotel has basically said it’s not really their problem,’ she said. They were offered a week in November but declined.
Condor has agreed to refund the couple, who are now looking at claiming back their hotel costs through insurance.
Mrs Xavier said there was no information about why the Voyager failed to dock given at the time nor on the Condor website.
They thought it had something to do with the force 4-5 winds at the time.
‘We were wondering if it was having a technical problem with one of its boosters and they couldn’t risk it,’ she said.
‘And when it did its trials the weather was a lot better and it’s not entered the harbour in these conditions.’
. Condor Ferries did not respond to requests for comment.
