Travel disruption due to high winds and rough seas

All arrivals and departures from the harbour were cancelled.

The Clipper was the last boat to leave, departing at 11.35pm on Sunday night, not long after Jersey Met had issued an Orange weather warning for gale force nine winds in the Channel Islands shipping area. Its return sailing was cancelled.

One passenger on board described conditions overnight as ‘super-rough'.

‘There were lots of people being sick and screaming,’ he said.

‘The boat was properly crashing up and down, although it got a little better in the morning.’

The Clipper arrived into Portsmouth at 11.25am after a marathon 12-hour trip, four and a half hours longer than normal. The high waves restricted the ferry to speeds of only eight and nine knots in the exposed channel.

The return journey was cancelled with the Clipper due back in Guernsey just after 9pm tomorrow.

There were problems for air passengers too but not just due to the high winds, as an ongoing ‘technical issue’ on one of Aurigny’s ATRs added to disruption.

Flights to Gatwick, Bristol, Exeter, Alderney, Jersey were cancelled, while services to Southampton, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham were severely delayed, some by up to five hours.

An Aurigny spokeswoman said that one of its aircraft experienced an unexpected technical issue while scheduled maintenance was being carried out on a further two aircraft in preparation of an increase in flight activity during the coming summer.

‘We would like to thank our customers for their understanding and apologise for the disruption to their travel plans,’ she said.

‘The affected aircraft is undergoing repair and testing procedures by our dedicated maintenance team.

‘We want to reassure our customers that our team is working tirelessly to mitigate the impact of these unforeseen circumstances.

‘We have contacted all affected passengers to provide them with alternative travel options, including rebooking or re-routing. Our customer service team is on hand to assist with further enquiries or concerns.’

The spokeswoman did not say if the affected aircraft would return to service tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Aurigny has confirmed the launch of twice-daily flights to London City Airport from Guernsey.

The service will commence on 31 March, with one-way fares starting at less than £50.