This year has allowed many perfect sailings to Herm for the Travel Trident, leading to one of the busiest summers for the family business, given the consistency of decent weather.
‘We’re delighted with how it’s going, it’s wonderful,’ said Herm Travel Trident manager Peter Wilcox.
‘Sometimes it’s been so busy we’ve had to bring in the back-up boat to handle numbers.
‘The weather has always been a significant factor in sailing success – not only can boats not go, but people tend to have a different mindset when it is raining and windy.’
So Mr Wilcox hopes the rest of season will stay sunny.
He said that this year’s biggest pressure on the business had been finding professional and qualified staff.
‘There’s a limited pool of available skippers and engineers,’ said Mr Wilcox.
Travel Trident has seen a mix of ages right across the board this summer going over to Herm, a mix of tourists and locals, and a definite uptick in young people in their 20s, and couples.
The Captain’s Table has been re-introduced for the summer months, which was popular in the 80s and 90s, where boat fares and food prices are knocked down for a promotion.
Visitors to Herm can only book tickets on the day of travel.
‘We’ve been looking at online tickets for a while, but the cost to set up a bespoke ticket system is very expensive,’ said Mr Wilcox.
Many people like the flexibility of getting up and deciding to go across rather than pre-booking, he said.
‘Weather plays such a big part and it has helped the momentum of the summer,’ said Mr Wilcox, who said he had heard from VisitGuernsey that Herm was possibly people’s favourite add-on in the Guernsey experience.
‘It’s affordable, and it’s a beautiful island.’
As of June, more than 21,000 people have travelled between Herm and Guernsey, edging the route ahead of Sark for passenger numbers. Sark has seen just over 19,000 people travel this year.
Herm almost exactly matched passenger numbers for the first six months of the year with the January-June period of 2024. Figures for July and August have not yet been released.
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