Chief executive Chad Murray said the company had established a ‘valued service’ in its first year and now wanted to ‘work on growth’, as it published its 2026 schedule yesterday.
The ferry operator will resume sailings in March, initially four days a week from Thursday to Sunday, and also on Tuesdays from May, and will again operate until the end of October.
The standard fare will rise from £69 to £85, partly to help fund a greater range of offers and investment in current and potential services.
‘We believe that our fare restricted us and that this fare will give us more flexibility,’ said Captain Murray.
‘Fairly soon we will release an early bird booking opportunity to book next year’s travel at this year’s prices, and customers can manage their bookings free of charge.
‘We will continue to strengthen our core route while exploring opportunities that enhance choice and connectivity for islanders and visitors.’
The company may also look at putting on special sailings to support particular events.
Captain Murray said the company would have liked even higher demand on its high-speed catamaran San Pawl, which can carry more than 300 passengers, but it had been difficult to know what to expect, given that previous ferry operators had not routinely offered inter-island day trips.
‘One thing which surprised us was the origin of passengers, where the split was 50/50 between Guernsey and Jersey,’ he said.
‘We would have expected a higher proportion from Jersey with its larger population. That is something for us to work on over the winter.’
Islands Unlimited received £150,000 from the Guernsey’s Economic Development Committee in 2025, but nothing from the States of Jersey.
Bookings have been opened for next year ahead of any agreement about funding support from either government.
‘We are in discussion with both islands’ governments,’ said Captain Murray.
‘We don’t know how that is looking at the moment as they [the States] are focusing on their budgets for 2026.’
Policy & Resources will publish the draft States Budget next week for debate by the Assembly in November.
In a statement to the Assembly last week, Economic Development president Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller said she was working with Jersey and its ferry operator, DFDS, to improve inter-island connectivity and ‘exploring proposal to support other inter-island providers’ in 2026.
‘As well as serving our regular travellers, Islands Unlimited is playing a growing role in supporting the wider Channel Islands economy,’ said Captain Murray.
‘Reliable ferry links are vital for tourism, business and community connections, and we’re proud to be part of that story.’
The day trips made possible by the service run by Islands Unlimited have allowed some organisations, including sports clubs, to resume inter-island events.
Captain Murray said the positive feedback generated from these and other customers had ‘kept us going’ throughout the company’s first peak season.
Its 2025 bookings remain open until the first weekend of November and 2026 bookings can be made for sailings starting on 20 March.
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