The ferry company exclusively runs between Herm and Guernsey, but managing director Peter Wilcox said that in the future it could be interested in going further afield.
‘The two vessels we have are ageing but we have looked after them,’ he said.
‘However, we are finding each year that maintaining them gets a bit more expensive.
‘It is a dilemma, and in a dream situation we would get a new boat built. It’s not quite in the pipeline but it is in the back of my mind. If we did build from scratch it would be prudent to consider the Sark route, and build a vessel that had the ability to do that too.’
He said the current vessels, Trident V and Trident VI, were designed with low hulls which made them perfect for landing in Herm’s shallow waters at low tide.
‘But they are quite top-heavy, which is not as good in heavier seas. If you were considering Sark too, you might need a deeper draft with a little more below the waves.’
Trident did apply for a licence to operate between Sark and Guernsey in 2007 but was unsuccessful as it was felt there was not room for two operators on the route.
The Sark service is currently operated by Isle Of Sark Shipping, which is wholly owned by Sark’s government.
The company was in the news in the autumn after it upset Sark residents by paring back its winter timetable due to financial pressures. After public meetings, it made concessions and added several more services.
Mr Wilcox said purchasing a new vessel for Travel Trident would be a 20-year investment, and they had some concerns about committing to that in the present financial climate.
‘I have always had it in mind that Sark may one day give us a call,’ he said.
‘Operating all three islands would have obvious advantages when it comes to overheads. It has always been a dream to run a triangular route, stopping at Herm and then Sark before returning to Guernsey. If you started early you could easily do both islands in a day. That would be the real island-hopping that Visit Guernsey envisages.’
The company’s prosperity, like that of Herm, is often dependent on good weather.
Mr Wilcox said that peak summer had been good for the company.
‘Up to the end of August it had been really good,’ he said.
‘But autumn came quickly and September was a very poor month. Our season is like a football game, it’s not over until the final whistle. But overall it’s been an OK season. October has been okay but it’s not a month that plays a big part in the wider picture, unlike September when a lot of people like to go as they think it might be the last chance of the year.
‘But if every season was like this one, we would probably be happy.’
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