Alderney ferry firm upbeat despite impact of weather
AN INCREASE in the number of days affected by the inclement weather this summer has not prevented Alderney Ferry Services from enjoying a busy few months.
The company ended its first full sailing season at the weekend, having only established itself last year.
It won an Alderney government contract to operate a subsidised daily service between Guernsey and Alderney in April.
Co-director Charlie Smith said that the season on the whole had gone really well, with the company seeing strong passenger numbers.
‘I don’t know the exact number off the top of my head, but it’s been more than 6,000 that we’ve taken back and forth. For our first full season we are really pleased.’
Mrs Smith said the company had had to deal with 14 separate days over the course of the summer where the weather had affected journeys, in comparison to just one last summer.
The company’s ferry, Causeway Explorer, was also out of action for a period in May after hitting an object behind the Alderney breakwater.
‘Conditions were certainly testing, but we still managed to get the rotations in, we are hoping the last stretch will be kind to us,’ she said.
She went on to say that more passengers had tended to travel from Guernsey to Alderney rather than vice versa, but that the company had helped transport a number of Alderney residents to Guernsey for medical appointments.
‘We’ve been able to keep our ticket prices the same, despite the price of fuel going up, thanks to the subsidy we receive.’
‘We obviously compete against Aurigny so we want to keep tickets affordable, and I’m delighted to say that we are still the cheapest way of getting between the islands.’
She added that the company was drawing up its schedule for next year and planned to release tickets for it next month.
Second vessel 'shows we are here to stay'
ALDERNEY Ferry Services has invested in a second vessel.
She was checked by members of the AFS team, before she was sailed to Alderney from the UK.
Sorcerer II is a Lochin 40 Sports Fishermen.
‘She is a brilliant vessel and we can’t wait to have her running on our Alderney to Guernsey plus Alderney to France route alongside Causeway Explorer in 2024,’ the company posted online.
‘It was always a mission of ours to secure a second vessel to future-proof our business and to show everyone that we are here to stay and provide the best quality service for all our passengers with beautifully crafted, seaworthy, comfortable vessels.
‘Our move to secure a second vessel was to ensure we could increase the seat capacity when really needed at busy periods such as Alderney Week, but the main reason is we want to provide a better sea link between Alderney and Cherbourg on a much more regular basis. More information will follow very soon.
‘The investment into expanding our business, especially after this season, had been the hardest decision we made but we feel this is a really positive move towards an exciting 2024 season ahead of us.’
