Try a different way to cross UK-France the Channel - a sailing catamaran ferry
Passengers will be able to help sail the boat once out of the harbour
Passengers will pay £85 for the four-hour trip across the Channel
A ferry company using a specially adapted catamaran is starting to take bookings for cross-Channel crossings between Dover and Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Costing £85 for a one-way crossing, the trip should take between four and five hours, depending on tides and wind, for up to 12 passengers.
This is the first year that the company, SailLink, has planned a full season of crossings.
Previously, it had experimented to see if there was demand during the peak holiday season, using smaller sailing boats.
“Developing this venture has been one small step after another, made with many people and partners and now we are just at the start,” said Andrew Simons, founder of SailLink.
Read more: New hybrid ferry to run on Normandy-Portsmouth route next month
Passengers can join in
“For me, this project represents a simple but very symbolic piece of a world that I would like to see, where we make use of naturally prevailing forces - the wind and tide - which make it the most natural and obvious way to travel.”
The Catamaran, called Echos, was bought in the south of France and renovated in 2024, in a €400,000 project financed by Mr Simons and several investors.
Another €100,000 had to be raised to launch the service.
Clients can usually help with the running of the catamaran once it has cleared the busy harbours.
The sailing ferry has berths in marinas in Dover and Boulogne with car parking nearby, although some clients arrive by train.
As well as the sails, it is equipped with two diesel motors, which will run on bio-diesel, and the company has plans to put in a diesel-electric hybrid motor.
Read more: What is the best way to travel between London and Paris?
Each trip will have a captain and a crew member on board. The catamaran will be registered in Britain, but the UK company is also opening a French unit to help with the paperwork required to operate from France.
The rise of sailing ferries
The announcement follows a similar one by sail powered cargo company TransOceanic Wind, which says it will carry a limited number of passengers on routes across the Atlantic.
A formal schedule and prices will be revealed later this year, after 3,000 people contacted the firm, TransOceanic Wind Transport, out of the blue to ask about crossings.
Passenger prices are expected to be in the range of €2,000 to €3,000 per person, potentially with discounts if passengers return to France with the company as well.
The first regular New York runs, all of which will follow the southern ‘great circle’ route past the Canary Islands, will be done with just four passengers.
