Sail to France with SailLink

Every now and then someone does something so brilliant and so obvious you wonder why it was not done before.

SailLink has a new idea- actually, they took an old idea- they were just smart enough to make it work again.

Crossing the Channel between the UK and France was done well for thousands of years with wind power. Then it became something you only did if you knew the boat owner or was the boat owner.  SailLink is going to change this. If you want to travel as a passenger under sail, you buy a ticket and off you go. You can even bring your bike.

SailLink will be launching in 2024 as a new cross-channel service for people wanting an eco-adventurous experience. In its essence, it is designed to be simply a convenient connection for foot passengers and cyclists because they depart and arrive at the town's central marinas. Including the before and after procedures, a crossing with SailLink takes the same time as with the vehicle ferry if not faster because passengers simply walk down the pontoon and they are on board. The crossing itself is then around 3.5 to 4 hours on a catamaran which remains level and permits everyone to be up in the sheltered cockpit.

Saillink will start with taking a maximum of 12 passengers between Dove and Boulogne-sur-Mer, operating one return journey per day, 7 days per week between April and October. SailLink optimises its routes to work with the naturally prevailing winds and tides. Electric propulsion provides access to the ports and allows them  to keep to the schedule when the wind drops. When conditions would be uncomfortable passengers can be transferred to a vehicle ferry or Le Shuttle. They now have the first of 3 investment rounds open, raising a total of euro 580'000 to launch full services by the summer.

Further infos at https://saillink.co.uk/