Sail Link aims to be able to take 12 passengers in comfortable exhilaration on the 4 hour crossing between Dover and Boulogne-sur-Mer not powered by fossil fuels but by sail, taking advantage of navigational, safety and technological advances and applying them to the age-old skills and freely available natural forces.
Together with advances in alterative propulsion, this creates a reliable and low impact travel option with a genuine experience and makes sailing the most suitable and viable option both now and in the future.
The fact that this is quite a unique venture means that sailing passenger vessels for this type and area of operation simply do not exist. So to prove the concept Sail Link will start out with the most feasible, available, vessel and adapt it to their needs; once the concept has been optimised they then plan to design high-performance, purpose-built vessels for this and other routes.
The task to get the boat commercially certified according to UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency rules is currently under way and with the end of summer fast approaching the hope is to be able to launch in time for October, by way of a pilot phase, to get everything working ahead of a full launch and first season in 2025.
SailLink is for all those who want to inject some adventure in their travels, but is also a future-friendly and convenient connection across the channel, particularly suited to the growing numbers of cycle tourers for whom the only other option is the vehicle ferry. Their planned operating season will be April to October.https://saillink.co.uk