The first regularly scheduled sailing ferry in the English Channel is following suit: SailLink will start its second season on 16 April 2026 - and double the number of crossings between England and France. After a successful inaugural year, the service is set to evolve from a pilot project into a reliable means of transport.
Background and more information about the sailing ferry:
In its first season in 2025, SailLink transported more than 450 passengers on the 17-metre-long catamaran "Echoes". According to the operator, around 70 per cent of the crossings were made exclusively under sail. The ship and operations have now been further optimised for 2026: a well-established crew, technical improvements to the boat and adapted navigation strategies are intended to further increase the proportion of wind-powered passages. The aim is to establish wind power as a predictable propulsion system for scheduled services.
The journey is the destination of the sailing ferry
"We've shown that passengers are ready to bring more adventure back into their journey," says SailLink founder Andrew Simons. "Now we are standardising our processes to make this experience accessible to a wider audience." One particular advantage remains the uncomplicated border crossing: SailLink relies on small, decentralised check-in locations. With a maximum of twelve passengers per journey, border checks should be completed in just a few minutes - without queues like at the large ferry terminals.
New features for the 2026 season include daily departures (6-8 trips per week), which are particularly aimed at cyclists, hikers and foot passengers, as well as a micro-freight service for the climate-neutral transport of small quantities of goods. SailLink will also become an official ambassador for the planned "Cross-Channel Geopark", which links the chalk coasts of Kent and the Côte d'Opale and is applying for UNESCO status.
Bookings for the 2026 season are already open. Timetables under Tickets under Saillink.co.uk
Jill Grigoleit
Editor Travel
Jill Grigoleit was born in Hanover in 1985. An early childhood memory is the large collection of YACHT and SURF magazines from her sailing and surfing enthusiast father. However, growing up in a small Swabian village on the Neckar, she had less to do with water sports in her childhood, apart from a few trips to the Baltic Sea with her family. After studying journalism in Bremen and Hanover, she went into television for a few years. Through a few lucky coincidences, she ended up on the water in 2011 and then returned to the written word professionally. For over ten years, she lived with her family on a houseboat in their own harbor south of Hamburg and wrote a book about houseboat building and life with children on the water. Since 2020, she has mainly been writing travel reports and features about people who live and work on and near the water for BOOTE. She has been a permanent member of the Delius Klasing water sports editorial team since January 2024.
