The new cross-channel ferry service

Public transport with
adventure & positive feedback

The SailLink service

Sustainable & active for people travelling by foot or bike.

Between easy access points, from the heart of one coastal town to the other in an adventurous 3 to 4-hour crossing.

An unforgettable experience of travel on a human scale, at an affordable price and with pleasant border procedures.

With covered space for bikes & you can even help sailing.

SailLink routes

Starting out we will be focusing on suitable routes across the Dover Strait. There's plenty to see & the ports themselves are great destinations. Along the way we will be recording ocean data & collecting samples to provide to our research partners. This makes it public transport with positive feedback.

Blue Living Lab

The Blue Living Lab is a business incubation scheme run by Nausicaá, the largest sea-life aquarium in Europe, located on the seafront at Boulogne-sur-Mer. The Nausicaá is a very impressive visitor experience and marine research center and thereby a highly complementary partner for SailLink. We aim to work together to provide not only a great destination for our passengers but also on-board marine education and observation activities.

Tourism Declares: Declaration

We declare our shared commitment to unite all stakeholders in transforming tourism to deliver effective climate action.

We support the global commitment to halve emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050.

We will consistently align our actions with the latest scientific recommendations, so as to ensure our approach remains consistent with a rise of no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.

As a signatory, we commit to:

Deliver a climate action plan within 12 month of signing.
Report publicly both progress against interim and long-term targets, as well as the actions being taken, at least annually.
Align our plan with five shared pathways (measure, decarbonise, regenerate, collaborate, finance) to ensure climate action is consistent across all of tourism.
Share information on activities connected to Tourism Declares and/or the Glasgow Declaration among contacts and networks.
Work in a collaborative and constructive spirit with other members of Tourism Declares and/or signatories of the Glasgow Declaration.

2nd feasibility sailing completed

We studied the routes, port access & berthing and met with Border Force , Harbour Managers & local interest groups. The result is that a sailing passenger service working in accordance with the prevailing conditions is very feasible. SailLink is go!
Thanks to our commercial sailing advisor and reality checker Jim Duerden of Top Cat Cruising School for supplying his boat and enthusiastic support!

Our routes

We are currently testing the feasibility of several routes between three to four ports on each coast. This will allow us the flexibility to continue sailing under various conditions. Our routes are designed to enable a 3 - 5 hour crossing.

--> The SailLink routes

Our vessels

Our crew and vessels will be fully certified and fit for purpose. The vessels will use the power of the wind as well as renewably charged, auxiliary electric propulsion for low impact travel and to maintain the schedule.

--> The SailLink ambition

Your experience

Step-aboard in a marina or harbour, just down the road from the train station, and set sail for your connecting destination or your weekend location. Take part in the sailing or sit back and relax. Feel the effect of the invisible force on the sails, keep an eye out for ships and watch the other coast grow closer.

--> The saillink purpose

Following the pilot phase in September we will be aiming to launch a daily sailing schedule in spring 2023.

For the pilot phase we will again be using the trustworthy catamaran and certified sailing skills of our sailing advisor Jim Duerden of Top Cat Cruising School.

To start out with in 2023 we are on the look-out for a suitable vessel to purchase and adapt.

We're currently being supported in business development by the Blue Living Lab of the Nausicaá sea life centre in Boulogne-sur-Mer : Europe's largest aquarium.

Since August 2019 and during the Covid pandemic we used the time to clarify the regulations & procedures, conduct substantial feasibility, communication & testing and to develop partnerships with the ports, border forces & business partners.

Sustainability

SailLink was founded in order to provide a sustainable means of transport where there is currently none. It is therefore a defining factor of what we do and how we do it. We recognise sustainability to concern all human activities and that to restore the natural balances these must now focus on cleaning and regenerating the environment we depend on.

Equality, diversity & integration

SailLink is cross-channel & cross-boarder travel. In the same sense it is cross-cultures, cross-genders and cross-differences. As a form of public transport it is as inclusive as we are allowed to be. This extends from within our team and amongst our partners to our passengers and potential passengers.

Refugee rights & welfare

SailLink is a responsible service offering legal and safe travel. As such we can offer passage only to those with legal and valid travel documents and not to the desperate people risking everything to get to the UK to claim asylum. We can however help to raise calls for their immediate needs to be met and for an asylum system based on solidarity.

SailLink team

+41 (0)79 656 48 05

The new cross-channel ferry service

Your chance to be a pioneer
Pilot phase with first passengers Sept 2022
Dover <=> Boulogne-s-Mer
Dates & schedule coming soon !!

The SailLink service

SailLink routes

Now with the support of

Blue Living Lab

Tourism Declares: Declaration

25-31 Sept 2021