New rival ferry plans to take on Wightlink

A new £1 million vessel, which will carry passengers ‘Quay to Quay’ set to rival Wightlink’s passenger service, cruised into Yarmouth Harbour for the first time on Tuesday evening.

The ‘Kracken’, which seats a total of 110 passengers inside and out, is skippered by Tim Anderson, who runs the established Coral Star with his wife, Michelle.

Tim stepped onto the harbour pontoon and said: “She’s gorgeous; it’s been four years in the planning and she’s finally here.”

The 15-metre boat, which has a top speed of 20 knots, has been financially backed by Norwegian, Magnus Gundersen. Tim expects it to be operational later in the month, once it has got its final safety certificates and is fully equipped with life jackets.

A captain for 40 years, he said: “We will be starting early and finishing late, so people can enjoy an evening in Lymington, but we haven’t decided on a timetable as yet. I need to get some more skippers on board and there are people I am in touch with. The more passengers we take on, the more staff I can hire.

“I have also got to get used to driving it! It’s so different from the Coral Star; it has two engines and two bows. It’s bigger and heavier, but feels lighter.

“Hopefully, we will be bringing tourists here – there are certain times during the day when Wightlink is quiet, so we can bring people, give them a trip around The Needles and they can stay in town before returning to the mainland. It can make for a lovely day out.”