SailLink · Season 2026 · Vol. 2

The
Log
book.

Dispatches from the Channel. Route guides, partner news, passenger stories and everything that happens on and around Echoes, in one place.

12 Passengers max
~4h30 Under sail
S.2 Season open
Season 2, 2026
The full count, coming soon
Season Review · Being compiled

A second season under sail.
Here is what it added up to.

From mid-April to mid-September, Echoes carried passengers and their bikes between Dover and Boulogne-sur-Mer, the first sailing ferry between the two towns. We are gathering the full picture of the season now. The numbers land here shortly.

{{CROSSINGS}} Crossings completed
{{PASSENGERS}} Passengers carried
{{BIKES}} Bikes aboard
{{PCT_SAIL}} Average under sail
Partner with us
Building the 2027 crossing
Season 2 done · 2027 opening up

We sailed a second season. Now we choose who sails with us in 2027.

SailLink is three people, self-funded, running the first sailing ferry between Dover and Boulogne-sur-Mer. Two seasons delivered, a first pilot crossing to Normandy this September, a scientific sensor aboard for Ifremer, and coverage from Reuters to the Guardian. Low impact, wind and tide first. For 2027 we are opening a small number of partnerships for brands who want their name tied to a real, responsible crossing rather than to advertising noise. Twelve passengers per sailing means presence, not volume. If your company is working to travel and do business more sustainably, there is a place for you on board.

Partner with us for 2027 ↗
Coming this September
A first crossing between Normandy & Sussex
Pilot Crossing · Shoreham ↔ Fécamp

A first crossing between
Normandy & Sussex

This September, SailLink opens a new stretch of water. A series of pilot crossings between Shoreham (Sussex) and Fécamp (Normandy), aboard Mer Agitée, a catamaran built with racing-boat technology and materials, most of its parts reused from racing boats, and skippered by double Vendée Globe winner Michel Desjoyeaux. Twelve seats per crossing, bikes welcome on board. Everything about the pilot lives on one page.

Route Shoreham ↔ Fécamp
When September 2026
Vessel Mer Agitée
Skipper Michel Desjoyeaux
Dispatches
Season news & updates
● Open 2026
Dispatch

2026 Season:
Twice the crossings.

Schedule live · Return trips available · April to mid-September

Book the crossing →
01 Captain's Journal

We doubled down
on what matters.

Based on your feedback from Season 1, we've expanded significantly: twice as many crossings, a greater focus on return trips, and new partnerships on both coasts. The schedule reflects what you asked for. Come back. Bring a friend. Bring your bike. Echoes is ready.

Andrew Simons · Skipper & Co-founder
Accessibility · New this season

If you travel with an assistance dog, there is now a seat for you aboard Echoes.

After months of work with the UK and French authorities, we can now welcome passengers who travel with a recognised assistance dog. The dog sails free of charge, stays close to hand, and our crew look after you on board. It is a first step we are glad to have reached this year, and we hope to widen who we can welcome in the future. Everything you need to prepare is set out on one page.

Travelling with an assistance dog →
La Matelote hotel Boulogne Sail and Stay SailLink
Sail & Stay ● Live
Sail & Stay

The Best of Both Coasts: Spring 2026

La Matelote, Boulogne · Dover Marina Hotel · Return trips

A seamless package for early April and May sailings. La Matelote in Boulogne and the Dover Marina Hotel & Spa: two iconic coastal addresses, one integrated experience. We handle the logistics. You enjoy the crossing.

Dispatch

Christmas Challenge 2025: Mission Accomplished

£9,435 raised · 78 participants · Closed

You made Season 2 possible. Thanks to 78 incredible participants: raffle tickets, gift vouchers, community loans. Echoes completed her winter refit and returned stronger. Season 2 is your season too.

December 2025

Season 2026 · Now Open

12 passengers. The Channel.
Under sail.

Dover Marina to Boulogne Marina · April to mid-September 2026

Book the Crossing →
Routes & Guides
Cycling, walking & pilgrimage
Science & Research
Echoes as a scientific vessel
Official Scientific Partnership · 17 April 2026
Ifremer — Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer

Ifremer installs a
scientific sensor aboard Echoes.

France's national sea research institute now uses Echoes' regular crossings to observe the Eastern Channel in real time. A Pocket FerryBox (measuring salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, water clarity and phytoplankton) was installed on 17 April 2026. Data feeds daily to the Laboratoire Environnement Ressources de Boulogne-sur-Mer. Every time Echoes crosses, science crosses with her.

Read the Ifremer article ↗
500 m Measurement interval Every 500 metres between Boulogne and Dover, the Pocket FerryBox records salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, water clarity and phytoplankton concentration.
1st Mobile HF monitoring · Eastern Channel Echoes is the first mobile high-frequency monitoring device on this stretch of the Channel, complementing the fixed MAREL Carnot station in Boulogne harbour.
Daily Live data stream to Ifremer LER Scientists at the Boulogne-sur-Mer Environment & Resources Laboratory track the data in real time. Every crossing contributes to understanding phytoplankton cycles, water quality and the coastal ecosystem of the Manche.
Press & Media
SailLink in the headlines
International Coverage
Reuters

"Sail power offers passengers a
new crossing between England and France."

Reuters · Lucien Libert · 28 April 2026

Read the article ↗
Press Centre

Featured in over 47 publications since 2025.

From Reuters to The Independent, from BFM TV to specialist sailing and cycling magazines. Journalists who came aboard, paid their crossing, and wrote honestly about what they saw.

The Guardian feature on SailLink sailing the Channel to the Côte d'Opale
The Guardian UK Press
Press · Travel

"Sail away to the Côte d'Opale: a watery adventure in northern France"

The Guardian · Travel · 15 July 2026

The Guardian's travel desk sails Dover to Boulogne with two teenagers, hauling the sails out of the marina and swapping terminal queues for a passport check at the pontoon, then explores the Opal Coast on the far side.

The Independent feature on SailLink Channel crossing
The Independent UK Press
Press · Travel

"This adventurous catamaran company allows you to reach France using wind power"

The Independent · Travel · 2026

The UK national daily covers SailLink's slow-travel approach to the Dover / Boulogne crossing. A first-hand look at the experience, the catamaran, and what it means to choose wind over engines.

The Travel Magazine feature on SailLink, passengers assisting the crew aboard Echoes
The Travel Magazine UK Press
Press · Travel

"Sailing across the English Channel from Dover to Boulogne-sur-Mer"

The Travel Magazine · Valery Collins · 8 July 2026

No queues, minimal formalities and a very faint carbon footprint. Valery Collins sailed both directions and gives a first-hand account of the crossing, the atmosphere on board, and the honest balance of sail and engine.

BFM TV Good Morning Business SailLink coverage
BFM TV FR Press
Press · TV

"Un voilier pour traverser la Manche, plutôt que le train ou l'avion."

BFM TV · Good Morning Business · 4 May 2026

SailLink featured on French national business television. The story of a catamaran offering passengers a slower, lower-impact alternative to the tunnel and the plane between France and the UK.

Partners & Ecosystem
The SailLink network
Geopark Transmanche Kent Pas-de-Calais SailLink ambassador 2026
Partner Announcement New
Partner · UNESCO

Official Ambassador: Cross-Channel Geopark

UNESCO designation in progress · Kent & Pas-de-Calais · 2026

The Geopark Transmanche connects the two coasts through 450,000 years of shared geological heritage. SailLink now sails across that ancient scar as an official ambassador, as the Geopark pursues its UNESCO designation.

Hotel Monsieur Georges Boulogne port new partner SailLink 2026
New Partner 2026
Partner · Cockpit Club

Hotel Monsieur Georges, Boulogne

4-star boutique · Port views · Renovated 2024

Harbour views from every room, a kitchen built around local seafood. The right place to wake up before boarding, or to arrive after the crossing.

Partner · Network

Trans Europe Marinas, Official Partner

Marina network · European sailing routes

A European network of marinas aligned with SailLink's vision of human-scale maritime travel. New perspectives for passengers connecting Echoes with longer sailing itineraries.

2026
Become a partner

The companies whose names are part of a crossing earn something advertising cannot buy.

Cockpit Club, Hull Challengers, Boom Pioneer. Every partnership level has a place on board: from exclusive naming rights on a departure to seasonal brand presence across our network. 12 passengers per crossing means your brand appears in intimate, high-quality moments, not mass-market noise.

Partner with us ↗
Voices from the Crossing
Passenger stories