Daniel Fahey

In 2023 a new low-carbon ferry service called SailLink is set to offer a new, greener way of crossing the English Channel. The service is currently in its pilot phase before the official launch – so we tried it out to see what all the fuss is about. ‘This boat is unsinkable.’ Uh-oh. You don't need to be a maritime historian (or Leonardo DiCaprio) to know how that story ends. Our 40-foot catamaran is in the middle of the English Channel. It’s clambering up and then slapping down on what we’re assured is a “slight to moderate” sea state. At times, though, it feels as if the turquoise waves are auditioning for a disaster movie. Celine Dion must already be booking studio time. I’m on a pilot crossing for SailLink, a new low-carbon ferry service between England and France. Serving foot passengers and cyclists with a sailing catamaran, it will officially launch in 2023. On today’s maiden voyage, the wind is favourable, whistling through the boat like a gale and swelling the sails. And skipper Jim Duerden is still talking about how our vessel is definitely, absolutely, not going to sink. ‘Even if she were to break into tiny pieces, those pieces would still float,’ explains Duerden, a Yorkshire-born raconteur with more than 25 years of sailing experience. ‘It's like a fibreglass sandwich with foam inside.’ Which isn’t entirely reassuring, particularly as another cargo ship the size of a housing estate motors on past. But between the mercy of the weather, the spirit of adventure and