She assured the community that “the Corsaire will be back”. 

The news came as Conseillers debated the Sark Shipping annual report, with Conseiller Williams saying the Sark Venture was unable to cover on 11 April due to a Maritime Coastguard Agency inspection, with the Sark Viking cargo boat used to carry a limited number of passengers instead. 

Conseiller Williams also raised concerns with the company's passenger fares, noting that afternoon sailings are more expensive than morning sailings which could be discouraging overnight trips to the island. 

“Now really is the time to start drilling into this... it’s cheaper to go to Weymouth or Poole than Sark overnight,” she said.  

She noted that recent offers ran with company had proven effective, with a special reduction for families over the Easter break making a “big difference” and a trial run on Mother’s Day for the first time seeing 96 people daytrip to Sark. 

Pictured: Chief Pleas on 10 April.

48,648 passengers were carried via Sark Shipping services in 2023, around 4,000 fewer than during 2022. 

The first quarter was stronger than the previous year, but the peak season saw fewer travellers overall. The number of people spending at least a night In the island fell too. 

There were far more weather-related disruptions to services during the spring and summer months, compared to none in 2022. Poor weather at the time of July’s sheep racing meant more than 230 passengers couldn't make the trip over. 

The Island Games in Guernsey was also blamed for a downturn that month, with average numbers for morning sailings dropping from 1,500 to 500 that week. 

Sark Shipping has warned of further challenges this year, especially with a summer music festival cancelled.  

“The choice to travel to Sark is a discretionary spend for most people and therefore there is pressure on the Company and Sark to keep prices reasonable despite increasing operating costs. The price of fuel is nearly 70 pence per litre, double the costs in 2018/19,” it said. 

“Harbour dues and charges are due to rise by up to 27%, and the Company will be obliged to introduce a compulsory secondary pension scheme in 2024 adding to basic staff costs.”