Sun sees sales soar

Tuesday 10 July 2018

The long hot spell we've been experiencing has seen many local businesses able to capitalise from associated sales brought about by the sunshine and equally buffeted by the number of dolphins in our waters.

All five nautical businesses that Express spoke to mentioned dolphins as being a further ingredient in their success in what one businessman described as being the best summer he has seen since 1976.

The hot weather has encouraged locals and tourists alike to look to the seas to cool off, have an adventure, visit a different island and see what local marine wildlife Guernsey has to offer. Along with seasoned favourites, one established fishing charter has branched out and is now offering wildlife tours.

Richard Seager is famous for catching fish in Channel Island waters and is the holder of the Bailiwick of Guernsey Boat Brill Record, a fish of 13lbs and 9oz.  Mr Seager now offers fishing charters and has a company called Out the Blue where he offers trips out on his boat for fishing, and also this year to see dolphins.

Mr Seager said: "I have only advertised boat trips to see the dolphins this year and fit them in between my scheduled fishing charters. All my trips have been full. There have been a lot of dolphins this year. I have seen 30 to 40 and different pods together. On Saturday night we saw lots in shallow water by Rossaire steps in Herm and it was incredible, the water was like gin, you could see right through it."

Click to WATCH: Video of dolphins between Guernsey and Sark

Another new kid on the water block is John Peter Richardson who has recently set up JP Jet Safaris offering trips out with him as a guide on his jet skis. The business' first day of operation was 31 May 2018 and Mr Richardson said the weather and dolphins have been fundamental to his early success.

Advertising mainly on social media and via word of mouth, he runs three tours a day and said most of them have been full since starting the operation. "I love the sea and get out as much as I can I have been so lucky with the weather since starting. These are cracking little machines to get around in specially in this kind of weather and having the dolphins around has been amazing as well."

"Its down to them whether they come to us as they are wild animals, we go to within 100 maybe 200 metres of them and stop and see what they are doing. Quite often when we see them they want to play and they come over. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that a lot of the time they like playing with the jet skis, they choose to. We were out towards Jethou the other day and we tried to carry on the trip but they wanted to play with us so we headed back to St Peter Port at five miles per hour and two of them followed us all the way back to the Castle Emplacement."

Pictured: John Richardson of JP Safaris

Also enjoying a bumper season is Island Rib Voyages which offers a number of trips out to see local wildlife. Managing Director, Dan Meinke said: "Its been really good since May, really hot and really calm. We have two ribs this year and we are running full on most things and adding extra trips all over the place."

"As the dolphins are around this year most people are booking on the explorer in the hope they will see them and it has really brought customers in. Previously I have only seen them once or twice a year, but mid to late last season and this season we have seen them almost everyday and the number seems to have dramatically increased. I am not sure why, but most wildlife is based on the food chain and temperatures and habitat so something must have changed in their favour."

Pictured: Dan Meinke, Managing Director of Island Rib Voyages

Equally buoyant with good numbers for the season so far was Peter Wilcox, Managing Director of Trident. He said: "Business is absolutely fantastic this is the first proper summer that we have had in years, maybe going back as far as 1976. Although we need to be careful as whilst we have got off to a really good start I am nervous that once the kids break up from school the weather may turn and go down hill.

"However, if the weather continues as it does this will be an unbelievable season. What has helped us this year is not only the weather but the fact there has been so many dolphin sightings and I think people come to us for the whole package to go to Herm and enjoy a boat trip with a chance to see the dolphins."

Pictured: Peter Wilcox Managing Director Trident

"We have had people call us and say what is a good time to go to see the dolphins as if they are choosing their time to go to Herm dependant on this, it's odd really as the dolphins have been around during the winter so one would guess there is enough food for them to feed off.

"The amount of people that mention as they come past the kiosk when they have finished their day out in Herm and say its been the best day and we saw dolphins and the kids were so excited, people have had wonderful experiences."

He said the boats have to keep to schedule but they try and slow down to ensure everyone can see the dolphins if possible. "Obviously we have a tight schedule to keep to, but for the sake of a couple of minutes we do stop and bob around. However, they do swim with the boat and we have had it reported from our skipper that the dolphins will occasionally rub themselves up against the moving vessel and we have a fantastic picture on our Facebook site where one of the engineers on the Trident leaned over the front of the vessel and took a photo with a selfie stick of the dolphin between the two hulls."

Pictured: Photo taken by Keith McQuillan of dolphin from Trident as described by Peter Wilcox

The settled weather has also been good for Sark Shipping who have had a bumper two months. Yan Milner, Managing Director of the Isle of Sark Shipping Company said: "Its been very good, June was particularly good. Settled good weather is very good for us as people plan ahead when the weather is changeable it is a bit more of a luck of the draw. However at the moment it is great and after a below average April, May and June have been good and it will be a good season and hopefully if the weather stays we will have an excellent season."

Picture: Yan Milner, Managing Director of Sark Shipping

And of course other businesses are also thriving in the hot weather from the beach kiosks and outside eateries to the traditional ice cream vans. Express caught up with Alan Donaldson who has been running the ice cream van by Havelet Bay for more than 14 years and asked how business was going.

Mr Donaldson said: "Its a good spot here and I am too busy! I can just about keep up. Mixture of people buying from office workers to holiday makers and a lot of business from the cruise ships. I have been close to selling out of a few of the lollies on occasion but the most popular choice here is still the soft ice cream, with a flake."

Pictured: Alan Donaldson outside his ice cream van

Pictured: Kelly Prigent, Claire Moncrieff and Jack Prigent enjoying an ice cream