Delivering for Scilly | Issue 5 | July 2021

MAGAZINE OF THE ISLES OF SCILLY STEAMSHIP GROUP

Issue 5 | Summer 2021

Delivering for Scilly

Happy Birthday Gry Maritha Celebrating 40 years of our faithful freight ship

Unveiling our new vessels Find out the latest on our project to replace our fleet of vessels

UK’s busiest route Land’s End to St Mary’s topped the list of the country’s busiest air routes in April

Steamship St I S L E S O F S C I L LY

GROUP

Isles of Scilly

Delivering for Scilly

In this issue of Delivering for Scilly Welcome to the latest issue of Delivering for Scilly magazine, which is packed full of our latest news. Once again it has been an eventful and exciting time for the company and we would like to thank all our employees Isles of Scilly Steamship Company Limited, Steamship House, Quay Street, Penzance Cornwall TR18 4BZ Delivering for Scilly is produced

by Isles of Scilly Steamship Group inhouse communications team.

Delivering for Scilly

for their continued hard work and dedication. It is very much appreciated.

Head to page 6 to read about our new Skybus mechanic George; turn to pages 8&9 for the full story

T +44 (0) 1736 334240 marketing@islesofscilly-travel.co.uk Editor Zoe Bourdeaux zbourdeaux@issg.co.uk

on the Gry’s 40th birthday; pages 12&13 for our latest customer feedback and page 14 to find out about our busiest day in almost two years.

With grateful thanks to all team members who’ve helped contribute articles and photos. Opinions expressed are the authors’ and not necessarily those of the company. Whilst every effort is made to ensure total accuracy Isles of Scilly Steamship Group cannot be help responsible for any errors or omissions within this magazine. When you have finished with this magazine please pass it on or recycle it.

Financial Performance

Health & Safety Update At this time, we have still managed to avoid any ‘incompany’ transmission of Covid 19 - a significant achievement, in the context of a rapid increase in the number of cases in Cornwall.

This is a testament to the implementation and adherence to our Covid secure precautions, and our employees are to be thanked for maintaining such high standards throughout an incredibly busy and challenging period.

distribution to employees, who are then able to use the test kits at home, in accordance with NHS instructions.

This is a voluntary scheme, and employees are free to decide if they wish to receive test kits or not. However, the company strongly encourages the use of LFTs as a proactive means to detect cases of the virus in people who are asymptomatic (have no symptoms). This is because around one in three The company has signed up to people with Covid 19 do not have the ‘Workplace Collect Scheme’ symptoms. LFTs should be used for lateral flow test kits (LFTs). at least twice a week (every 3 to This means lateral flow test kits 4 days) following the instructions are delivered to the employer, for provided.

As of 30 June 2021, the yearto-date Group net profit (excluding funding) was £785,000. This is better than budget due to higher passenger numbers than expected, despite Covid-19 restrictions.

During April and May, the Group received £905,000 of funding from the Department for Transport to support the lifeline operation.

However, there will be no further funding provided.

Including funding, the Group has made a year-to-date profit of £1.69m. The Group has continued to maximise the use of the furlough scheme wherever possible in order to reduce costs and improve financial performance, although now that operations are in the peak season the number of employees on furlough is minimal.

Bookings Despite a slow start due to the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions, bookings for the rest of the season are looking strong. This year, the season is extending through to the end of October whereas ordinarily numbers would reduce significantly in October.

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FIND OUT MORE

First look at designs for our new passenger and cargo vessels At the beginning of June we revealed the state-of-the-art designs for our new passenger and cargo vessels following an extensive consultation process with the Isles of Scilly community.

It will be capable of a speed of 18 knots, reducing journey time by 20%; anti-roll fins to improve the stability of the crossing; increased cargo capacity with the ability to carry chilled and frozen goods; improved access for passengers with reduced mobility, and a hybrid propulsion system to reduce emissions.

Feedback so far has been positive, and the news was featured across the media, including TV, radio and print.

The 45m dedicated cargo ship to replace the Gry Maritha will have an increased cargo capacity, including more space for chilled and frozen goods; a crane which can lift eight tonnes and a comfortable lounge for up to 12 passengers.

The striking new 72m passenger ferry will carry 600 passengers over three decks with a contemporary, comfortable seating arrangement, onboard coffee shop and retail area.

The new inter-island launch will be capable of 12 knots, allowing for significantly faster journey times between St Mary’s and the offislands; a 50% increase in cargo

Delivering for Scilly

capacity and will have a reduced fuel consumption of 55%.

The next step will be entering discussions with shipyards on potential build programmes. The company has partnered with international shipbroker Blair Reid, which specialises in the sale and procurement of new ferries.

Following an assessment of shipyards by the ISSG project team, we have now shortlisted five yards – two in the UK and three in Europe.

We will be carrying our further due diligence of those shipyards, which will enable us to identify our preferred yard to build.

We are currently working with the Council of the Isles of Scilly and Government on financing options.

New Vessel Replacement Here is a small selection of the hundreds of comments we have received on the new vessels: “I’m an old-fashioned girl at heart but this is an absolute beauty and will be a huge CARGO VESSEL - PROPOSED EXTERIOR

benefit to the Isles of Scilly.”

“Well done Steamship Company, it will be a welcome addition.”

“The new Scillonian looks stunning and if the promise of greater stability is realised, I might return to sailing out to the islands rather than flying. I’ll be keeping an eye

SCILLONIAN IV - PROPOSED WHEELHOUSE

open for updates.”

“The new Scillonian IV genuinely looks amazing. A very sensible design, nice to see the inclusion of a proper full-width bridge. Can’t wait to see this become a reality.”

“Wow! I travelled on the original Scillonian as a 4-year-old and on every one since but this beats the lot!”

SCILLONIAN IV - PROPOSED CAFE 05

Skybus welcomes new engineer George Our values George Folland, a self-

confessed fan of “heavy

machinery that flies” has joined the Skybus engineering team at Land’s End Airport.

PEOPLE

The 21-year-old, from Exeter, began work as a B1 aircraft mechanic in June and is looking forward to getting stuck into his new role.

He said: “I’m delighted to have joined the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company. It’s an interesting company – it’s not just another airline, it has a unique twist.”

George has always been into aviation and joined Flybe as a school leaver aged 16, where over four years he learned the basic skills and technical knowledge to become an engineer.

When Flybe ceased trading he went to Kingston University and gained a 1st class degree in aircraft maintenance.

“Flybe gave me the practical skills for the job, but my degree gave me the academic qualification,” he said. “A few months ago I happened to see this role advertised, and now I’ve got a gateway into the industry.

“Working with Skybus is certainly different to working with Flybe’s heavy airliners. It’s nice to be part of a small team. There are eight people here and I see all eight every day. It’s lovely.”

Skybus Engineering Manager Mick Yould said: “We are trying to build a younger engineering team as part of our long-term succession planning strategy and are really impressed with George’s enthusiasm, attitude and dedication. We are pleased to welcome him as part of the team.”

Positive audits for our teams On Friday, July 2, 2021, the company welcomed two auditors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to do the annual verification of our Document of Compliance (DOC).

Our systems have evolved significantly over the last year, and both auditors were impressed by our numerous improvements and forward-thinking development. As a result, there was no non-compliance with any relevant regulations.

We have also received positive audits from the Civil Aviation Authority for Land’s End Airport, the fire and rescue service at the airport and the Skybus engineering department.

There was particular high praise for the airport’s fuel manual and procedures.

We would like to thank everyone involved.

Delivering for Scilly

Collaboration

Funding secured for our pilot drone project

In partnership with Flylogix, in June we secured £200,000 of grant funding from Aerospace Cornwall towards our freight drone trial with Flylogix.

The three-month trial involves a Flylogix drone making frequent daily flights between Land’s End and St Mary’s airports.

The drones will carry time-critical items such as medicines and blood samples.

In preparation, automatic take off and landing trials have been taking place at Land’s End Airport. The eventual aim is for an economical drone freight service that can operate autonomously.

Our aviation team at Land’s End is

working with Flylogix and the Civil Aviation Authority to devise an operation that can complement our existing air freight service, which could pave the way for similar operations from other UK airports.

Last December we successfully flew an unmanned drone from Land’s End to Scilly in what was the first ever freight drone flight between two UK commercial airports.

Chris Pearson, Manager of Land’s End Airport, said: “We proved last year that a drone flight was technically feasible. Now we’re concentrating on how regular daily flights can create a service that is resilient and meets the needs of islanders. It’s early days but we’re very excited by the possibilities and

are delighted to have Aerospace Cornwall’s support.”

The trial is part of a two-year project that aims to culminate with a purpose-built drone that can provide a commercial freight service to the islands. We will work closely with the island community to establish the requirements for the service.

Flylogix currently uses an unmanned single engine aircraft with a wingspan of 3.48m, a range of 500km and a cruising speed of around 80mph. All flights will be continually monitored, with safety paramount. Compared to manned aviation, it has 98% fewer carbon dioxide emissions.

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Delivering for Scilly

Celebrating 40 years of the Gry Maritha We marked the 40th birthday of our faithful freight ship Gry Maritha in June.

The Gry, named after the daughter of the first captain, was built in Norway and christened in June 1981.

She was purchased by the Steamship Company in 1989 in order to further support the islanders with a dedicated year-round freight service and has been serving the islands ever since.

The Gry is 123ft long, can carry 450 tonnes of cargo on three decks, and has a crew of ten.

Over the 32 years she has been in our ownership, the Gry has carried 480,000 tonnes of cargo to and from Scilly – including fire engines, a crashed private plane, a helicopter, entire timber frame homes and even two reindeer.

We estimate the Gry Maritha has made the journey to Scilly and back 9,600 times – that’s an impressive 350,000 miles – equivalent to sailing around the world 14 times.

It’s no exaggeration to say she is a lifeline to the islands.

She carries everything from fuel to machinery, food to building supplies.

Gry Master Paul Stevens, who has been with the ship for 21 years, said: “Over the years the Gry has been a real workhorse. She’s a strongly-built ship – she’s actually ice-class as she was built to work in the north of Norway. She has been a reliable and loyal servant to the islands and the community.

“During Covid and the lockdowns we weren’t allowed to leave the ship. We split the crew in half and stayed aboard for two weeks straight so we could keep that lifeline link for Scilly. It’s a privilege to serve the islands.”

Jon Rundle, the Gry’s Master, said: “The Gry Maritha is a ship full of character. She has been moulded to perfectly serve the islands over the last 32 years, from a specially made frame to enable her to carry up to nine gigs on the main deck to her fuel delivery equipment that syncs exactly with the infrastructure built into St Mary’s Quay. She works perfectly around the needs of the islands, with visitors often not even knowing we have been and gone again.

“Part of her character is a well-earned reputation amongst islanders as an unpleasant ride and a knowing look always passes around the crew when someone tells us they don’t get sea-sick. However, once you get to know her and put your trust in her she always gets the job done.”

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Welcome Chris Lingham

Welcome Zoe Bourdeaux

Our values

Our values

PEOPLE

PEOPLE

Chris joins us as technical superintendent with 36 years of shipping industry experience behind him. He grew up in Truro, beginning his career as an apprentice fitter at A&P Falmouth ship repair, progressing onwards with HNC in mechanical engineering to junior engineer officer with P&O cruises, where he continued his studies to attain chief engineer steam and motor CoC. For the majority of the last 20 years, Chris has sailed as chief engineer, on a variety of offshore industry vessels, the last 12 years on seismic survey ships performing geophysical exploration in various regions of the world, from India, Africa, South America, Central America, Europe to the US. After 30 years at sea, he is delighted to join the company, working in Penzance, commuting from his home in Probus where he lives with his wife Wendy and their children.

Chris replaces Ian Hobbs, who was Technical Superintendent for almost three years and has moved to Cyprus to take on a new role.

Welcome to the company, Chris!

Zoe Bourdeaux has joined the company as corporate communications manager supporting the Marketing and Communications team. She has 20 years’ experience working in communications and the media, including a decade as a journalist. For the past 10 years Zoe worked for a South West PR agency, managing communications for some of the region’s biggest and most recognisable business names – including the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company. Zoe is passionate about Scilly, has family and friends on the islands and has holidayed there for more than 20 years with her family.

She said: “I’m delighted to have joined the company at such an exciting time and am looking forward to working with you all to help the company grow, promote its reputation and nurture relationships.”

Congratulations to Jack Stone, Harry Stone and Herbie St Pier at Island Carriers who have all passed their HGV driving theory tests recently. We would like to wish them the best of luck for their practical tests in October.

Congratulations Mike Congratulations to Marine Superintendent Mike Hardy who has been elected as a fellow of the prestigious Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology.

The committee of voting members was impressed with Mike’s dedication to maritime safety, his lecturing and training at international universities and his volunteering work with vulnerable communities in Asia, at schools in remote locations.

Becoming a fellow enhances recognition of Mike’s professional excellence and acts as a mark of expertise and competence.

Delivering for Scilly

Rick Stein’s Cornwall Our values

PEOPLE TV chef Rick Stein and his production crew sailed to Scilly in May to make an episode of Rick Stein’s Cornwall.

They filmed on board Scillonian III and interviewed Pete Crawford, which we’re hoping will make the cut as part of the final programme. A big thank you to Pete for agreeing to come in on his day off to escort the film crew. The show will be broadcast on the BBC early next year.

Sing2G7 appeal Our values

RESPECT

We were one of the first corporate donors to Truro choristers’ Unicef Vaccinaid appeal, with a donation of £250. Sing2G7 is an apolitical international engagement programme with a vision to enable children to raise their voices in song and be heard by world leaders. It is aiming to raise £5,000 to vaccinate those in need around the world.

Chairman Ian Howard said: “We love the way that Sing2G7 is uniting children everywhere. We immediately wanted to support our Cornish choristers in their bid to ‘Give the World A Shot’ and protect more families from Covid, wherever they are in the world.”

Christopher Gray, Director of Music at Truro Cathedral, said: “The choir has a long close connection to the islands and ISSG through our regular Easter tours. The chorister life is one of huge commitment with early mornings and late nights, so the chance to come and sing somewhere so beautiful and explore the islands has always been a highlight for our young singers as they move through the ranks.

“I was particularly moved to see the Steamship Group’s immediate and generous support of the choristers’ VaccinAid appeal and it was lovely to welcome the Chairman Ian Howard and his wife Judith to our special G7 concert in the cathedral on the G7 Summit weekend.”

New fuel pumps at Island Carriers Our values

EXCELLENCE Over the past 18 months, Island Carriers has been struggling with its archaic petrol pumps. The system was failing and Island Carriers wasn’t able to deliver the service that customers expected. So in May, the task of replacing them began. With the help of Reds Group, TLM Technologies, Thames Valley Petroleum and P&R Hurt, the job was completed in less than a week.

The new pumps are sleek, modern and easy-to-use with the guarantee that fuel is dispensed clean and of a high quality. Customers have said how much easier it is to use the new pumps and the system is so much quicker for Island Carriers to use.

Jeanette Ware at Island Carriers said: “Thank you to all who helped to make what I thought would be a difficult installation into a very easy, streamlined process.”

The Teddy Trust Our values

COMMUNITY We have safely transported dozens of fluffy teddy bears from the islands to the mainland, free of charge.

The teddies are headed for The Teddy Trust following an appeal from Leonie Hicks to her fellow islanders.

The Teddy Trust sends much-loved teddies to children suffering from trauma or displaced by war, bringing healing and comfort into an otherwise very bleak life.

Well done to all involved!

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Excellence

Customer

Our customers are at the heart of eve share some of our recent comments wit to all our employees for making th

This is very belated, but I wanted to say thank you for the fabulous way you looked after us a few weeks ago when we went to the Scillies. I travel round the world with my scooters and I find generally everyone is really helpful. It does make everything so much easier. So, thank you to you and all of your team.

With no coach for us on arrival to Penzance the staff on Penzance Quay were absolutely brilliant - got us a taxi but before letting us go we found that the airport was closed and got us a taxi to our cottage instead. Next problem we were supposed to leave our cottage at 10am and no car. Again staff at the port were so helpful. One of the team offered to come to work early that morning and take Jacky up to get her car for which we will be forever grateful.

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Another exhibitor at this event has just introduced herself to tell me about the outstanding customer service she received recently when trying to book her dogs onto a Saturday Scillonian sailing in August. She remembered Charlie’s name, and said he went out of his way to help her, sort out her issue and get back to her. She couldn’t have been more complementary about Charlie, or the company. I just thought I’d pass this on as it was so lovely to hear – she sought me out to tell me her experience.

This is a brief message to express thanks for the help provided yesterday by Carri in my amending a booking. I had problems with the online system and she was able to sort out my issues. She was friendly, polite and very professional in assisting me. Please thank her again for me.

Feedback

erything we do and we’re delighted to th you here. A big thank you, as always, hese comments so commonplace.

“Thank you so much for your help with this Debbie – I was delighted that my hat was indeed on board on our return trip yesterday, and it was a lovely surprise when you phoned. I was in the middle of a cream tea at the Tresco Abbey Gardens in glorious sunshine. I am grateful and very impressed by the fantastic customer relations and service.

You were all fantastic yesterday - understanding, patient

and

helped

keep

me

reassured

throughout the time at the airport. Thank you for making us a priority, working so hard yesterday and above all, yet again, reassuring us that Scilly truly is a wonderful, magical place that we adore.

A huge thank you to everyone at ISSG who dealt so efficiently with the disruption to the flights yesterday. The transfer to the SC3 and then to LEQ was so well organised and painless. It must be a nightmare for them when the weather doesn’t cooperate but they were all endlessly cheerful, helpful and patient both on St Mary’s and in Penzance.

“Fantastic customer relations and service.”

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Chief Executive Stuart Reid said: “As well as showing off some of the projects we currently have underway, we used this exciting opportunity to promote the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company and highlight the incredible lifeline we have maintained to the islands throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Our involvement in the G7 Summit We were honoured to be asked to take part in two fringe events as part of the G7 Summit in June.

It gave us a unique opportunity to showcase our heritage and the work we are doing to drive innovation and sustainability within the company.

Land’s End Airport was designated an official Regional Hub by Cornwall Chamber of Commerce for the duration of the G7, where we hosted an exhibition alongside SMART Islands, the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust and the Jubilee Pool.

As guests of Aerospace Cornwall, which awarded ISSG and Flylogix £200,000 grant funding towards Delivering for Scilly

our drone project, we were part of an exhibition at Cornwall House in Falmouth – an expo centre focusing on business and investment in the county.

While there, our chairman Ian Howard took part in a live debate organised by Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, where he discussed our projects and how they align with the missions of the summit.

The G7 Summit, a meeting of leaders of seven of the world’s richest countries, took place in Carbis Bay. The themes of this year’s event were beating Covid; tackling climate change; scientific discovery; open

trade and technological change.

Several aspects of our work meet the themes of the G7: •

Our vessel replacement project, with green technology being part of the design process

•

Our collaboration with Flylogix, in which an NHS supply box was flown to the islands on the first ever commercial drone freight flight between two UK airports in December

•

Our partnership with stakeholders to develop hydrogen-electric aircraft, showing the company’s commitment to sustainable aviation

UK’s busiest flight route revealed The 15-minute flight between Land’s End and St Mary’s was revealed as the UK’s busiest flight route for April 2021.

were ranked 31 on the list of busiest routes in the UK and now we’re number one – making us busier than London Heathrow to New York JFK.

service and would like to take this opportunity to thank the thousands of passengers who flew with us in April.”

The Skybus flight overtook major airports and international airlines to head the list of the top 10 routes from UK airports, according to global travel data provider OAG.

“Aviation may be going through a difficult time, but we are busier than ever and gearing up for a bumper summer. Land’s End to St Mary’s is our most popular route, which is no surprise given how scenic it is.

We have run Skybus for more than 35 years. As well as the scheduled Skybus flights, the route also carried a further 12 passengers on five NHS ambulance charter flights, 21.2 tonnes of mail and 7.5 tonnes of freight in April.

With 363 flights during April, Skybus flew more than 3,100 passengers and beat the second busiest route – Alderney to Guernsey – by more than 100 flights.

Chris Pearson, Manager of Land’s End Airport, said: “In April 2019 we

“What makes the flight even more unique is our 19-seater planes, where passengers meet the pilot and watch them at work. Customers describe it as “real flying”.

“We are extremely proud of our

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Busiest day in almost two years for Scilly’s flagship routes Skybus and Scillonian have experienced their busiest day in almost two years, with both flights and ferry fully booked on Saturday, May 29th 2021.

In readiness for the half-term holiday, Skybus carried almost 600 passengers on 44 flights and Scillonian III carried around 950 passengers on two sailings.

It was our busiest day since August 2019, which shows people’s appetite and confidence in travel is returning.

The impact of Covid 19 continues to be challenging for everyone in the tourism industry. We are looking forward to the season ahead and to a gradual return to operations as they existed before Covid, in line with the Government’s roadmap.

Delivering for Scilly