Sandbanks Ferry is a vehicular chain ferry which crosses the entrance of Poole Harbour in the English county of Dorset. The route runs from Sandbanks to Studland and in doing so connects the coastal parts of the towns of Bournemouth and Poole with Swanage and the Isle of Purbeck. This avoids a 25-mile journey by road on a return trip.[1]
 Sandbanks Ferry in March 2003 | |
| Transit type | Chain ferry |
|---|---|
| Carries | 48 cars |
| Operator | Bournemouth - Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company |
| Frequency | Every 20 minutes |
| No. of vessels | 1 (Bramble Bush Bay) |
The ferry, along with the road that connects with it on the Studland side, is owned by the Bournemouth–Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company, which initiated the ferry crossing in 1923, and a toll is charged for use of both road and ferry. The current toll for a car is £4.75 each way. The current ferry boat, named Bramble Bush Bay, was put into service in 1994 and can carry up to 48 cars. It is the fourth vessel to operate on the route.[1]
The entrance to Poole Harbour is a particularly busy waterway, used by many private and leisure craft along with commercial vessels including large ferries serving routes to France. This often affects the ability of the ferry to maintain its nominal 20 minute frequency. More Bus cross the ferry frequently throughout the day, on route 50 from Bournemouth to Swanage.
Operation
The ferry operates from 7 am until 11 pm 364 days per year, and 8 am until 6 pm on Christmas Day. The normal service sees a departure every 20 minutes from each terminal, however a shuttle service operates at busy times to clear the queues. The service operates as normal in the vast majority of weathers, but very occasionally the service is suspended during exceptionally severe storms, due to mechanical problems, or when large heath fires break out near to its southern terminal. A refit occurs once every two years, usually suspending service for a fortnight in November.
Incidents
There have been several incidents involving its passage across the harbour entrance.
On 29 August 1976 a 14-foot (4.3 m) sailing dinghy was driven into the side of the ferry by the outgoing tidal run following an engine failure. Although two of the occupants were pulled to safety the third occupant, a sixteen-year-old girl was pulled under the ferry by the current. She freed herself from the boat before become trapped under the ferry in an air pocket; her father – one of the dinghy crew – went back into the water and pulled her out.[2]
In 1986, a bus on the local Wilts and Dorset route from Bournemouth to Swanage ran away down the ramp into the sea. It had to be pinned to the ferry to prevent it drifting and becoming a hazard to navigation. There were no casualties in the incident.[3]
In 1996, one of the chains was broken by the Barfleur, a ferry operated by Brittany Ferries between Poole and Cherbourg.[4]
On 6 May 2001, four 21-foot (6.4 m) XOD racing dinghies taking part in a race were pushed into the ferry by strong currents and an ebb tide. One of the boats was sucked under the ferry; two crew members were pulled from the water after attempting to climb on to the ferry but a 72-year-old woman went under with the boat and was rescued after resurfacing on the other side.[5]
On 16 June 2006, a yacht – the Flying Monkey – sustained severe damage to its mast and sails after a collision with the ferry. Because of the tide, the crew were unable to avoid both the chain ferry and a Condor commercial ferry which were approaching. The two men on board were able to board the chain ferry and the yacht was disentangled.[6]
On 1 June 2007 a small motorboat collided with the ferry and was pinned to the side by the current, reportedly after having run out of fuel and drifting into its path. Its two occupants were safely rescued by the RNLI.[7]
On 21 April 2009, a car rolled from the slipway, into the sea, while waiting for the ferry at the Sandbanks terminal. The car was not occupied at the time.[8]
On 25 May 2012, the RNLI rescued two individuals, one of whom was clinging to the outside of the ferry. Their small motorboat had suffered engine failure placing the occupants at risk of being pulled under the chain ferry.[9]
On 16 July 2014, the ferry was forced to stop crossing for two days as one of its chains was again broken by the Barfleur which passed fast and close to the moored Bramble Bush Bay at a very low tide. The resulting movement of the smaller vessel lifted the chain into the propellers and rudders of the Barfleur, which were also slightly damaged.[4]
2019/20 service withdrawals
On 12 July 2019, the ferry service was withdrawn due to mechanical issues. Initially the date for restoration of service was given as 12 August, but discovery of a broken drive shaft resulted in the ferry being taken out of service for major repairs at a shipyard near Southampton.[10] The ferry remained out of service until 31 October 2019, with significant impact on travel and businesses in the area.[11][12]
There was further withdrawal of service during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. A limited service was provided for essential travel from 23 March 2020 but this was withdrawn from 21 April. The suspension was used to carry out refit works, avoiding the need for work to be done in November 2020. Service was restored on 17 June.[11]
Vessels
The ferry company has operated four ferries (technically classified as floating bridges) since operations commenced.
| Number | Name | Type | Builder | In service | Car capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No 1 | None | Steam powered | J. Samuel White & Co Ltd (Isle of Wight) |
1926–1958 | 15 (later modified to 18) |
New in 1926. Remained the primary vessel even after No 2 entered service. Withdrawn.[13] |
| No 2 | None | Steam powered | J. Samuel White & Co Ltd (Isle of Wight) |
1952–1958 | 8 | Built 1925 for Cowes Chain Ferry. Temporarily at Sandbanks during the Second World War. Permanently from 1952. Withdrawn.[14] |
| No 3 | None | Diesel-electric | J. Bolson & Son Ltd (Poole, Dorset) |
1958–1994 | 28 | New in 1958. First Sandbanks Ferry to carry a million passengers in one year. Converted into a floating oyster processing and seeding unit, moored in Poole Harbour near the north shore of Brownsea Island.[13][15] |
| No 4 | Bramble Bush Bay | Diesel-hydraulic | Richard Dunston Ltd (Hessle, Yorkshire) |
1994–present | 48 (permitted) 52 (physical capacity) |
New in 1994. Final vessel constructed by Dunston's before bankruptcy.[16] |
In fiction
The ferry, nicknamed Chug because of the sound of the chains passing through the ship's drive mechanism, is the hero of a children's book of the same name. In the story Chug rescues a larger ferry which requires him to break free from his chains. Sales of the book benefit the Swanage lifeboat station.[17]
References
- ^ a b Hall, Nick (November 2006). "Chained links". Ships Monthly. IPC Country & Leisure Media. pp. 17–21.
- ^ Bournemouth Evening Echo, Tuesday 31 August 1976
- ^ Cartlidge, Sarah (1 September 2021). "Picture of the Day: When bus ended up in the sea at Studland". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Contact made by passenger ferry Barfleur with chain of chain ferry Bramble Bush Bay" (PDF). Marine Accident Investigation Branch. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
- ^ Graves, David (7 May 2001). "Yacht woman 72 dragged under ferry". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ Joseph, Emma (16 June 2006). "Yachtsmen rescued after ferry collision". Bournemouth Echo. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2007.
- ^ "Motorboat crashes into Sandbanks ferry". Poole News. 4 June 2007. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ^ "Car lost at sea after ferry slip". BBC News. 22 April 2009. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ^ "Woman 'hung on to side of Poole Harbour ferry'". BBC News. 26 May 2012. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ^ Jane Reader (30 July 2019). "Sandbanks Ferry service now suspended until October". Daily Echo. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- ^ a b "News". Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- ^ Jim Durkin (2 August 2019). "Businesses, residents and holidaymakers speak out over Sandbanks Ferry suspension". Daily Echo. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- ^ a b "History of the Ferry". The Knoll House. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ "Cowes". www.simplonpc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ "A taste of Dorset – Oyster source". Dorset Life. March 2011. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- ^ "Brief History". The Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ "Meet Chug, the Sandbanks chain ferry who saves the day in new children's book". Daily Echo. 26 December 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
External links
