JERSEY Heritage has paid £500,000 to run the ferry service to Elizabeth Castle.
It is understood that they were left with little option but to buy out Pure Adventure after the leisure company revealed it wanted to pull out and concentrate on other business interests.
Without the service, Jersey Heritage faced losing tens of thousands of pounds because visitors would have been unable to get to the attraction except at low tide.
Pure Adventure signed a five-year contract to operate the service in 2006 and began running it last year.
However, they were beset by problems because of mechanical breakdowns and the late arrival of vital equipment.
As a result, the ferry service was not up and running until early June – and the castle remained closed until then.
Pure were fined between £70,000 and £80,000 for failing to meet the service levels which they had signed up to.
Article posted on 24th May, 2008 - 9.56am
9 Article Comments
They shoould never have got rid of the puddle ducks service!!!!
The original “Puddleducks” were wonderful, and run so professionally. Pure Adventure seems to be a bit of a joke, and i’m pleased they have pulled out and the fine is well deserved.
Maybe they should think a little more next time before trying to fill the shoes of a better company!
Just wish the old Puddleducks could come back, but don’t think they ever would after they were treated so badly.
Another case of ‘The locals know nothing, get in outsiders’. Makes you wonder how the island has survived for so many thousand years, developed the world’s most succesful cattle bred, has produced the generic name for a woolen pullover, not to mention produced many historical figures.
PS WHY is heritage paying them for faliure to fufil a contrct?
The puddleducks were an attraction but as just about everything in Jersey, if it is worth pursuing it is discontinued. I used to come on holiday to Jersey for decades but it has now lost its appeal. I used to invest my savings in its offshore funds but that is no longer attractive either. Just out of curiosity… are the states and heritage trust related? Both seem to act first and think later.
I fail to see wht Jersey Heritage have had to buy out an unfulfilled contract that still has 3+ years remaining. Surely if Pure Aventure wished to pull out of the contract they should have been forced to find a buyer for the remaining term.
I have to agree with the puddleduck comments. They were far more reliable and attractive to look at than the floating ‘blue box’.
Jersey Heritage must have money to burn, i can not see anything worth £500.00 a few plastic boxes on wheels and they are not up to the job. It seems Pure Adventure realised this and got out quick, a fool and his money are soon parted
we have stayed at the apartment at the castle for the last four years and for three of those the puddleducks were great (we got to know the guys really well) - they were part of the holiday. Last years holiday was RUINED by the farce that was Pure Adventure - we’re staying at the castle again this year and are slightly more optimistic about the service this year - but we shall see. It would be really great if John (the duck) were back running it.
to be fair to “puddleducks”, pure adventure and the Jersey Heritage trust who are now running the ferry service,annual castle visitor numbers have fallen by over 60,000 since 1985 so the ferry service will never see a profit again. MOST of the visitors walk to the castle, they ALWAYS have, so if numbers are now down to 40 odd thousand, then only about 18,000 will actually use the ferries…. the current vessels are gonna cost more than that just in maintenance and fuel/insurance, let alone the wages!!??
Incidentally the older vessels’ days were always numbered thanks to the ever more stringent safety “anoraks” who will be condemning the NEW boats within ten years, (IF they last that long!!) Puddleduck “victory” the oldest boat was built in 1982, and she still had a 99% safety record on all voyages