A former Bembridge lifeboat will be launching once again next month, but it will be providing a rescue of a different nature this time.
The MV Mersey Rose will be filling the gap left by cuts to Wightlink sailings from Yarmouth to Lymington for commuters on early Monday mornings and late Friday evenings.
Starlight Ferries
Pete Lemonius – who runs Needles Pleasure Cruises – will be operating the service under the name of Starlight Ferries.
A pilot service will be offered between May to October this year (2016) to help the company determine what level of service customers require.
Innovative crowdfunding
Starlight are launching the service through a ‘Resource Based Crowdfunding’ scheme.
Locals have contributed lots of £100, £500 or £1,000. The cost of their journeys during the pilot scheme will be deducted from their initial contribution.
Pete says that more than £6,000 has been raised and he’s “confident that our costs will be covered for the summer”.
Find out more about the Starlight Ferries by visiting their Website.
Image: richardwalkerphotography under CC BY 2.0
