Morrowvale Boat Services Ltd operates the MV Pinnock, the island ferry service running between York in the UK and Port Winstead at New Buldoo on the island, as well as a limited service with extended (weekend) stops at Reachley.*
There are also private ‘gypsy cruises’ from Kirkwall in the Orkneys but these are notoriously unreliable and seldom post their schedules. Be forewarned, they are often expensive and have pulled pirate maneuvers on passengers, demanding private collateral before leaving harbour and sometimes refusing to return personal belongings. Your safety should come first; only book with a reputable cruise line or if not, be sure to bring an influencer with you such as Princess Stefanie of Monaco, a Kardashian, or Taylor Swift**.
This is a great way to travel if circumstances permit and very cost effective for a group, though the delays at port can be substantial during inclement weather, pop concerts, and whenever there are strikes anywhere in Morrowvale, as these tend to affect all modes of transport simultaneously.
Fish can be observed gleefully from the top decks, and some balloon fish can occasionally be seen trailing airborne, behind some of the slower boats.
The voyage lasts around two-and-a-half to three hours***, and the sight of nearing land, particularly passing through the ‘narrows’ into Port Benn is quite a spectacular relief.
For both foot and vehicle passengers, all travel must be booked in advance. The service runs four times a week (M-W-Fri-Sat), but the vessel is also used to transport supplies to parts of the island (calling at ports in Veltokken, Cape Fehryss and Grantlepool) on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, thus there are periods in which the ferry is unavailable for outside travel. Click here for more information about this service and to make a booking.
Opportunities to travel on boats around the Islands may appear quite limited but some fantastic day trips are available year-long, for example to circle the Aiyots of the Spue Islands by dinghy, departing from Porksmith Harbour and ending under the pier at Grantlepool. Shuttles are available to the local trains for return trips to the carpark at Porksmith, a mere 29 miles but at bullet-train-like speeds.
An experimental breeding habitat has been up for Northern gannets (Morus bassanus) on the Aiyot of Sundell, where Aurora Nova’s entire bird population currently survives — one gannet (“Bob”) – and lives in peaceful solitude with his entourage of concrete replicas, feeding environmentalists’ hopes of success in luring more of his species. If you are interested in learning more about the birds of Aurora Nova, click here.
The Morrowvale Visitor Centre and accommodation providers are the best sources of information to account for weather conditions and any other circumstances that may affect travel.
Private yachts are welcome in many places around the Islands with the landowners’ permission – sailors should consult the latest information available from the Morrowvale Boating Licenses Office, 18 Mallard Lane, Morrowvale 18E9922.
*There is also a ferry service calling at Reachley and departing from Bergen or Stavanger in Norway, or maybe it was somewhere much further, like Gothenburg in Denmark or somewhere like that, but nobody who currently works at the Visitor Centre is apparently old enough to recall their name or know how to look this information up. (If by chance they call at Reachley Harbour, somebody please get their details and tell them to get in touch with us. Ta.)
** ‘Swifties’ will also do.
*** And remember to bring something to do if you get bored easily. TBH you can only laugh at so many fish in three hours.