Duchess meets Duke before greeting public at boat show this weekend

Tuesday 07 June 2022

There will be more royal revelry this weekend when the Duchess meets the Duke of Normandy at the Harbour.

The two Ports of Jersey workboats have been getting to know each other this week, after the publicly owned company’s new addition, Duchess, made its first visit to the island.

The 27m-long tug was officially launched last November and since then has been undertaking a number of commercial projects throughout Europe on behalf of Ports of Jersey.  

She will be open to the public as part of the Barclays Jersey Boat Show between 10 am and 4 pm this Saturday and Sunday.

The Duke of Normandy, which is based in Jersey, was built in 2005 and is slightly shorter and narrower than the Duchess. 

Ports’ Head of Marine Services, Donford Nicholas, said: “We’re so pleased to be finally able to welcome Duchess ‘home’ for a few days and it’s great that she’ll be part of the Barclays Jersey Boat Show. 

Pictured: The Duchess tug / workboat arrived in Jersey waters for the first time this week (Credit: Ports of Jersey).

“There has been a lot of interest and her presence at the show will allow the public to step onboard, meet the crew and find out more about her capabilities.”

The three-day boat show takes place between the afternoon of Friday and Sunday and is billed as the largest free-entry public event in the Channel Islands.

Pictured: Demonstrations of the 'Takuma' e-foil board will take place in the Geomarine Outdoor & Active Zone at the Barclays Jersey Boat Show.

One of the main areas of focus will be the Geomarine ‘Outdoor & Active’ Zone on the Albert Pier. Activities there include skydiving, Jersey Rowing Club races, sprint and obstacle races with the team from GB SUP (stand-up paddleboards) and demonstrations of an ‘e-foil’ board.

Exhibitors include the Royal Navy, UK Border Force, RNLI and Jersey Lifeboat Association.