Our history 2000-2009

The 2000s saw everything getting faster – broadband replaced dial-up, Twitter started making us talk in 140-character snippets, and Apple's iPod and Amazon's Kindle allowed us to buy and listen to our favourite music and books without ever going outside. Speed became more important to holidaymakers too, and we had to step up to compete not just with the Channel Tunnel and short-sea crossings from Dover, but against the new competition of low-cost airlines offering cheap flights to Europe.

Full speed ahead

So, in 2000 we set up a co-venture with Condor Ferries to operate a high-speed catamaran between Poole and Cherbourg. The Condor Vitesse set sail at the beginning of summer 2001 to overnight success. Cutting the journey time down to just two hours and 15 minutes, the sailings were a popular addition to our schedules.

2002 in history – from 1 January, the euro became the official currency of the eurozone with euro coins and banknotes issued. The changeover was smooth, and by 1 March the euro was the sole legal tender in the 12 member states of the euro area.

Putting the ‘cruise’ in cruise-ferry

The early 2000s saw the arrival of two of our best-loved ferries. The first to arrive was Mont St Michel at the end of 2002, built to operate our route from Portsmouth to Caen alongside Normandie. The ships worked so well in tandem that they still operate the route together today. Named after the stunning gothic-abbey-topped tidal island off the coast of Normandy, Mont St Michel cost £80 million. But 2002 also saw the announcement of a ship that would change the future of cross-Channel ferries – our current flagship, Pont-Aven.

When she set sail in 2004, the £100 million Pont-Aven heralded a new level of luxury and style in ferry travel to Europe. Based on cruise ship design, Pont-Aven offers cruise-like facilities such as an indoor swimming pool and Commodore cabins with private balconies and terraces. She was a leap forward not just in her onboard facilities but also technically too. With a cruising speed of 26 knots, Pont-Aven cut the crossing time from Plymouth to Santander by a quarter.

An incredible journey

When the opportunity arose to take over the route between Portsmouth and Cherbourg, we seized it. We chose to start running a high-speed service between these two ports, as the Condor Vitesse on our route from Poole to Cherbourg had proved so popular. To do this, we needed to find another high-speed vessel. The ship we chose had to come from quite a distance – the other side of the world, in fact!

Built by Incat, an Australian company, the ship that we would rename Normandie Express was operating in New Zealand before joining our fleet. In her previous life, she had found fame for carrying the Olympic torch to the Games in Sydney. She would be in the news again before she started operating on our routes. On Boxing Day of 2004, a terrible event occurred. An earthquake struck just off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia resulting in a terrifying tsunami that hit coastal communities all around the Indian Ocean costing thousands of lives and causing widespread destruction.

With Normandie Express due to set sail for her delivery to us, we loaded the ship with aid to be dropped off in Indonesia, which had suffered some of the worst of the devastation, whilst en route to France. The aid delivery was a joint project between Brittany Ferries 澳洲幸运10十168体彩开奖网, Incat, the Government of Tasmania and AusAid. The ship set sail on 20 January 2005 carrying 80 pallets of drinking water, 320 multi-roomed tents and 40 sewage treatment plants. Four-wheel drive vehicles were also donated, including a fire truck, as well as medical supplies, bedding, baby food and other non-perishable items.

There was another unusual bit of cargo on board as we also picked up the damaged French yacht, Sill et Veolia, which was taking part in the 2004-2005 Vendée Globe,a non-stop solo Round the World Yacht Race. Normandie Express arrived in France on 22 February after a long, and extraordinary, voyage to her new home.

Sailings aboard Normandie Express were a success to Cherbourg, and it also operated some sailings to Caen for the summer season too, showing there was definitely a market for those wanting to get to France fast.

A time for celebration

2005 was a big year for news from the company. Not only did we announce that we were building a new freight ship, but also that we were selling Val de Loire and chartering Pont l’Abbé in her place. Our biggest news, however, was that we would be purchasing a new-build ship specifically for our original route from Plymouth to Roscoff.

Three important anniversaries made 2006 a year of celebrations. It marked the 30th anniversary of Portsmouth port being opened, and likewise, of our route from Portsmouth to St Malo. It also saw the 20th anniversary of our most popular route, from Portsmouth to Caen. Normandie and Mont St Michel, the two ships that sail the route, were dressed overall for the event with flags flying. More reasons to celebrate came when Brittany Ferries 澳洲幸运10十168体彩开奖网 Holidays was awarded 'Best Tour Operator to France 2006' by the French tourist board.

Later in the year, Pont-Aven sailed a New Year’s cruise from Portsmouth to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Losing our leader

2007 began with some very sombre news for the company. On 19 February, our founder Alexis Gourvennec sadly passed away aged 71. Alexis had fought to free his beloved region of Brittany from poverty and from the grip of ruthless traders who decided the market prices. A humble pig farmer who became an influential and charismatic firebrand, Alexis founded Brittany Ferries 澳洲幸运10十168体彩开奖网 so that he and his fellow Breton farmers could sell their produce in Britain. You can find out more about Alexis in our backstory. His protégé, Jean-Marc Roué, stepped into his formidable boots as President of the company and has been leading us ever since.

We took receipt of our new-build freight ship, Cotentin, late in the year and announced the name of the ship that was currently in the yard and would operate the Plymouth to Roscoff route. We chose the name Armorique for this new ship, in honour of her predecessor, which served the company for almost 20 years. Her keel was laid in November 2007. We also solidified our commitment to high-speed sailings by purchasing Normandie Express when our charter ran out.

At the Olympics in 2008 – Team GB dominated the velodrome in Beijing bagging an incredible haul of cycling medals. Chris Hoy won three golds whilst teammate Bradley Wiggins took home two. In the medal table for cycling events, Team GB led the pack with 14 medals including eight golds, with France and Spain in second and third place, respectively.

A new ship for our oldest route

The £100 million Armorique arrived and began sailing from Plymouth to Roscoff in February 2009. She is still one of our most modern-feeling ships today and replaced Pont l’Abbé, which had been chartered to run the route until Armorique was ready.

Bretagne underwent an extensive £5 million refit in 2009 to bring her more in line with the rest of the fleet. Deck 8, home to Bretagne’s café, bar, and reserved seating lounges, was completely redesigned to give her a more modern and contemporary feel.

At the close of the decade, we set our sights on the opportunities to grow our market to Spain. We began sailing from Portsmouth to Santander on 19 March 2009, but we also had our eyes on another route to Spain. And for that, we had a new ship on the horizon.

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