We’re delighted to confirm that arrangements for the continuation of inter-island boating services have been put in place for both St Martin’s and St Agnes thanks to the use of Emergency Funding from government.
Following an initial tender process which resulted in the Council being unable to award funding to operators for either route, the specifications were reviewed and a second tender process was launched.
As a result of the second tender process St Agnes Boating was ultimately awarded the contract for the inter-island service between St Agnes and St Mary’s, enabling significant continuity of service for St Agnes residents. However, no further tenders were submitted to operate the St Martin’s route at this stage.
The lack of tenders for the St Martin’s route during this round led to discussions with the Duchy of Cornwall about how they could support the community in their role as owner of St Mary’s Harbour Authority. Thankfully, the Duchy of Cornwall has confirmed that St Mary’s Harbour Authority is able to take over the provision of the community boating service for St Martin’s from 16 November 2026. You can read the Duchy of Cornwall announcement on the St Mary's Harbour Facebook page.
Cllr Joel Williams, Chairman of Council said: “I’m grateful to government for providing the lifeline funding needed to support our community through this difficult period.
I’d also like to thank Cllr Legg and Cllr White for engaging so effectively with their communities on St Martin’s and St Agnes to ensure a suitable solution could be found at such short notice and, of course, the Duchy of Cornwall and St Agnes Boating for working with us to achieve this outcome. I hope this will come as a welcome relief to those communities faced with the very real prospect of service failure this season. Thank you all for bearing with us throughout this process.”
For further information about the inter-island boating service schedules, please contact the operators directly or follow the St Mary’s Harbour or St Agnes Boating Facebook pages for updates.