SUPERSEACAT Two, the vessel on the revived Newhaven Dieppe ferry route, is riding the choppy Channel with ease.

There have been no cancellations on the route since the first commercial crossing on Friday, and signs are good that the route is set for a bumper summer season.

The re-starting of the service by Hoverspeed, following a three-month absence after P&0 Stena Line stopped operating conventional ferries on the route, has been welcomed on both sides of the Channel.

The service has provided jobs here and traders in Dieppe are delighted the day trippers are back.

SuperSeaCat Two is 100 metres long and is the largest mono hull fast ferry operating in UK waters.

Its size and shape has allowed it successfully to negotiate heavy seas, with winds of up to Force Six, giving passengers a bumpy but endurable ride.

The vessel pitches but does not roll like catamarans, which have previously encountered problems on cross-Channel routes from Brighton Marina and Newhaven.

Argus readers are snapping up our offer of travelling on the service for £5 and being able to take a car and up to nine passengers for £25. The prices are £8 and £35 at weekends.

Despite the weather, the 100-metre long ferry has been keeping to its timetable, leaving Newhaven at 8.30am and 3.30pm and returning from Dieppe at 1pm and 8pm.

On some sailings there have been more than 500 passengers and 100 vehicles on board. SuperSeaCat can take 700 passengers and 175 cars.

Kevin Charles, Hoverspeed's public relations manager, said: "We have had a good local response for the start of the service. There is every sign we will have a good summer."

Sailings will increase to three a day during peak holiday season. Hoverspeed has pledged to operate the service until the end of September.

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