Sandbanks Ferry
Sandbanks Ferry is a vehicular chain ferry which crosses the entrance of Poole Harbour in the English county of Dorset. The route runs from Sandbanks to Studland and in doing so connects the coastal parts of the towns of Bournemouth and Poole with Swanage and the Isle of Purbeck. This avoids a 25-mile journey by road on a return trip.
The ferry, along with the road that connects with it on the Studland side, is owned by the Bournemouth - Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company, which initiated the ferry crossing in 1923, and a toll is charged for use of both road and ferry. The current toll for a car is £4.50 each way. The current ferry boat, named Bramble Bush Bay, was put into service in 1994 and can carry up to 48 cars. It is the fourth vessel to operate on the route.
The entrance to Poole Harbour is a particularly busy waterway, used by many private and leisure craft along with commercial vessels including large ferries serving routes to France. This often affects the ability of the ferry to maintain its nominal 20 minute frequency. More Bus cross the ferry frequently throughout the day, on route 50 from Bournemouth to Swanage.
Operation
The ferry operates from 7am until 11pm 364 days per year, and 8am until 6pm on Christmas Day. The normal service sees a departure every 20 minutes from each terminal, however a shuttle service operates at busy times to clear the queues. The service operates as normal in the vast majority of weathers, but very occasionally the service is suspended during exceptionally severe storms, or due to mechanical problems, or when large heath fires break out near to its southern terminal. Also, it is typically suspended for refit once every two years, usually for a fortnight in November.Incidents
Although the ferry itself has a good safety record, there have been several incidents involving its passage across the harbour entrance.On 29 August 1976 a 14-foot sailing dinghy was driven into the side of the ferry by the outgoing tidal run following an engine failure. Although two of the occupants were pulled to safety the third occupant, a sixteen-year-old girl was unable to be pulled clear before the dinghy was pulled under the ferry by the current. She was able to free herself from the wrecked boat only to become trapped under the ferry in an air pocket beneath the bow ramp. She was subsequently rescued by her father, one of the dinghy crew who against advice, attached a rope around his waist and went under the ferry where he was able to locate the trapped girl, pulling her out and saving her life.
In 1996, one of the chains was broken by the Barfleur, a ferry operated by Brittany Ferries between Poole and Cherbourg.
On 6 May 2001, four 21foot XOD racing dinghies taking part in a race were pushed into the ferry by strong currents and an ebb tide. One of the boats was sucked under the ferry; two crew members were pulled from the water after attempting to climb on to the ferry but a 72-year-old woman went under with the boat and was rescued after resurfacing on the other side.
On 16 June 2006, a yacht, the Flying Monkey, sustained severe damage to its mast and sails after a collision with the ferry. Because of the tide, the crew were unable to avoid both the chain ferry and a Condor commercial ferry which were approaching. The two men on board were able to board the chain ferry and the yacht was disentangled.
On Friday 1 June 2007 a small motorboat collided with the ferry and was pinned to the side by the current, reportedly after having run out of fuel and drifting into its path. Its two occupants were safely rescued by the RNLI.
On 21 April 2009, a car rolled from the slipway, into the sea, while waiting for the ferry at the Sandbanks terminal. The car was not occupied at the time.
On 25 May 2012, the RNLI rescued two individuals, one of whom was clinging to the outside of the ferry. Their small motorboat had suffered engine failure placing the occupants at risk of being pulled under the chain ferry.
On 16 July 2014, The Sandbanks Ferry was forced to stop crossing for two days as one of its chains was again broken by the Barfleur which passed fast and close to the moored Bramble Bush Bay, at a very low tide. The resulting movement of the smaller vessel lifted the chain into the propellers and rudders of the Barfleur, which were also slightly damaged.
2019/20 service withdrawals
On 12 July 2019, the ferry service was withdrawn due to mechanical issues. Initially the date for restoration of service was given as 12 August, but discovery of a broken drive shaft resulted in the ferry being taken out of service for major repairs at a shipyard near Southampton. The ferry remained out of service until 31 October 2019, with significant impact on travel and businesses in the area.There was further withdrawal of service during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. A limited service was provided for essential travel from 23 March 2020 but this was withdrawn from 21 April. The suspension was used to carry out refit works, avoiding the need for work to be done in November 2020. Service was restored on 17 June.
Vessels
The ferry company has operated four ferries since operations commenced.| Number | Name | Type | Builder | In service | Car capacity | Notes |
| No 1 | None | Steam powered | J. Samuel White & Co Ltd | 1926 - 1958 | 15 | New in 1926. Remained the primary vessel even after No 2 entered service. Withdrawn. |
| No 2 | None | Steam powered | J. Samuel White & Co Ltd | 1952 - 1958 | 8 | Built 1925 for Cowes Chain Ferry. Temporarily at Sandbanks during the Second World War. Permanently from 1952. Withdrawn. |
| No 3 | None | Diesel-electric | J. Bolson & Son Ltd | 1958 - 1994 | 28 | New in 1958. First Sandbanks Ferry to carry a million passengers in one year. Converted into a floating oyster processing and seeding unit, moored in Poole Harbour near the north shore of Brownsea Island. |
| No 4 | Bramble Bush Bay | Diesel-hydraulic | Richard Dunston Ltd | 1994 - present | 48 52 | New in 1994. Final vessel constructed by Dunston's before bankruptcy. |