Customer Service of the Year: Channel Chieftain V's crew

THE Channel Chieftain V’s crew have been nominated for the Cherry Godfrey-sponsored Customer Service of the Year award for their dedication to getting the papers in whatever the weather.

THE Channel Chieftain V’s crew have been nominated for the Cherry Godfrey-sponsored Customer Service of the Year award for their dedication to getting the papers in whatever the weather. 

Operated by local independent company Iris Freight Channel Islands, the vessel delivers commercial and personal items daily between Guernsey and Jersey. 

It delivers every day of the year bar Christmas, braving sometimes treacherous conditions. 

Nominator Felix Kenyon said: ‘They deserve this award for delivering the papers in sometimes atrocious weather, with only the rarest of cancellations.’ 

Since the service launched in March 2017 only 13 sailings have not run, giving it a 99% reliability record.

‘The reason I’ve nominated them, as always, is because they have just been absolutely fantastic. I love my newspapers, and they come every day rain or shine, even with some of the most dreadful weather.’

Mrs Kenyon said: ‘Some mornings I look outside the window thinking surely they can’t have arrived today. I pop to the nearest garage and lo and behold they have arrived.’ 

National newspapers are loaded in Jersey at 3am before the crossing is made to Guernsey. 

‘I think the Chieftain V team deserve recognition. It may just be us newspaper readers who think so, but to us their hard work means a great deal.’ 

They have had many interesting trips, including rescuing a fisherman and transporting a seal. Recently they transported pets including snakes, lizards, rats, racing pigeons and puppies between Guernsey and Jersey, seeing dolphins, tuna and the comet on the way.

Over lockdown, Guernsey fishermen were able to transport a few tonnes of live crab and lobster to Jersey each week for onward carriage to France or Spain.