20/08/2014 BBC Channel Islands News

over on BBC Two in a moment. Now, on BBC One, it's time

Good evening. for the news where

Condor Ferries has bought a new ?50 million,

high`speed ferry to sail between the Channel Islands and the UK.

The Austal 102 will only sail to Poole,

after Weymouth was deemed unsuitable.

But what impact will that have on fares?

That's how Condor's describing its new ferry.

It'll sail in poorer weather and we are told will offer a smoother ride.

A real wow factor for the island, great news for inbound tourists and

It will be a new state`of`the`art ferry and an

important time for us and the future of ferry travel for the islands.

That's a big investment, and it only went ahead

after both Jersey and Guernsey's governments agreed to give

But are passengers happy with the arrangement?

Fair play to them investing with new modern technology.

We spend ?1 million marketing in the UK to get people to come to

the islands, and we want more people to come and islanders travelling to

That is where we are going to recoup the investment.

Prices are closely monitored by the States,

So fares will be monitored, but Condor isn't ruling out a rise.

The only thing that's certain is that the boat arriving here

from the UK will look very different next year.

Well, businesses in Weymouth have been counting the cost of losing

It generates millions of pounds for the local economy, supports hundreds

of jobs and for centuries has been the gateway to the Channel Islands.

Chris Harrison looks at the history of the sea link.

This was Weymouth harbour 80 years ago.

It's long been the port linking the Channel Islands and the UK.

In the mid`19th century a railway was laid to connect the train to

the ferries, allowing Jersey Royal potatoes and tomatoes to be exported

to the UK and tourists to visit the Channel Islands with ease.

It's seen plenty of new ferries, too, but it won't be welcoming

It plays an important role in our local economy, but equally,

we have is a council been mindful of seeing these things within

And tourism bosses in the islands are worried that the change

Weymouth has been a main point of departure for Jersey for many years,

and when we didn't have a Weymouth service due to the problems of last

year, we did lose some business as a result, so we will have to work hard

to make sure that everybody comes via Poole.

So despite Weymouth spending millions repairing its harbour

in the past few years, its days as a gateway

between our isles and the mainland will end in spring next year.

Guernsey swimmer Miles Munro has told the BBC he's thrilled

to have won a gold medal at the Youth Olympics in China.

The 18`year`old was part of team GB's 4x100 metres relay team

and he was back in action at today,

for the final of the 50 metres freestyle.

The young Guernseyman Miles Munro about to compete

in the 50 metres freestyle final at the Youth Olympics in Nanjing.

but not quite enough for a medal this afternoon.

But yesterday he, along with his Team GB teammates,

stunned the swimming world when they won gold in the 4x100m relay.

Winning gold was a really good end to the season.

Every champion has to start somewhere, and for Miles,

it was here in the small pool, where he won his first medal.

He got his Duckling badge and his Puffin badges.

His first medal was when he was five years old.

He came second swimming ten metres with a float.

He had a good kick, so that proved that point,

Well, Miles has obviously come a very long way since then,

He reached the semifinals in two events

and now can add a Youth Olympic gold to his collection.

European Juniors before them as well.

So I am starting to get a bit tired now.

So, while Miles enjoys a well deserved rest, many in the

swimming world are now wondering how far he can go,

especially with the Rio Olympics just two years away.

Good evening. We saw some pretty bright conditions today and we have

more of the same tomorrow. Just a few isolated showers and a cool

breeze. At the moment it is a story. Lengthy clear spells. We could see a

shower popping up here and there, but largely drive. Cooler in that

west of the wind and it will be a chilly start to tomorrow morning.

Quite a bright start as well. We may have some show was popping up here

and there, but mostly dry story. And staying dry for the North show and

go see. Temperatures reaching potentially 18 Celsius in the top

spots. For the next few days, Friday brings more in the way of showers. A

few showers for Saturday but mostly dry and bright with sunny spells.

Sunday, starting bright but clouds through the day with rain arriving

overnight. That leads to a hostelry, wet bank holiday Monday. I will

leave you with the summary for tomorrow. Good night.

Good evening. For many of us a bank holiday looms large and so does a

change in the weather patterns. Is the that good or bad news? Only you

can decide that. For the time being we've got similar weather patterns.

Another chilly day tomorrow, with some sunshine but probably more

showers. Today's showers are fading from the east but we are seeing

outbreaks of rain in parts of Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland

and later in the night northern England. You won't be as cold here