On the morning of 4th December the as yet unnamed Condor 102m trimaran (above) departed from Cebu in the Philippines to begin her long journey to Southampton for final fitting out by Trimline.

The vessel had been worked on over the previous four months to prepare her for Channel Islands service and the four week, 10,500 nautical mile delivery voyage will take her via the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal and via the Mediterranean before crossing the Bay of Biscay and into the English Channel. The 35 knot, 880 passenger, 245 car and 27.40m beam craft craft was the subject of a Newbuild feature in 2010.

Other advantages unveiled by Condor include the removal of extra charges for SUVs as well as the extension of the maximum car length to 5.5m, meaning that all leisure vehicles are now priced similarly. Sailings on the new schedule for 2015 went on sale in November but include some rather unsociable departures from Poole such as 0300.

The new vessel takes over from the end of March with at least the Condor Vitesse heading for a new life in Greece.