Here

This is Sabre rattling on the Steam Packets behalf to force Tynwald into renewing the user agreement to them.

Oh well, that means no visit for me next year.

I have already tried to see if I could book the ferry for next TT since I got back home last weekend and nothing is available unless I want to spend 3 weeks on the island. The timetable shows one sailing a day from Liverpool and Heysham during race week which is ridiculous.

All the island will lose out in view of this as less money will be entering and being spent on the island by the tourists. The Steam Packet will be responsible if any businesses close because of this but I don't suppose the island government see it that way.

The Steam Packet have a stranglehold on the islanders and if they cannot get the fans over as we all know there is no other competition to supply this service. It is about time the government looked as this and insisted that there were enough trips to be able to get all the people who want to visit over without having to pay through the nose to do so! To say that they can only put 2 ferries on the total service is stupid with the number of visitors needing to be transported. If they cannot hire alternative ferries they should have already looked into the possibility of purchasing extra ships or allowing another company to provide the service.]

It is bad enough that they take advantage of the fans to massively increase the prices for trips to the island during the TT weeks(I have been at other times and paid much less and travelled on much quieter ferries) so they are obviously profiteering from the TT fans but really do not give us a good service.

Will there be a petition to the Island government about this or will everyone just let it go and pay the exorbitant price the Steam Racket ask for the privilege of being one of the few able to get over?

Unfortunately if you try and get alternative transport (flying over and hiring cars/bikes) even the other companies are now learning they can charge exorbitant prices as people want to get over and will find the money to do so leaving the 'real' supporters who do what they can and are restricted on funds to miss out.

Sorry for the ranting but this year it cost me £2,500 for 3 of us to visit the island for 12 days and this is a large amount of money to find each year. Looks as if I will be restricted to the radio and TV coverage again.

There's too much money involved for steam packet not to miss a trick here, I'd lay money that there will be chartered boats announced later in the year