We Need Inter-Island Access

In Search of Hope – by Sam Gannon

Seconded to the parish of Tililngdon, the Reverend Dolores has been presented with a challenge.

She’s living in an antiquated house and she’s cold. Furthermore, her new Bishop, Bishop Alice does not approve of ‘showgirls in dog collars.’

Determined to prove the Bishop wrong, she sets about warming her house – who cares if it smells of horse! There is the crochet club, jumble sale, and soup run to organise. And this year, the church bells will ring, no matter what threats are made. Even more so, the newly formed choir will spread a little joy this Christmas, even though they can’t sing – yet! And with a little help from Phil, her bassist, this year could be full of magic.

However, she has a fight on her hands as the townies out in Knob Hill – she must stop calling it that, are trying to stop her from ringing her bells. When Krystal with a K decides to do some volunteer work, Dolores sets out to see just how committed she really is.

Up to her ears in granny squares and squawking choristers, Dolores is revving up for Christmas, yet a deeper darker secret is beginning to emerge!

A secret that could blow the whole parish apart and put Dolores in danger.

(available from Amazon)

On Tuesday, the Regional Secretary for the Economy asked the Porto Santo Line to increase the number of flights between Porto Santo and Madeira, within the aircraft’s maximum capacity, given that the Porto Santo Ferry is currently undergoing maintenance.

José Manuel Rodrigues was told that, on several occasions, the connections between Porto Santo and Madeira were fully booked, while Tuesday trips are set aside exclusively for those requiring medical support via the Health Service of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (SESARAM), though SESARAM could still request travel on other dates if needed.

In light of the situation, the governor urged the Maritime line concessionaire to enhance Binter’s connections on days when demand surpasses supply. This would involve reallocating trips not purchased by Porto Santo residents to earlier dates and freeing up connections currently reserved on Tuesdays, even though the governor acknowledged the concessionaire has no contractual obligation to do so.

The large number of bookings for the same days in January and the first week of February (often Fridays and Sundays), combined with several passengers not showing up for their scheduled trips (known as ‘no-shows’, which take seats from others wanting to travel) and later rescheduling their dates, has caused inconvenience for Porto Santo residents needing to travel to Madeira during the Lobo Marinho’s downtime for repairs and certification.

“This year, it’s worth noting there’s greater demand for trips from Funchal to Porto Santo than the other way around, which should be looked into,” says José Manuel Rodrigues.

Currently, the Porto Santo Line offers a set of air trips annually at the same price as maritime connections. However, despite the demand, Binter has not agreed to schedule any additional flights to compensate for the high demand on days when flights are sold out.

The Regional Secretary for the Economy emphasized that territorial continuity must be guaranteed throughout the year, reiterating to Porto Santo Line the need to strengthen available connections. However, in previous years, some routes went unused, and in 2025, 561 purchased tickets were not used—about 20% of all sold, which clearly harms the interests of Porto Santo residents wishing to travel between islands.

The Lobo Marinho ship should resume connections to Porto Santo from the 9th of February.

Samantha Gannon

info at madeira-weekly.com