A new boat has joined the fleet of the Starcross to Exmouth Ferry and Dawlish Boat Trips ahead of the summer season.

The Faithful Servant II replaces Princess Marina, which was lost to a devastating fire last November.

The replacement to the Princess Marina served, until mid-February, as the weekend, late-night Gosport Ferry, connecting the town with Portsmouth across the Solent.

Her new role will see her predominantly working from Dawlish Sea or Starcross Pier between July and September taking visitors on half hour trips around the bay and on 90-minute coastal cruises. She will also serve as a back-up boat to the main Starcross to Exmouth ferry.

After a 13-hour journey from Gosport, the Faithful Servant II arrived in South Devon waters at the end of February. The Faithful Servant II has since joined the main Starcross ferry, Orcombe, in dry dock for painting and maintenance checks. Both ferries will undergo mandatory Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) inspections before going into service next month.

‘The first survey was done earlier this week (March 12) and we hope the Starcross ferry will start up just before Easter,’ owner Mark Rackley told the Mid Devon Advertiser.

The Faithful Servant II may also take on a new title, with the owners suggesting she will probably be named after their mother, who plays a key part in the business.

Operating between April and October, the Starcross Ferry takes foot passengers across the Exe Estuary to Exmouth. It is popular with locals, holidaymakers, cyclists on the Exe Estuary Cycle Trail and walkers hiking the South West Coast Path. The ferry usually makes seven return crossings a day.