With the elegance of a vessel that didn't ride the waves, but flew over them, the Jet Foil became a milestone in modern maritime transport in the Canary Islands 45 years ago. This Thursday, the Elder Museum of Science and Technology in Las Palmas paid tribute to that first voyage that forever changed inter-island connectivity.
On August 7, 1980, the "Flying Princess" made its first commercial trip between Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Captain José María Real Martí, First Officer Lorenzo Suárez Alonso, and Instructor Captain Lorrin F. Thurston were responsible for this inaugural voyage, which, at a price of 1.800 pesetas, offered a high-speed service with exceptional comfort and a duration of just 90 minutes.
This bold project was the decision of Federico Esteve Jaquotot, then president of Trasmediterránea. Under the motto "from center to center, without unnecessary detours," the Jet Foil not only connected the capital cities but also operated on the Las Palmas-Morro Jable route and made test trips to La Gomera. For almost 25 years, with a total of five units, this vessel became the preferred mode of transport for businessmen and politicians, marking one of Trasmediterránea's most brilliant eras on the islands.
The collaboration between the Port Authority of Las Palmas and the Canary Islands Maritime Culture Association made this commemorative event possible at the Elder Museum. Today's event will be attended by José Gilberto Moreno, museum director; Beatriz Calzada, president of the Port Authority; Arturo Rodríguez, of Acciona; and journalist, historian, and naval researcher Juan Carlos Díaz Lorenzo, whose proposal through Puente de Mando was the seed of this initiative. The ceremony will also feature a representation of the former crew of the Jet Foil, firsthand witnesses to this story.
However, the Jet Foil era came to an end in July 2005, due to a combination of factors. High fuel and maintenance costs, the resurgence of the "air shuttle" with Binter, and the emergence of high-speed catamarans led to its decline. Its last two vessels, the "Princesa Dácil" and the "Princesa Teguise," were sold to Japanese operators, as had been the case with their predecessors, the "Princesa Guayamarina" and the "Princesa Guacimara," thus closing a golden chapter in the history of maritime transport in the Canary Islands.
