Jersey, our home in 2024

Some interesting facts about the Channel Island of Jersey—our home port this summer.

• The island of Jersey measures just 9 x 5 miles

• Jersey is only 14 miles from the French coast

• Due to its Southerly location, Jersey is the warmest place in the British Isles

• Jersey is home to some of the UK`s best beaches

• The coastal walks offer some of the best views in Europe

• Jersey has a wealth of multi-layered history, with many historic buildings & castles

• The island is probably most famous for its Jersey cow, its iconic Jersey Royal Potatoes and the 1980`s detective series “Bergerac,” starring John Nettles (“Midsomer Murders”)

• There are 12 parishes that comprise the island of Jersey

• Each parish has its own Anglican church with various other denominations represented, including Methodist and Roman Catholic

• Jersey is a British Crown Dependency and is the largest of the Channel Islands

• Jersey is on GMT, as is the UK (one hour behind Paris)

• English is the official language

• An ancient dialect of Norman-French (Jérriais) is still spoken by some islanders

• Jersey is a multi-cultural society with a large influence from both Portuguese and Polish cultures

• Jersey has its own currency, equivalent to UK sterling with a £1 note still in circulation

• Sterling currency (GBP) can be used here, but Jersey currency is NOT accepted in the UK

• The island is one of the world`s top offshore financial centres

• The island is VAT free, but there is a Goods and Service Tax which currently stands at 5%

  From vibrantjersey.je/destination/about-jersey/useful-facts/

It’s nice to be in the right place at the right time

Mont Orgueil Castle, Gorey, Jersey
Image: Henry Barnes

Just this week we came across an article in “Airmail” about new hot-list vacation spots in Europe. It turns out one of them frequently is on our itinerary—the Channel Islands! Here’s an excerpt:

"While some are searching for the Mediterranean’s last remaining undiscovered gems—such as Sicily’s Egadi Islands or Ponza, off the coast of Lazio—others are opting to forgo the Med altogether in favor of cooler waters, in places like Spain, Portugal, and even the once lowly Channel Islands. (Ferry companies in the Channel Islands have increased their routes this year to meet demand, while airlines have added new flights to the islands of Guernsey and Jersey.)

Last year, The Times of London reported on an influx of the super-rich to the Channel island of Jersey, where tax incentives, white beaches, and quaint beach houses provide a much-needed respite from the crowded shores of Italy, France, and southern Spain. ‘I went to Jersey last week,’ a friend says, ‘and it was heaven.’”

Many of the small seaside towns in Brittany are just as inviting, but “sh-h-h,” don’t tell anybody.

Jèrriais—Jersey’s indigenous language

​In addition to French and English, there are a few under-the-radar indigenous languages spoken in our sailing area. Most people have heard of Breton (Brezhoneg), the ancient Celtic language still spoken—or at least understood—by an estimated 500,000 people, mostly in rural Brittany. And there’s Cornish, spoken in Cornwall, which some people are familiar with. But most people have never even heard of Jèrriais, the traditional Romance language of Jersey. A close cousin of French, there are fewer than 4,000 people who still speak it. But around 15 per cent of the island’s population claim to have some familiarity with it.

Take a look:

Jèrriais fast facts:

• it was once Jersey's first language

• it proved to be particularly useful during the wartime Occupation; locals could talk without being understood by the Germans

• it is still evolving: new words are regularly added to the Jèrriais lexicon, just as new coinages are constantly popping up in contemporary French and English

The baliwick’s government believes it’s important to maintain Jèrriais as a living language. By teaching it to the island’s children, they’re working to make sure it has a future. From their website:

There are very few parents able to teach their children the language, so it's important that it's taught at school. It's common throughout Europe to teach and learn through lesser-used languages.

Before the 1960s there was no Jèrriais education in schools. Now, Jèrriais lessons are offered in all States primary schools and some private schools, too. Children can continue learning in secondary school if they choose.

Jèrriais lessons in primary schools start in year 4; however, because of a shortage of qualified teachers it's not possible to offer lessons in every year at all primary schools. In secondary schools, children will be able to study to the TGJ, the Jèrriais equivalent of GCSE [“The General Certificate of Secondary Education” a set of high-school exams taken in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and other British territories.]

There are many benefits to teaching Jèrriais to children:

• it helps their intellectual development, mental agility and alertness

• it makes it easier for them to learn other languages when they are older

• it helps them understand their cultural identity as Jersey citizens

• it helps them respect people who speak different languages

• it introduces them to a rich tradition of prose, poetry and music

To read more about efforts underway to revive Jèrriais, click here.

If you’d like to hear what Jèrriais sounds like, click here. And if you want to practice your own Jèrriais, go to Twitter and type in #ADitonADayKeepsTheVirusAtBay. If a Twitter tab is already open on your browser, click here. There’s even an Office du Jèrriais tp promote the language.

Ah—but here’s our favorite link: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” in Jèrriais!

More about Breton and other indigenous languages in future posts.