Blue Peter's Helen Skelton and Condor Captain Fran Collins.

BLUE Peter presenter Helen Skelton made a splash when she came to Guernsey.

The 25-year-old, who joined the children’s TV programme in July, took the helm of a Condor Ferry when she became an honorary skipper for the day.

She got the chance on Wednesday to inspect the catamaran’s hull, direct cars onto the boat and take over from Condor’s only female captain, when the ferry travelled from Poole to Guernsey and Jersey and back again.

‘When I pulled back the throttle I expected it to zoom off, but it takes a while for the speed to build up.

‘It was nerve-racking for a few seconds coming out of Guernsey because the way out was really tight,’ she said.

‘The captain was a really nice trendy young woman – it’s a job you expect a man to do if you think of Captain Bird’s Eye – but she really had the measure of the guys, which was nice.’

Before setting sail she had an opportunity to inspect the hull.

‘It’s a really big beast – it was like sailing into the mouth of a whale,’ she said.