sentences:  A ferry operated by Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd connects the main port of the island, Church Bay, with the mainland at Ballycastle, away.Two ferries operate on the route – the fast foot-passenger-only catamaran ferry "Rathlin Express" and a purpose-built larger ferry, commissioned in May 2017, "Spirit of Rathlin", which carries both foot passengers and a small number of vehicles, weather permitting.Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd won a six-year contract for the service in 2008 providing it as a subsidised "lifeline" service.