Newly published figures from the Department for Transport show property in France and other EU destinations was reached by more Britons by ferry in the second quarter of 2010.
Compared with a year earlier, 3.2 million people headed to property in France and other "short sea" destinations, up from 3.11 million in the same period of 2009.
Warmer weather had its usual seasonal effect compared with January-March, with almost twice as many people heading away to short sea destinations than in the first quarter.
During the first three months of 2010, 1.69 million people braved the elements to take a ferry crossing to the continent or the Irish Republic.
The quarterly statistics feed into the annual Sea Passenger Bulletin and Maritime Statistics Report, published by the Department for Transport.
However, the provisional International Sea Passengers estimates published monthly provide an insight into how the use of ferries changes throughout the course of the year.
