Isle of Wight News on Ventnor Blog

This in from WightLink. Ed

Owing to operational reasons the following sailings have been cancelled

Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde 19.45
Ryde to Portsmouth 20.15

This in from Wightlink – Ed.

Please be advised that owing to operational reasons on the Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head service the following sailings have been cancelled on Tuesday 16 March:
From Portsmouth Harbour: 1915
From Ryde Pier Head: 1945

An additional service will operate from Ryde Pier Head at 2015 (by a charter vessel)

Wightlink would like to apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.

Good news for hospital or hospice patients who need to travel to Southampton on a regular basis.

From the beginning of next month, Red Funnel will be running a new discount scheme, giving 25% off the cost of ferry crossings for patients and close relatives when they make repeated visits to a hospital or hospice.

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If you heading on or off the Island tomorrow via the Fast Cat in Ryde/Portsmouth, please note the following cancellations.

The following sailings will not now operate:

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Many thanks to VB reader Richard, who wrote to us earlier in the week suggesting that some readers might be in interested in this current planning application by Hover Travel.

Looking through the application, it appears that Hover Travel are applying to extend the service times to 5.45am and 11pm.

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This just in from Wightlink – Ed.

Please be advised that the car ferry sailings departing at 01:00 am sailing from Portsmouth Gunwharf and the 02:00 am sailing from Fishbourne have been changed until further notice as follows:

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This in from Wightink.

Due to the forecast adverse weather conditions in the Solent area for Sunday 28/2/10, Wightlink will be running an hourly service between Portsmouth and Fishbourne, from 06:00 until 21:00 ex Gunwharf and from 07:00 until 22:00 ex Fishbourne. Outside of these times, the normal timetable will apply.

Wightlink would like to apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause. Passengers concerned about their sailing(s) should call Wightlink reservations on 0871 376 1000.

This just in from WightLink.

Please be advised that owing to adverse weather, Wightlink will be running an hourly service on Portsmouth/Fishbourne service from the 13.00 sailing until further notice.

Wightlink would like to apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause. Passengers concerned about their sailing(s) should call Wightlink reservations on 0871 376 1000.

News reaches us that the High Court this morning ruled that Wightlink’s decision to run new larger ferries is in breach of the European habitats directive.

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In the list of proposed cuts to Isle of Wight council services to close the £11.6m funding gap are two items concern the Cowes chain ferry.

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Update 8.08am: Service running normally now

Red Funnel have been in touch with us morning and tell us the following …

Due to a technical difficulty necessitating the withdrawal from service of one of the Hi-Speed Red Jets, Red Funnel are currently operating an hourly service between Southampton and West Cowes.

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This just in from Red Funnel – Ed

Update: 11:07: Red Funnel tell us it’s all back to normal now.

As a result of dense fog in the Solent, the Red Jet Hi-Speed service operating between Southampton and West Cowes is currently experiencing delays.

Red Funnel would like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding.

Those using the Floating Bridge will be aware of that last Thursday it was taken out of service for essential maintenance.

We hear from the Council today that difficulties in removing the original part have led to delays in the repair schedule.

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As of 6pm tonight the Cowes Floating Bridge will be taken out of service for essential maintenance.

A drive shaft has failed after 34 years of service and needs replacing, but as this part cannot be sourced immediately, it will have to be manufactured – locally happily.

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Please be advised that owing to operational reasons there are some revisions tomorrow (15 January) on the Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head Catamaran service as follows:

Cancelled sailings
From Portsmouth Harbour
05:40 12:40; 13:40 and 14:40

From Ryde Pier Head
13:10; 14:10; 15:10 and 2015

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It appears that it’s becoming quite a fashion for Island ferry companies to bash their foot passenger craft into things.

You’ll have heard about WightLink knocking one of their FastCat’s into the Ryde pier head – well, we heard from Rick Harwood earlier today that RedFunnel’s RedJet 5 had had a bit of a bash. Yesterday it knocked into the maintenance berth, and “suffered slight damage,” Red Funnel tells us.

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Red Funnel have been in touch to let us know about some changes to their crossings today.

Due to due to “an incident with Red Jet 5″ they are only running a one vessel service.

Departures from Southampton will be at XX:15 and departures from West Cowes at XX:45.

Update at 13.56pm: We anticipate a return to scheduled service from 16:45 with the reintroduction of this departure from Southampton to West Cowes.

Normal half hourly departures will resume from West Cowes at 17:15.

Updated 7.10pm

WightLink tells us that due to “operational reasons” there are cancellations and changes to the Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head Catamaran service for today and tomorrow as follows:

Cancelled
From Portsmouth Harbour
05:40; 12:40; 13:40 and 14:40

From Ryde Pier Head
13:10; 14:10; 15:10 and 20:15

In addition to the above cancelled sailings the following additional sailings will also be operating:

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We’ve been told that the 5:15pm FastCat from Portsmouth crashed into the Ryde Pier head this evening.

We understand from regular commuters that were on the Vessel that the captain of the boat didn’t appear to slow down sufficiently approaching the Pier head.

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Wight Link tell us that due to “operational requirements”, it has been necessary to cancel the following sailings this evening:

Ex Portsmouth Harbour – 1945hrs
Ex Ryde Pier – 1915hrs & 2015hrs

We’ll endeavour to keep this updated throughout the day with the latest travel information.

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Last Updated: 16.12pm

This page will be updated throughout the day with the latest travel information (more…)

The week before Christmas a very special memorial plaque was unveiled onboard Red Jet 4.

Carole Anne Miles, who passed away earlier in the year had, with her husband Michael, been visiting the Island since 1982 prior to settling here in 2007 and used the Red Jet daily commuting across the Solent.

After she passed away, her husband got in touch with Red Funnel to see if they would consider displaying a plaque aboard Red Jet 4 which was Carole’s favourite vessel.

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If you’re planning to travel on the ferry on this coming Sunday (3rd January) be aware of some cancellations.

Due to ‘operational reasons’ the following sailings have been cancelled.

Ex Portsmouth Gunwharf 18.30
Ex Fishbourne: 19.30

Naturally, Wightlink apologise for the inconvenience. You can call them on 02392 827761 (cheaper than 0871 number) for more info if you need it.

Oh boy, more disruption on the FastCat, due to ‘operational reasons’ the following sailings from Portsmouth to Ryde will be operated by charter vessel today and tomorrow. Crossing time will be approximately 25 minutes.

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