Wightlink has been forced to suspend its Fastcat passenger service between Ryde and Portsmouth due to a mechanical issue – and it won’t resume until at least lunchtime on Sunday.
The cross-Solent operator has confirmed that due to the ongoing issue, the Ryde Pier Head-Portsmouth Harbour route has been suspended and will remain so for the rest of the day.
It’s said that due to additional repair work being required, the Fastcat service will not run tomorrow morning either and will remain suspended until at least 12:15, as engineers work to safely resolve the undisclosed issue.
Earlier in the day, the 14:15 sailing from Portsmouth and the 14:45 from Ryde had to be cancelled. It came at a time when rival firm Hovertravel cancelled crossings due to a technical issue and the impacts of weather, although their service has since resumed.
All Wightlink tickets and passes will be valid on the Fishbourne-Portsmouth car ferry service.
Today’s disruption comes just 24 hours after a person jumped from the top of Wight Ryder II‘s open air passenger deck, leading to a rescue operation.
UPDATE SUNDAY – Wightlink now says that repairs will continue until at least 16:15, 4 hours later than originally planned.
Tickets are being accepted on Hovertravel services for the timebeing, with crossings every 15 minutes.
The suspension of service is likely to have a significant impact on those travelling for the Bank Holiday weekend.
All I can say is “thank goodness for Hover travel” who accepted our fastcat tickets. These ferry companies are so pants!
This is happening every other week now ? So yet again we pay increased fares for a sub standard service on one of the busiest weekends on the Island. Disgusting !
What with the FAILING Hovercraft and now the Cat
Bank Holiday weekend
A bridge or tunnel is the only way forward.
Personally I don’t see why they don’t extend Ryde Pier to
Pompey and persons can walk,or get the train to the
mainland or cycle across if they wish.
Just put an opening in the middle so cross channel
ferries or Navy can go through when they need too.
It wouldn’t cost that much to extend
WORTH EVERY PENNY
Yes I agree
Please stop this bridge tunnel bollocks you know its never going to happen would take BILLIONS and decades of planning give it up people.
You do realise that a bridge with a (very large) opening is what we have now. Being able to walk further will not stop you from getting wet. If that is what you believe then I actually have a bridge to sell you.
It’s What you get with a sub standard service.For a company like that to not have a hot spare standing by just for circumstances like this is ludicrous.Like Airlines they should be held accountable and give compensation it your crossing is cancelled.
WHERE ARE YOU IoW MP’S,you should be be all over this in Parliament highlighting once again we have been failed by shoddy transport links to the Island which are getting worse and worse as the years go by.