For the second time in a week Hovertravel passengers have experienced an exceptionally lengthy crossing between Southsea and Ryde due to a mechanical problem with Solent Flyer.
The craft left Southsea as planned at 07:00 but was almost immediately hit with an issue.
In a similar situation to Monday night, the hovercraft then manoeuvred closer towards Gosport’s coast before proceeding across the Solent at a very slow 6 knots.
Solent Flyer is now back at Ryde after 60 minutes at sea. The crossing normally takes just 10 minutes.
Passengers have been safely disembarked and Island Flyer – the company’s second hovercraft in the fleet – is now expected to enter service.
Hovertravel’s service status remains ‘green’ – despite there being no hover from Ryde since the 06:45, with savvy customers having already diverted to Wightlink’s Fastcat after noting the unusually long crossing of Solent Flyer.
UPDATE @ 08:17 – The pilot and crew have swapped over to Island Flyer, which has now entered service.
The 07:15 and 07:45 crossings from Ryde have failed to operate, as have the 07:30 and 08:00 from Southsea.
The 08:15 is departing 5 minutes late.
