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hovercraft in the sea

Live Webcam with Hovercraft at Ryde

  • Local time
  • Location: Ryde, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
  • Source: Railcam
  • Info: Live streaming webcam showing hovercraft at Ryde on the Isle of Wight. The hovercraft takes just 10 minutes to cross the Solent between Ryde and Portsmouth.
    This live webcam is courtesy of Railcam

    View current weather conditions and forecast for Ryde, Isle of Wight here


More info: Hovertravel provides the fastest Isle of Wight ferry route across the Solent from Portsmouth (Southsea) to the Isle of Wight (Ryde) and takes just 10 minutes. It is the world's only year round passenger hovercraft service and commenced operations in 1965.

Early on, Hovertravel faced direct competition from another hovercraft operator, the British Rail-owned Seaspeed with its rival Cowes-Southampton route. Eventually, Hovertravel took over running of the route on behalf of Seaspeed; however, in 1980, the decision was taken to discontinue the Cowes-Southampton service due to rising costs and increased competition from Red Funnel's hydrofoils, instead concentrating its resources on the Ryde-Southsea service, which was viewed as being more viable.

Video showing a Hovertravel hovercraft departing Portsmouth:





Additional Information:
  • Hover Travel - Hovercraft Timetables and Fares - www.hovertravel.co.uk
  • Isle of Wight Hovercraft - Isle of Wight - www.visitisleofwight.co.uk