Wightlink ferries

Wightlink

Ferries have crossed the Solent for centuries. A sailing boat called The Packet began a regular service between Portsmouth and Ryde in 1796, the steamship Britannia took over that route in 1817, and the first steamer link between Lymington and Yarmouth, the Glasgow, arrived in March 1830. Wightlink is the heir to all of these.

The company in its present form dates from 1990. Sealink had been sold to Sea Containers in 1984, and when Stena Line bought Sealink six years later the Isle of Wight ferries stayed behind under the new name of Wightlink. A management buyout followed in 1995, then ownership by Macquarie's infrastructure fund in 2005, and the company is now owned by infrastructure investors.

Three routes make up the network: a fast catamaran for foot passengers from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier, taking about 22 minutes; a car ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne, about 45 minutes; and a car ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth, about 40 minutes. The newest vessel on the Fishbourne route, the hybrid Victoria of Wight, entered service in 2018.