As WightLink celebrates 100 years of Portsmouth-Fishbourne crossing, what was the first ferry called?
Ferry staff, dignitaries and others piled onto a WightLink vessel to celebrate a once-in-a-lifetime milestone.
For the past 100 years, people have been travelling from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight, with a route from Portsmouth Harbour to Fishbourne being operated since 1926.
A lot has changed in that time, with the original crossings actually being done on wooden vessels towed by a tug. Nowadays, the Victoria of Wight - a hybrid vessel - takes people to and from the island on an almost whisper-quiet ferry.
First introduced in March 1926 by the Southern Railway Company, the route was picked up by WightLink in 1990. Originally, the tug being used was Adur II, before MV Fishbourne became the route’s first ferry in 1927, capable of carrying 16 cars and around 100 passengers.
Speaking to those on board for a special 100th anniversary crossing, chief executive officer Katy Taylor said: “Some people at WightLink are super visible, but there are a lot of other people that go into making everything work. We are very grateful to all those who have worked on the route over the past century and are very proud to continue serving the island today.
“We are nothing without the communities we serve, from people who travel every single day to those who travel once or twice on their holidays. There are many challenges that face this business still, like oil prices and government changes; other challenges are different from 100 years ago, but so much has improved and who knows what the next 100 years will bring.
“We would also like to thank our customers, past and present, whose continued support has been at the heart of the route’s success. It was wonderful to celebrate this historic milestone with guests today and we very much look forward to the next 100 years of service.”
Ms Taylor also revealed that WightLink is hoping to order another ship in the next 12 months, to support its existing fleet.
The Victoria of Wight is the largest vessel in WightLink’s arsenal, capable of reaching 15.6 knots at top speed and running 24/7. Early morning crossings typically see swathes of lorries heading from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight, all belonging to supermarkets, the Royal Mail and fuel companies.