Iconic Hovertravel celebrates its 60th birthday in high-flying style - and not a sea devil in sight
I Hhave two memories of hovercraft and Southsea from my childhood - one fond, one frightening.
The first is the thrill of being on the seafront and seeing the iconic orange and white craft speeding across the Solent to shore and racing to the landing apron to experience the smell of diesel and sea salt and the sensation of spray and small stones hitting your body. This was well before the invention of health and safety.
The second was the starring role played by a hovercraft (albeit a Royal Navy one) in the Dr Who Series The Sea Devils. Although the test of time has made them slightly more ridiculous, as a schoolboy these creatures from the deep were the scariest thing I’d ever seen on TV.
Having made such an impression on me I was delighted to be invited to join Hovertravel as it marked its 60th anniversary this week with a special Flight Experience event at its Ryde terminal, celebrating six decades of innovation, service, and flying across the Solent since the company’s founding in 1965. It was a grey and murky day as we set off from Portsmouth with the seas looking a little choppy but this was no problem for the hovercraft as she ‘flew’ a metre and a half above the surface of the water.
Across in Ryde, customers and VIP stakeholders were given the red carpet treatment, enjoying refreshments, a commemorative goody bag and a unique opportunity to board a hovercraft for a celebratory journey honouring Hovertravel’s rich heritage. The event thankfully featured no enemies of the Time Lord but did include a rare chance to meet some of the faces behind the service — from engineers and crew to the pilots themselves.
Among the special guests was a former Hovertravel pilot who flew during the 1970s and 1980s, sharing memories of the early days of hovercraft travel, and long-standing customer Alan Leach. In those early days there were no timetables, you went to the beach and waited for the next service. Alan told me he remembered him and his mates jumping on their bikes in 1965 - just weeks after the service had begun - and heading down to Ryde to give this new creation a go. He still had with him his original 10-shilling ticket.
Loretta Lale, Head of Commercial at Hovertravel, said: “It was a real pleasure to share this event with our customers and VIP stakeholders. Hovertravel has always been about connecting people, and today we brought together generations of travellers, crew, and supporters to celebrate everything we've achieved over the past 60 years.”
Since launching in 1965, Hovertravel has become the world's longest-running commercial hovercraft service and remains the fastest way to cross the Solent.