How does the weather affect the service?

We monitor changing weather conditions very carefully to minimise any impact on our sailings. If adverse weather or storms are expected to affect our service, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.

Our Captains have many years of experience navigating in all kinds of weather. While we always aim to keep to our timetable, your safety—and the safety of our crew—is our top priority. We will only cancel a sailing if we believe that continuing would compromise safety. If conditions allow, we will delay and wait for improvement rather than cancel.

Despite the Weather…

Even with the unpredictable nature of the weather, we continue to operate as one of the most reliable services to and from the Isle of Wight. Cancellations due to weather are rare and only happen when sailing would compromise safety.

What Weather Conditions Can Affect Sailings?

Several weather-related factors can impact our ability to sail safely:

Wind Speed and Direction

• Some of our ships have high sides, which can catch strong winds and make manoeuvring difficult.
• If wind speeds or gusts are too high, we may need to cancel a sailing for safety reasons.
• In other cases, we may delay departure and wait at the port until wind conditions improve.

Wave Height

• It may appear calm in port, but wave conditions in the middle of the Solent can be very different.
• If wave heights are too high, the ship may be delayed or cancelled until it is safe to sail again.

Fog and Visibility

• Thick fog can reduce visibility, which affects safe navigation.
• We can sail as long as the Captain has a clear line of sight to key navigation points. If visibility drops below safe levels, the sailing will be delayed or cancelled until conditions improve.

Tidal Conditions

• We know tidal heights in advance, but unexpected changes in atmospheric pressure can cause tides to be higher or lower than predicted.
• In these cases, we may need to take a longer route to or from the Island, which can result in a slight delay to your scheduled sailing.

Planning Ahead

Sometimes, we may amend our services in advance to avoid disruption based on the forecast. However, weather predictions aren’t always accurate, and conditions may turn out to be better—or worse—than expected on the day.