Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2007 | Page 126

life LOCAL BUSINESS Hovering on the fast route to success The Island is proud of being unique, and nowhere is its individuality shown to better advantage than in Solent Express, the new BHT-130 hovercraft that has entered service on Hovertravel’s Ryde-Southsea route. The BHT-130 design is not just the latest in hovercraft technology, but is also a symbol of the pioneer spirit and loyalty to the community that Hovertravel and its subsidiary company, Hoverwork, have sustained on the Island for over 40 years. The Hovertravel story began in 1965 when six intrepid entrepreneurs introduced a passenger hovercraft service between Ryde and 126 two mainland terminals at Southsea and Gosport. They used a 38-seater Westland SR.N6 hovercraft and within a few weeks had carried over 30,000 passengers. There were few frills attached to that first service but what it offered was revolutionary. The hovercraft was the latest form of transport, first invented in 1956 by Sir Christopher Cockerell, whose ingenuity produced a craft that moved on a cushion of air, producing speed and, most importantly, an amphibious capability. This was exciting enough, but for passengers on that Solent route, the hovercraft’s ability to travel both on land and water marked it out as a real winner. Tide variations meant that conventional passenger ferries coming into Ryde always had to berth well outside the town centre, but now it was possible to land within feet of the Esplanade, and avoid the trundle up the pier. That remains true today. “The Solent provides perfect conditions for hovercraft,” says Hovertravel chairman Christopher Bland. “With a ten-minute journey time, we operate the fastest and best value-for-money route between the Island and the mainland, and our new Solent Express will further streamline our service.” Hovercraft technology has become increasingly ingenious since the SR.N6 appeared on the Solent, and the new BHT-130 is an outstanding achievement for the Island. It was planned, designed and built entirely on the Island by the team at Hoverwork, and the new craft, with its imposing structure and sophisticated engineering, is a tribute both to the skills of that team and to the company’s contribution to the IW economy. “We wanted a hovercraft that would take more passengers and give a more comfortable ride, particularly in adverse conditions,” says Hovertravel’s chief executive Richard Box. The 29-metre Solent Express, with its 130-passenger capacity and smart new layout, has won the admiration of Hovertravel Island Life - www.islandlife.tv