There are currently three different ferry companies that operate vessels carrying passengers and, on certain routes, vehicles across the Solent

Solent

The Solent is a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England.The Solent is a major shipping route for passengers, freight and military vessels. It is an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting, hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually...

, the stretch of sea that separates the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

 from mainland England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. These are Wightlink

Wightlink

Wightlink is a ferry company operating routes between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in southern England.Their core routes are car ferries from Lymington to Yarmouth and Portsmouth to Fishbourne...

, Red Funnel

Red Funnel

The Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited, which trades as Red Funnel, is a ferry company that carries passengers and vehicles on routes between the English mainland and the Isle of Wight...

 and Hovertravel

Hovertravel

Hovertravel is a ferry company operating from Southsea, Portsmouth to Ryde, Isle of Wight, UK. They are the only company operating in Britain with passenger hovercraft, after Hoverspeed stopped using their craft in favour of catamarans...

.

Early sail crossings

Since the Isle of Wight was separated from mainland Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

, probably about 7000 years ago, vessels have transported people and goods across the Solent. However the earliest record of an Isle of Wight ferry service is from 1420 when the Lord of the Manor in Ashey was responsible for boats crossing between Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

 and Ryde

Ryde

Ryde is a British seaside town, civil parish and the most populous town and urban area on the Isle of Wight, with a population of approximately 30,000. It is situated on the north-east coast. The town grew in size as a seaside resort following the joining of the villages of Upper Ryde and Lower...

. By the 17th century a rota of Ryde fishermen were required, on penalty of fine, to make daily return crossings to Portsmouth.

In 1796 a purpose built sailing boat called The Packet began a regular service between Portsmouth and Ryde and by 1811 two daily return trips were made between the Bugle Inn in Ryde and the Quebec Tavern in Portsmouth. At this time, on arrival at Ryde, the boats, known as Ryde Wherries, had to anchor a considerable distance away from the shore and passengers were transported by horse, cart or on men's backs across the wide and shallow sands to the town. This problem was resolved in 1814 when Ryde Pier

Ryde Pier

Ryde Pier is an early 19th century pier serving the town of Ryde, on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England.- Before the pier :Before the pier was built, passengers to Ryde had the uncomfortable experience of coming ashore on the back of a porter and then, depending on the state of the...

 was completed.

The introduction of steam power

In 1817 the first steamship ferry, Britannia, began to operate on the Portsmouth Ryde route. Although she was found to be unsuitable for her role and quickly withdrawn the first successful steam powered regular service on the route began on 5 April 1825 with the paddle steamer PS Union. Meanwhile in 1820 the paddle steamer PS Prince of Coburg had begun a service between Cowes

Cowes

Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...

 and Southampton

Southampton

Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

.

The success of the paddle steamers prompted a period of company formation. In 1827 the Portsmouth and Ryde Steam Packet Company (P&RSPC) was formed and took over the running of the PS Union. This was followed in 1849 by the Portsea, Portsmouth, Gosport and Isle of Wight Steam Packet Company (PPG&IWSPC) operating on the same route. These amalgamated on 1 January 1852 as the Port of Portsmouth and Ryde United Steam Packet Company (PP&RUSPC). In 1873 the Southsea and Isle of Wight Steam Ferry Company (S&IWSFC) began operating between Clarence Pier

Clarence Pier

Clarence Pier is an amusement pier in Portsmouth, Hampshire. It is located by the Portsmouth Hovercraft terminal. Unlike most seaside piers in the UK, the pier does not extend very far out to sea, instead goes along the coast....

, Southsea

Southsea

Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....

 and Ryde but was quickly taken over by the PP&RUSPC in 1876

On the Southampton - Cowes route the Isle of Wight Royal Mail Steam Packet Company (IWRMSPC) was formed in 1820 and the Isle of Wight Steam Packet Company (IWSPC) in 1826. These merged in 1861 becoming the Southampton, Isle of Wight & South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company (IW&SERMSPC). This company became commonly known as Red Funnel in 1935 and is still operating in 2011.

On the Western Solent, the first steam connection between Lymington and Yarmouth was by the Glasgow in March 1830, operated by Lymington owners and continuing also to Cowes, Southampton, Ryde and Portsmouth on various days..

The era of railway ownership

By 1880 railway lines connected to both the Ryde Pier and the Portsmouth Harbour ferry terminals. It was therefore a natural progression for the railway companies to acquire the ferry routes themselves. In order to do this the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway

London, Brighton and South Coast Railway

The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...

 (LB&SCR) and the London and South Western Railway

London and South Western Railway

The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...

 (L&SWR) jointly formed the South Western and Brighton Railway Companies Steam Packet Service (SW&BRCSPS). This new company bought out the PP&RUSPC and the era of railway ownership of the Ryde Portsmouth route began.

In 1884 the Isle of Wight Marine Transit Company started a rail freight ferry link between the Hayling Island Branch line at Langstone

Langstone

Langstone is a village near Havant, Hampshire in the south east of England, between Portsmouth and Chichester. It has good railway connections to London, Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton, from the nearby Havant railway station. There are many large gated detached houses on the main road,...

 and the Bembridge branch line at St Helens

St Helens, Isle of Wight

St. Helens is a village and civil parish located on the eastern side of the Isle of Wight. The village is based around village greens. This is claimed to be the largest in England but some say the Village Green is the second largest. The greens are often used for cricket matches during the summer...

 quay. To provide the link the rail ferry PS Carrier was moved from Scotland. The project was unsuccessful and despite being acquired in full by the LB&SCR in 1886 ended in 1888. It remains the only rail ferry to have operated a service to the Isle of Wight.

In 1884 the Lymington service was bought by the London & South Western Railway Company.

In addition to paddle steamers the SW&BRCSPS used tow boats and a tug to carry livestock and subsequently motor cars from Broad Street, Portsmouth to the slipway at George Street, Ryde.

During the First World War four of the SW&BRCSPS paddle steamers were commandeered by the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 as minesweepers leaving only two behind. The PS Duchess of Richmond was lost to a mine in the Mediterranean Sea

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

.

On 1 January 1923 the SW&BRCSPS was taken over by Southern Railway

Southern Railway (Great Britain)

The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...

 which had been created in the Grouping

Railways Act 1921

The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...

 ordered by the Railways Act 1921

Railways Act 1921

The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...

.

Vessels

Name	Type†	Operator(s)††	Route(s)†††	In service	Out of service	Notes	Image
PS Brittania	P		PR	1817		Built in Gainsborough, Lincs, in 1816. Unsuccessful experiment with steam power. Quickly withdrawn from service
PS Union	P	P&RSPC	PR	1825
PS Arrow	P	P&RSPC	PR	1825
PS Lord Yarborough	P	P&RSPC	PR	1826
PS Earl Spencer	P	P&RSPC	PR	1833
Prince Albert	P		PR	1847
Her Majesty	P		PR	1850
Lindsey	P		PR	1850
Prince of Wales	P		PR	1850
Princess Royal	P		PR	1850
Prince Consort	P	PP&RUSPC, SW&BRCSPS	PR	1859	1882	Built by J. Scott Russel, London
Princess of Wales	P	PP&RUSPC, SW&BRCSPS	PR	1865	1885	Built by Lewis & Stockwell, London
Gareloch	P		PR	1863
Chancellor	P		PR	1863
Duke of Edinburgh	P	PP&RUSPC, SW&BRCSPS	PR	1869	1884	Built by Money, Wigram Co, Blackwall
Princess Alice	P	PP&RUSPC, SW&BRCSPS	PR	1869	1882	Built by Money, Wigram Co, Blackwall
Ventnor	P		PR	1873
Shanklin	P		PR	1873
Southsea	P		PR	1873
Ryde	P		PR	1873
Heather Bell	P		PR	1876
Albert Edward	P		PR	1878
Alexandra	P		PR	1879
Victoria	P		PR	1881
PS Carrier	R	IWMTC, LB&SCR	LS	1884	1888	Built in 1858 by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Co, Greenock. Failed rail ferry project. Sold in 1892 to Swedish company.
Duchess Of Edinburgh	P		PR	1884
Duchess Of Connaught	P		PR	1884
Duchess Of Albany	P		PR	1889
Princess Margaret	P		PR	1893
PS Duchess Of Kent	P	SW&BRCSPS, SR	PR	1897	1933	Built by Day, Summers & Co, Southampton. Served as Royal Navy minesweeper in First World War. Replaced by PS Sandown
PS Duchess Of Fife	P	SW&BRCSPS, SR	PR	1899	1929	Built by Clydebank Engineering & Shipbuilding Co, Glasgow. Served as Royal Navy minesweeper in First World War
PS Duchess Of Richmond	P	SW&BRCSPS	PR	1910	1915	Built by D&W Henderson, Glasgow. Served as Royal Navy minesweeper in First World War. Mined and sank in Med.
PS Duchess Of Norfolk	P	SW&BRCSPS, SR	PR	1911	1937	Built by D&W Henderson, Glasgow. Served as Royal Navy minesweeper in First World War
Shanklin	P		PR	1924
Merstone	P		PR	1928
Portsdown	P		PR	1928
Southsea	P		PR	1930
Whippingham	P		PR	1930
Sandown	P		PR	1934
	PPS	SR, BR	PR	1937	1970	Built by Denny William Denny and Brothers William Denny and Brothers Limited, and often referred to simply as Denny, were a Scottish shipbuilding company.-History:The Company was founded by Peter Denny in 1840 and based in Dumbarton, on the River Clyde. Although the Denny yard was situated near the junction of the River Clyde and the River...  in Dumbarton
Southsea	P		PR	1948
Brading	P		PR	1948
Shanklin	P		PR	1951
Our Lady Patricia	PC		PR	1986
Our Lady Pamela	PC		PR	1986
Fastcat Shanklin	PC		PR	2000
HSC Fastcat Ryde HSC FastCat Ryde HSC FastCat Ryde is a high speed catamaran ferry which operates between the Isle of Wight and mainland England. The vessel was originally built in Singapore for service in the Philippines as Water Jet 1...	PC	WL	PR	2000
	VP		PF	1927	1961	Built by Denny in Dumbarton
	VP		PF	1928	1961	Built by Denny in Dumbarton
Hilsea	VP		PF	1931
	VP		PF	1938		Built by Denny William Denny and Brothers William Denny and Brothers Limited, and often referred to simply as Denny, were a Scottish shipbuilding company.-History:The Company was founded by Peter Denny in 1840 and based in Dumbarton, on the River Clyde. Although the Denny yard was situated near the junction of the River Clyde and the River...  in Dumbarton
Farringford	VP		PF	1948
Freshwater	VP		PF	1959
Camber Queen	VP		PF	1961
	VP		PF	1961	1983	Built by Philip & Son in Dartmouth Dartmouth, Devon Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
	VP		PF	1969	1984	Built by Richards Shipbuilders in Lowestoft Lowestoft Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
	VP		PF(1973) / LY(2009)	1973	2009	Built by Robb Caledon Henry Robb Henry Robb, Limited, known colloquially as Robbs, was a British shipbuilding company based in Leith Docks on the east coast of Scotland. Robbs was notable for building small-to-medium sized vessels, particularly tugs and dredgers.-History:...  in Dundee
	VP		PF(1973) / LY(2009)	1973	2009	Built by Robb Caledon Henry Robb Henry Robb, Limited, known colloquially as Robbs, was a British shipbuilding company based in Leith Docks on the east coast of Scotland. Robbs was notable for building small-to-medium sized vessels, particularly tugs and dredgers.-History:...  in Dundee
	VP		PF(1974) / LY(2009)	1974	2009	Built by Robb Caledon Henry Robb Henry Robb, Limited, known colloquially as Robbs, was a British shipbuilding company based in Leith Docks on the east coast of Scotland. Robbs was notable for building small-to-medium sized vessels, particularly tugs and dredgers.-History:...  in Dundee
	VP	WL	PF	1983	2010
	VP		PF	1983
	VP		PF	1987
	VP		PF	1990
	VP	WL	PF	2001
PS Gem	P	IWSPC, RF	SC	1840	1883	Built by J. White, Cowes. Scrapped in 1889.
PS Ruby	P	IWRMSPC, RF	SC	1841	1872	Built by Day, Summers & Co. Northam for the South Western & Isle of Wight Steam Navigation Co as 'The Pride of the Waters'
PS Pearl	P	IWRMSPC, RF	SC	1844	1867	Built by Day, Summers & Co. Northam. Scrapped in 1875
PS Queen (I)	P	IWRMSPC, RF	SC	1848	1876	Built by Day, Summers & Co. Northam.
PS Prince of Coburg	P	IWSPC	SC	1820		Built in Gainsborough, Lincs, in 1817
Earl Of Malmsbury	P	IWSPC	SC
George IV	P	IWSPC	SC
PS Medina (I)	P	IWRMSPC, RF	SC	1852	1882	Built by J. White, Cowes as The Times
PS Emerald	P	IWSPC, RF	SC	1857	1871	Built by Day, Summers & Co. Northam.
PS Saphire	P	IWSPC, RF	SC	1860	1873	Built by CA Day. Northam.
MV Carisbrooke Castle	VP	RF	SC	1959	1974	Built by J Thornycroft & Co. Ltd in Woolston. Sold to operator in Naples
	VP		SC	1974	1997	Built by Ryton Marine Ltd in Wallsend Wallsend Wallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:... . Sold to operator in Croatia
MV Red Eagle	VP	RF	SC	1996
MV Red Falcon MV Red Falcon MV Red Falcon is a Raptor Class vehicle and passenger ferry operated by Red Funnel on their route from Southampton to East Cowes on the Isle of Wight. She was built by Ferguson Shipbuilders in Glasgow....	VP	RF	SC	1994
MV Red Osprey MV Red Osprey MV Red Osprey is a Raptor Class vehicle and passenger ferry operated by Red Funnel on their route from Southampton to East Cowes on the Isle of Wight. She was built by Ferguson Shipbuilders in Glasgow....	VP	RF	SC	1994
Red Jet 1	PC	RF	SC	1991	|2009	|
Red Jet 2	PC	RF	SC	1992	|2009	|
Red Jet 3	PC	RF	SC	1998
MV Red Jet 4 Red Jet 4 MV Red Jet 4 is a passenger catamaran ferry operated by Red Funnel on their route from Southampton to Cowes on the Isle of Wight, along with sister ships Red Jet 3 and Red Jet 5. She was built by North West Bay Ships in Tasmania. Red Jet 4 is the first vessel built by Red Funnel outside the UK...	PC	RF	SC	2003
Red Jet 5	PC	RF	SC	2009
MV Wight Light MV Wight Light MV Wight Light is a car and passenger ferry built for the British ferry operator Wightlink. She is in service between mainland England and the Isle of Wight.-History:...	VP	WL	LY	2009
MV Wight Sky MV Wight Sky MV Wight Sky is a new design of roll-on/roll-off car and passenger ferry operating on Wightlink's Lymington to Yarmouth, Isle of Wight route.-History:MV Wight Sky was constructed at the Kraljevica shipyard in Croatia and launched on 12 April 2008...	VP	WL	LY	2009
MV Wight Sun MV Wight Sun MV Wight Sun is an Isle of Wight ferry built in 2008 for the British company Wightlink.-History:MV Wight Sun was built at the Brodogradiliste Kraljevica, Croatia and launched on 29 June 2008...	VP	WL	LY	2009
Freedom 90	H	HT	SR	1990
Island Express	H	HT	SR	2002
Solent Express	H	HT	SR	2007		|The Solent Express was used on Kirkcaldy to Portobello hovercraft passenger trials in 2007.

• ^†Vessel type: P = Passenger, VP = Vehicle and passenger, PC = Passenger catamaran, PPS = Passenger paddle steamer, H = Hovercraft
• ^††Operators: RF = Red Funnel, WL = Wightlink, HT = Hovertravel
• ^†††Routes: PR = Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head, PF = Portsmouth Harbour to Fishbourne, SC = Southampton to Cowes, SR = Southsea to Ryde, LY = Lymington to Yarmouth