Plans to extend Hovertravel’s service to Sandown Bay during the summer months have been dashed after marine regulations have made the plans unviable with the current hovercraft.
The news was hugely disappointing to both the Sandown Business Association and Hovertravel, who have put huge amounts of time into the project.
Nicky Parker, the chair of Sandown Business Association, was the bearer of bad news this afternoon. She emailed members of the Sandown Business Association to say,
I know you have all been waiting for confirmation of the planned hovercraft route to Sandown this summer, as pursued by the Community Partnership and Sandown Business Association. As a town we have been excited by this proposed route, and I am very sorry to have to bring you sad news.
The wait has been due to the Sandown landing site being situated on the English Channel, which has a more rigorous set of health and safety regulations set by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Hovertravel have had several meetings with the MCA but because the route carries passengers as a ferry would, the level of emergency equipment required to be carried on board exceeded the current level for their inshore route. In short, the increased cost of having to buy new and more specialised equipment has made the Sandown proposal unviable.
We did try for two or three day-trip excursions, to continue with the good PR and gauge reaction to the route, but the MCA have refused this as well.
Hovertravel are as unhappy with this news as we are and will be promoting Sandown as a ‘through’ destination by bus or rail from their Southsea and Ryde terminals.
All is not lost
Nicky told OnTheWight that because the new Hovercraft due in 2016 are classed for the open seas, there is a chance the service might happen next year.
She said,
“We put so much into it and Hovertravel were so positive about it, of course it’s a disappointment, but we’re hopeful for next year.”
Sandown Passport
Part of the project was the creation of the Sandown Passport, that would be available to those on the Hover.
All is not lost Nicky told OnTheWight, as so many Sandown businesses got behind the idea for the Passport, they plan to continue working on it, to see if it could still work.
Thanks to Linda Bassett for the heads-up
Image: © With kind permission of vISITwIGHT
