Wightlink is expecting significant disruption across its three routes on Friday 23rd October 2026 as Storm Austen brings extreme weather and strong winds to the region.
The latest forecast suggests the most severe weather is expected around the middle of the day. A number of sailings have now been cancelled across all three routes, and customers with affected bookings are being contacted directly.
Extra sailing tonight
Customers due to travel on Friday have been given advance warning and encouraged to change their travel plans where possible.
To help customers travel ahead of the worst of the weather, Wightlink is also operating an additional sailing on the Lymington-Yarmouth route this evening, departing Lymington at 22:00 and Yarmouth at 23:00.
Balancing notice and cancellations
Weather forecasts can change quickly and are not an exact science, so we are balancing giving customers as much clarity and advance notice as possible with avoiding cancelling services unnecessarily.
We will continue to monitor conditions closely and aim to run as many services as we safely can. The safety of our customers and colleagues remains our priority.
Check before you travel
Customers travelling on Friday should expect significant disruption and check the latest information before setting off. The latest service information will be available on our Service Status page and Service Updates WhatsApp channel.
We are also closely monitoring the weather forecast for Saturday and will provide further updates if there is any potential impact on our services.
We appreciate the disruption Storm Austen is causing and thank our customers for their patience and understanding.
News shared by Kelly on behalf of Wightlink. Ed
