WIGHT LIGHT

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Man overboard saved by helicopter

A man has been plucked from the sea by the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter after going overboard from the "Wight Light" enroute from Yarmouth to Lymington around halfway across the Solent on Sep 11, 2019, at approximately 11:20 a.m. as the vessel Wight Light travelled towards the Isle of Wight. It had departed from Lymington at 11 a.m Wightlink’s crew manned and launched the rescue boat in a bid to assist the passenger, who had plunged several metres into the cold Western Solent. However, Coastguard Rescue 175 was very quickly on scene – having flown from Dorset – and swiftly winched the casualty on board. The helicopter’s winchman was lowered into the water to conduct the swift rescue. The man has now been flown directly to Southampton General Hospital. His condition was unknown at this time. There were a number of cancelled sailings on the Yarmouth-Lymington route. The 2:05 p.m., 4:05 p.m. and 6:05 p.m. from Yarmouth have been cancelled alongside the 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. service from Lymington to allow vital emergency equipment to be replaced prior to the ferry going back into service. All booked customers will travel on the next available sailing. Report with video: https://www.islandecho.co.uk/man-overboard-from-wightlink-ferry-rescued-by-coastguard-helicopter/

Ferry sailings cancelled due to clutch issue

A mechanical issue witht the "Wight Light" has resulted in cancellations on the Yarmouth to Lymington route in the night of Oct 21, 2018. The 8:20 p.m. sailing from Yarmouth was camcelled, resulting in passengers and vehicles being disembarked and directed to Wightlink’s Fishbourne terminal instead. Also the 10 p.m. sailing from Yarmouth has been cancelled with customers advised to make their way for the 11 p.m. sailing from Fishbourne instead. A clutch issue was to blame for the disruption. After Wightlink’s engineers have been able to resolve the mechanical issues overnight and therefore a normal timetabled service resumed on Oct 22.

Delays due to technical issues

The Wightlink ferry "Wight Light" was delayed on Oct 6, 2017, due to technical issues. While the issues were resolved, delays were likely to continue into the afternoon while the service got back on track. A mechanical problem with the clutch on the "Wight Light" meant it had to be withdrawn from service for two hours. The 8.45 a.m. sailing from Lymington was returned to port and customers transferred on to the 10am service. Repairs were carried out and the "Wight Light" sailed from Lymington at 11 a.m. and a two ship service resumed.