Isle of Wight ferry firm Red Funnel has announced its winter timetable will continue into May, meaning there will be fewer sailings than usual for this time of year.

The changes will affect the upcoming bank holiday weekend.

It is necessary to allow for steelworks to be completed on Red Osprey, which is out of service for its annual hull inspection.

To assist with additional traffic over the bank holiday weekend Red Funnel is adding an extra round trip on its vehicle ferry service on Friday, April 28, departing from Southampton at 10.30pm and from East Cowes at 11.55pm.

The operator has announced changes to its timetable as follows:

  • April 28 to May 4 – winter timetable
  • May 5 to Oct 31 – summer timetable

Customers with affected bookings (April 28 to May 4) will be contacted by email if their sailing time has changed. 

Leanna Lakes, Operations Director at Red Funnel, said: “We heavily invest in regular inspections, maintenance, and improvements across our vessels and shore infrastructure.

"Health and safety is always at the forefront of our operations and the additional work required to the Red Osprey is essential to ensure we continue our compliance with health and safety regulations. 

"We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause our passengers who are travelling with us during this time. We’ll be signposting this information across all our communication channels.”

The summer timetable will now come into force from Friday, May 5.