Hi all: The only time I ever went from Portsmouth to Ryde was in August 1961, when there was an experimental ferry service using an SRN-2 hovercraft. It was also the first time I rode a hovercraft. I stayed in Commercial Road, near the birthplace of Charles Dickens, at a B&B, and while I was there, Gherman Titov, Yuri Gagarin's successor, went into space, the second man to orbit this planet. I'll bet both trips were quicker than the paddle steamer! Regards Martin Willcocks Taylorsville, UT, USA.