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The video goes along with what you might assume of a hovercraft: that you're calmly floating to your destination on a cushion of air, like a flying carpet from

The video goes along with what you might assume of a hovercraft: that you're calmly floating to your destination on a cushion of air, like a flying carpet from a fairy tale. In reality they were super loud and everything vibrated, the entire time. Not so much flying carpet, more like getting strapped to the outside of an airplane.

simonh 4y ago
I only went across the channel in one of these once, but loved it. Much more comfortable than the catamaran for example, which I found much more juddery. In any case the massive mechanical cool of these things was awesome to see. It was like stepping into the world of Thunderbirds. No video can give the same experience.
- the_biot 4y ago
  There was a catamaran? And I thought I'd done them all (ferry, hovercraft, jetfoil, tunnel, airplane)!
  - leephillips 4y ago
    You didn’t swim it? Lame.
    - eesmith 4y ago
      I don't think "lame" is an appropriate slur. Especially as John Maclean, a paraplegic, swam the Channel back in 1998. What other regularly schedule commercial services have there been? The last airship service probably stopped in the 1930s. Helicopter passenger (scheduled, not charter) was a thing in the 1960s and 1970s, but the closest I've found to the Channel was a Penzance/Scillies route from the 1970s at https://www.ashpole.org.uk/british-airways-helicopters-penzanceisles-of-scilly/ https://www.ashpole.org.uk/british-airways-helicopters-penza... . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_helicopter_airlines https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_helicopter_airlines doesn't list any current services.
      - leephillips 4y ago
        Oooo, joke gone bad.
        simonh 4y ago
        That, or a straight faced knowing continuation of the gag, to hilarious effect.
  - rjsw 4y ago
    There was an Incat [1] one that operated across the Channel for a while. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incat
- tetris11 4y ago
  We went across on a catamaran, but I remember seeing and hearing the hovercraft power up. It was indeed a sight to behold
xattt 4y ago
A similar issue re: NVH comfort is noted with open-sea high-speed catamaran ferries. Conventional ferries can tackle the Cape Breton-Newfoundland route over 7-12 hours, depending on the destination port (Port-Aux-Basque vs Placentia) and weather conditions. Spending this long on a boat with nowhere to go is brutal and feels like you are back in the 1800s. In 2000, a high-speed catamaran ferry (MV Max Mohs) was commissioned to make the shorter run over about 3 hours. It was short-lived as many passengers were intolerant to the vibrations (and probably cost of running was much higher). I am not sure what I would like: much shorter time onboard but being slightly uncomfortable, or being stuck in one spot for a long time.
- the_biot 4y ago
  That sounds similar to the tradeoff of hovercraft/jetfoil vs ferry: uncomfortable but shorter, vs. longer put potentially seasick. The latter can ruin your whole day. Honestly all of those were obsolete on the English channel the day the tunnel opened, and it's awesome!
- jeffreygoesto 4y ago
  You're not taking about "The CAT, saves you 1200 driving miles!", are you? It did not go right after the remains of Hurricane Floyd went over Nova Scotia and we knew _exactly_ how many extra miles that meant =:-D. Moncton (oh no, not again)...
  - xattt 4y ago
    The Cat runs between Yarmouth and Bangor, and it’s still running today … I’m really not sure who the demographic is there. My best guess is that it’s there to ferry tourists from Maine to Cape Breton. The HSC Max Mols (1) ran between North Sydney and Port-aux-Basque, and the Wikipedia page seems to still run various ferry routes in Europe. It was limited to passenger cars. To get to Gros Morne in Newfoundland, coming from PEI, would be (1) a 5-6 hour drive to North Sydney, (2) a 7-8 hour ride on the ferry, plus a 4 hour drive to Gros Morne/Deer Lake. This is exhausting, and why I say is like travel in the 1800s. A 3-hour catamaran trip changes the dynamics quite a bit. (1) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSC_Max_Mols https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSC_Max_Mols

simonh 4y ago

I only went across the channel in one of these once, but loved it. Much more comfortable than the catamaran for example, which I found much more juddery. In any case the massive mechanical cool of these things was awesome to see. It was like stepping into the world of Thunderbirds. No video can give the same experience.

the_biot 4y ago
There was a catamaran? And I thought I'd done them all (ferry, hovercraft, jetfoil, tunnel, airplane)!
- leephillips 4y ago
  You didn’t swim it? Lame.
  - eesmith 4y ago
    I don't think "lame" is an appropriate slur. Especially as John Maclean, a paraplegic, swam the Channel back in 1998. What other regularly schedule commercial services have there been? The last airship service probably stopped in the 1930s. Helicopter passenger (scheduled, not charter) was a thing in the 1960s and 1970s, but the closest I've found to the Channel was a Penzance/Scillies route from the 1970s at https://www.ashpole.org.uk/british-airways-helicopters-penzanceisles-of-scilly/ https://www.ashpole.org.uk/british-airways-helicopters-penza... . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_helicopter_airlines https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_helicopter_airlines doesn't list any current services.
    - leephillips 4y ago
      Oooo, joke gone bad.
      - simonh 4y ago
        That, or a straight faced knowing continuation of the gag, to hilarious effect.
- rjsw 4y ago
  There was an Incat [1] one that operated across the Channel for a while. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incat
tetris11 4y ago
We went across on a catamaran, but I remember seeing and hearing the hovercraft power up. It was indeed a sight to behold

xattt 4y ago

A similar issue re: NVH comfort is noted with open-sea high-speed catamaran ferries. Conventional ferries can tackle the Cape Breton-Newfoundland route over 7-12 hours, depending on the destination port (Port-Aux-Basque vs Placentia) and weather conditions. Spending this long on a boat with nowhere to go is brutal and feels like you are back in the 1800s. In 2000, a high-speed catamaran ferry (MV Max Mohs) was commissioned to make the shorter run over about 3 hours. It was short-lived as many passengers were intolerant to the vibrations (and probably cost of running was much higher). I am not sure what I would like: much shorter time onboard but being slightly uncomfortable, or being stuck in one spot for a long time.

the_biot 4y ago
That sounds similar to the tradeoff of hovercraft/jetfoil vs ferry: uncomfortable but shorter, vs. longer put potentially seasick. The latter can ruin your whole day. Honestly all of those were obsolete on the English channel the day the tunnel opened, and it's awesome!
jeffreygoesto 4y ago
You're not taking about "The CAT, saves you 1200 driving miles!", are you? It did not go right after the remains of Hurricane Floyd went over Nova Scotia and we knew _exactly_ how many extra miles that meant =:-D. Moncton (oh no, not again)...
- xattt 4y ago
  The Cat runs between Yarmouth and Bangor, and it’s still running today … I’m really not sure who the demographic is there. My best guess is that it’s there to ferry tourists from Maine to Cape Breton. The HSC Max Mols (1) ran between North Sydney and Port-aux-Basque, and the Wikipedia page seems to still run various ferry routes in Europe. It was limited to passenger cars. To get to Gros Morne in Newfoundland, coming from PEI, would be (1) a 5-6 hour drive to North Sydney, (2) a 7-8 hour ride on the ferry, plus a 4 hour drive to Gros Morne/Deer Lake. This is exhausting, and why I say is like travel in the 1800s. A 3-hour catamaran trip changes the dynamics quite a bit. (1) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSC_Max_Mols https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSC_Max_Mols