On 25 January, St Cecilia, Wightlink’s third largest ship, is retiring from service after an estimated 200,000 crossings of the Solent. Having sailed approximately 1 million miles, Friday will mark her final sailing day before she heads to Sardinia to spend her retirement sailing between Portovesma, Calasetta and Carloforte.

Named after St Cecilia Abbey in Ryde, she commenced service at 06:00 on 27th March 1987 following a special inaugural cruise attended by 300 invited guests. As one of four Saint-class ferries sailing between Portsmouth and Fishbourne, she weighs in at an impressive 953.2 tonnes* and measures over 77 metres long.

As well as serving Wightlink passengers, St Cecilia has had a couple of on-screen appearances. These include featuring in an episode of BBC1’s Grange Hill in 1989, and starring as a fictional ferry alongside Gerard Depardieu in the French film Aime ton Pere (A Loving Father) in 2002.

Wightlink Chief Executive Keith Greenfield says “It really is the end of an era for St Cecilia. She has been part of the Wightlink family for over 30 years and has served our passengers well on the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route, after being built in North Yorkshire.”

“Although it is sad to say goodbye, it’s also an exciting time for Wightlink as we continue to focus on improving our services to and from the Isle of Wight. As part of our £45 million investment in future services, last August we welcomed our new hybrid energy ship Victoria of Wight to the fleet, driving a greener era of travel between the Isle of Wight and the mainland.”

*light ship weight (without vehicles or passengers)

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