Channel hybrids

摘要

The catamaran Diamant closed a chapter of English Channel ferry history when making the final Hoverspeed crossings between Dover and Calais on 7 November last year, but the era of the mode of transport from which the company gained its name ended far earlier on 30 September 2000 when hovercraft The Princess Anne stormed through the western entrance of Dover Harbour for the last time. Right to the end, the vehicle-carrying hovercraft enjoyed a mystique all its own and the vehement claims of devotees that Hoverspeed had shot itself in the foot by withdrawing reliable craft providing what was still a reportedly profitable service, could be seen as coming back to haunt the Sea Containers subsidiary which has now stepped back completely from UK fast ferry operations.