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Cowes to Southampton ferry times and today's sailings

Red Funnel · 25 min · 14 sailings today · 18.6 km

Return: Ferry times from Southampton to Cowes
First sailing
06:05
usual time
Last sailing
23:05
usual time
Crossing time
25 min
Sailings a week
143
Distance
18.6 km
10 nmi

Map

0 ships at sea
CowesSouthampton

Punctuality

74 sailings · 30 days · average delay 12 min

On time
16%
12
Late
84%
62
  • On time (up to 5 min): 12 (16%)
  • 5–15 min late: 37 (50%)
  • 15–30 min late: 24 (32%)
  • Over 30 min late: 1 (1%)
  • Half of the departures leave within 14 min of the scheduled time.
  • When a departure is late, the typical delay is 15 min.

Network average, United Kingdom: 86% on time over 2,608 sailings.

Punctuality of every measured routeHow we measure

Operators on this route

OperatorSailings in the next 7 daysCrossing time
Red Funnel14325 min

Timetable

Next 7 days · local time in Cowes
Sun 25 Oct07:1508:2509:3510:5512:0513:1514:2515:3516:4517:5519:0520:1521:4023:05
Mon 26 Oct – Fri 30 Oct06:0506:4007:1507:5008:2509:0009:3510:5512:0513:1514:2515:3516:1016:4517:2017:5518:3019:0520:1521:4023:05
Sat 31 Oct07:1507:5008:2509:0009:3510:2010:5511:3012:0512:4013:1513:5014:2515:0015:3516:1016:4517:2017:5518:3019:0520:1521:4023:05

Timetable published from 22 Oct 2026 to 22 Jul 2027.

Weather at sea

PlaceTodaySun 25 OctTomorrowMon 26 Oct
Cowes
CowesWind from W 20–23 knBeaufort 5–6 · strong breezewaves 0.4–0.5 m12 °CWind from SW 16–24 knBeaufort 4–6 · strong breezegusts 26 knwaves 0.3–0.8 m12–16 °Cprecipitation up to 0.9 mm/hvisibility down to 4.4 km
Mid-crossing
Mid-crossingWind from W 16–18 knBeaufort 4–5gusts 24 knwaves 0.4–0.5 m11 °CWind from SW 14–23 knBeaufort 4–6 · strong breezegusts 33 knwaves 0.2–0.8 m12–16 °Cprecipitation up to 0.9 mm/hvisibility down to 4.2 km
Southampton
SouthamptonWind from W 11–13 knBeaufort 4gusts 21 knwaves 0.4–0.5 mwave period 2–3 s9–10 °CWind from SW 9–20 knBeaufort 3–5gusts 33 knwaves 0.2–0.8 mwave period 2–3 s10–16 °Cprecipitation up to 1.0 mm/hvisibility down to 3.8 km

Forecast issued 25 Oct, 12:08. It doesn’t tell whether a sailing will run: that is up to the operator.

Data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. Wind converted from m/s to knots and the Beaufort scale. Waves come from the nearest sea point of MET’s ocean model, which covers north-west Europe only; gusts only where MET forecasts them (the Nordic area).Weather data by Open-Meteo.com. Licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. Models ECMWF IFS and ECMWF WAM (© ECMWF, CC BY 4.0), 9 km grid: wind in knots converted to the Beaufort scale, temperature at sea level, precipitation (rain, showers and snow) as the hourly total shown for the hour it falls in, waves and mean wave period from the model’s nearest sea point, visibility shown only below 5 km; nearby places in the same grid cell share the same figures.Daily lows and highs, and the hour with the most precipitation, worked out by ferrywhere. Each figure comes from MET Norway where MET forecasts it, otherwise from Open-Meteo.

Questions about this route

How many ferries are there from Cowes to Southampton today?

There are 14 sailings today from Cowes to Southampton: the first at 07:15, the last at 23:05.

How long is the ferry from Cowes to Southampton?

The crossing takes 25 min.

Which ferry companies sail from Cowes to Southampton?

The route is operated by Red Funnel.

What time is the first and last ferry from Cowes to Southampton?

The first ferry usually leaves at 06:05 and the last at 23:05, local time in Cowes.

How often does the ferry from Cowes to Southampton run?

143 sailings are scheduled in the next 7 days.

About this route

Red Funnel currently sails from Cowes to Southampton every day, 14 to 24 times a day. The first departure is usually at 06:05 and the last at 23:05; on the busiest days most departures are 35 minutes apart.

The crossing covers 18.6 km (10 nmi) and takes 25 min.

Red Falcon, Red Osprey, Red Eagle and Red Jet 6 have sailed this route in the last 30 days. From Cowes, ferries also sail to East Cowes. Southampton can also be reached by ferry from East Cowes.

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Ports and ships

Ships on this route

Ships matched to sailings on this route in the last 30 days.

Related routes

Return crossing

More ferries from Cowes

More ferries to Southampton

Other Red Funnel routes

Sources and licences