With more than four million people crossing the Solent every year with Wightlink, it’s not surprising that some of them leave things behind on ships and at ports.
Although ferry company staff do all they can to reunite forgetful passengers with their possessions, sometimes it’s impossible.
In 2024, a whopping total of 2,447 items ended up in the lost property store with the most common find being spectacles and sunglasses - from ordinary pairs to top brands such as Ray-Ban and Prada, the Wightlink staff have seen it all.
Bank cards, mobile phones, purses, wallets and sundry items of clothing like hats, jackets and gloves are also frequently abandoned on seats, tables and counters, together with many more unusual things.
- Spectacles
- Bank cards
- Water bottles
- Sunglasses
- Mobile phones
- Baseball caps
- Wallets
- Books
- Woolly hats
- Scarves
- Banjo in a bag with a wooden Tea! sign
- Golf clubs
- Motor bike helmet
- Road bike
- False teeth
- Pills and other medicines
- Child’s potty
- Packet of Hob Nobs
- Bag of shopping
- Cuddly highland cow, koala, cat and rabbit
All lost property is kept for a month, then recycled or destroyed. Anyone who wants to report a missing item should drop a line to [email protected]
1. Wightlink Ferries
Wightlink Ferries have released a list of some of its quirky lost and found items. | Tony Weaver
1. Wightlink Ferries
Wightlink Ferries have released a list of some of its quirky lost and found items. | Tony Weaver