Balancing the demands of family and work life has been a challenge this year. That is my excuse anyway, for this being the first Blog since February.
In fact, the first half of this year included a significant effort to compile and publish our Light and Recreational Hovercraft Directory. It felt like years ago in my early offshore career, when projects always seemed to take longer than planned. Luckily that hasn’t damped my optimism!
The Directory has turned out a good product and should mature in the coming years. If you as a reader haven’t read it or referred to it, then do give it a try! It was amazing to find the activity ongoing throughout the world.

This last week, following completion of the January News Note, work has been focussed on gathering material about the various small hovercraft clubs and activity centres around the world, and introducing a page on the THS site to cover Noise and Environmental interaction.
The small craft material should come together during February and then be included in a special issue document that can be made freely available as well as to our Society Members.

Dear Visitors to The Hovercraft Society,
The year has started with a new SES in service – an Aircat Crewliner 35 has begun service in Angola to an offshore oil production FPSO. It is the first of three that will deliver personnel on a regular basis, improving logistics for the production company. We will have full details in our January News Note at the end of the month that will be sent to members of THS by email and loaded on this site in the members area.

Griffon Hoverwork receive Special Achievement Award 2024 from The Hovercraft Society

The Hovercraft Society has made this award in recognition of delivery of the three GH 12000 passenger hovercraft to Oita Prefecture in Japan this year, together with a significant training and support programme.

There are three hovercraft events over the next month or so that may interest visitors to this site.
These are globally distributed events that are the ideal way to find out more about light hovercraft in the USA and Europe! All these events’ organisers are proud to welcome visitors, so long as they have contact in advance so can plan for it!
The first is in Boulogne, France on 10/11th August – a celebration of fifty years since the Boulogne Hoverport was opened for high-speed travel between Boulogne and Dover.
The second is the Hoverclub of America Muscoda, Wisconsin Hover-in weekend at Victoria Park also 09/11th August
The third is in Saalburg, Germany from 28th August to 1st September. This is the 2024 World Hovercraft Racing Championship meeting.

A brief update with a focus on the energy transition.

The first quarter of this year has been a significant period for ACV and SES with the completion of the Oita hover ferry delivery and training period, and just recently the partnership agreement between ESNA and Strategic Marine.
Right now, Griffon Hoverwork and ESNA are busy with engineering and design work which will stretch through this year and more on new projects. UMOE also have the next stage of their hydrogen fuel cell SES to complete following approval in principle from DNV.
The ‘energy transition’ is providing major challenges, for the designs as such, and rising costs, while the demand side of the market pushes for the transition.