The ferry in the picture was the Faringford and was a paddle steamer (diesel) and was still in use when I was 16 it was nothing for the wind to catch it, up the river and it would be blown onto moored boats.

The river was narrow then with no marinas, for the ferries to pass one would have to keep circling in the Solent waiting for the other ferry to come out of the river, this only happened at busy times when they had all 3 ferries working, The Freshwater, The Lymington (smallest) and The Faringford (largest).

My girl friend at the time and myself would go to the Island and walked across Tenison downs to Freshwater and catch the bus back to Yarmouth. It was nothing to have to jump from the pier at Lymington on to the ferry as it was leaving and the deck hands would catch us. I don't think they would allow that now.
W K Knight Our-Life.co.uk