Where to Sail
Where to Sail from Hamble Point Marina
Directly south of the Hamble lies the Isle of Wight and Cowes. Around the island’s coastline you can also explore Yarmouth, Newtown Creek and Bembridge.
To the east of Hamble Point lie Portsmouth with its historic naval heritage, and Chichester Harbour. To the west you will discover the quiet waters of Beaulieu River, Lymington and Poole Harbour and further on, spectacular sailing in the West Country.
A little further afield, the Channel Islands, Cherbourg and the Brittany coastline can also easily be explored.
Cowes
Easily reached on a Friday evening from Hamble Point Marina, Cowes is a renowned sailing Mecca. The world’s oldest regular regatta, Cowes Week, occurs there annually in the first week of August. Among the restaurants to be highly recommended are the Red Duster and Murrays Seafoods on the High Street and Tonino’s on Shooters Hill. Also worth visiting are the Maritime Museum and the Sir Max Aitken Museum. Sir Max contributed enormously to ocean yacht racing and the museum is dedicated to his collection of nautical instruments, painting and maritime artefacts
Cowes Yacht Haven
A unique event based marina with berthing for up to 260 boats offering all the facilities expected of a full service marina, situated on the northern shore of the Isle of Wight at the mouth of the River Medina.
Shepards Wharf
Upstream of Cowes Yacht Haven, on the starboard side, is Shepards Wharf, just minutes’ walk from the bustling centre of Cowes, with capacity for up to 100 visitors.
East Cowes Marina
East Cowes Marina is situated in a sheltered location on the Medina River, just upstream of Cowes town centre, with 140 visitor berths. There are supermarkets, a post office, a restaurant and café/takeaway outlets nearby in East Cowes town centre. West Cowes is also easily accessible by chain ferry or water taxi.
Yarmouth
Yarmouth is a picturesque fishing, ferry and yachting port at the Western end of the Isle of Wight with an old world aura. The quaint town is adjacent to the harbour and has a number of restaurants and pubs as well as a Yacht Club and a variety of small shops. The picturesque countryside of the West Wight is very close and is ideal for cycling and walking.
Yarmouth Harbour
Conveniently situated at the Western end of the Solent, access is available at all states of the tide. The Harbour is dredged to 2 metres below chart datum. Discounts for midweek overnight stays continue to be offered, £8 discount per night for vessels over 9 metres and £4 discount for vessels up to and including 9 metres.
The harbour has been developed and the layout and navigation lights have changed. There are now more walk ashore pontoons with power and water.
Bembridge
Bembridge is located on the east side of the Isle of Wight.
Bembridge Harbour
A large natural, sheltered picturesque harbour whose entrance is restricted by the tides. The Harbour is adjacent to two attractive villages with good restaurants and spectacular walks.
Lymington
Situated on the southern edge of the New Forest between Southampton and Bournemouth and at the western end of the Solent, Lymington is a beautiful Georgian town surrounded by an area of outstanding natural beauty with the ancient woodlands and heathlands of the New Forest to the north.
Lymington Harbour Town Quay
Very convenient for the town and its numerous restaurants, bars and shopping facilities, the 120 visitor moorings at Town Quay are available on a first come first served basis.
Lymington Yacht Haven
Lymington Yacht Haven is the first marina that comes into sight as you make your way up the Lymington River, and has a number of visitor berths
Beaulieu
In the Solent, almost opposite Cowes, the Beaulieu River and the 18th century shipbuilding village of Buckler’s Hard occupy a superb location surrounded by oak woodland within the Beaulieu Estate. Buckler’s Hard has been in the private ownership of the Montagu family since it was founded in 1724. It was here that wooden ships for the English Fleet were built and the village today retains much of the atmosphere of its shipbuilding origins.
Buckler’s Hard Marina
One of the most picturesque marinas on the south coast of England.
Poole
Poole Harbour is one of the world’s largest natural harbours and the mudflats and salt marshes are of great ecological value for feeding and roosting birds. Poole is a large coastal town and seaport with award-winning beaches.
Poole Quay Boat Haven
A modern purpose-built haven within Poole Harbour, situated to the eastern end of Poole Town Quay with 125 serviced visitor pontoon berths. The Haven has easy access to many restaurants, cafes and bars in the town of Poole, with public transport just a short distance away.
Weymouth
Weymouth Harbour is situated to the North East of Portland in the sheltered waters of Weymouth Bay, with golden sands, Georgian esplanade and a picturesque old harbour. Prevailing winds are South Westerly and the port can be entered at any state of the tide.
Weymouth Marina
A modern purpose-built marina providing over 280 permanent and visiting berths, situated in the inner harbour beyond the town’s historic lifting bridge. There are no tidal access restrictions.
Portsmouth & Gosport
Commonly nicknamed Pompey, A significant naval port for centuries, Portsmouth is home to many famous ships, including Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory, and HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose. The Spinnaker Tower is a recent addition to the city’s skyline.
Gosport Marina
Ideally situated as a base to explore the many places of interest in the area, with the historic dockyards just ten minutes away using the Gosport ferry.
Port Solent Marina
A unique atmosphere with a vibrant backdrop of Boardwalk restaurants, bars and shops, with top-class facilities. On-site six-screen Odeon cinema.
Chichester
Chichester has a number of places of interest, the most notable being the cathedral.
Chichester Marina
Nestling in an enormous natural harbour, Chichester Marina has more than 1,000 berths, making it one of the largest marinas in the UK.
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
Just finished a fabulous week in the Solent with two friends. The chartered boat was in very good condition, considering she was quite elderly. Being the end of the season there were a few scratches on her hull, which were pointed out by the staff. However, the interior and engine were in first class condition, everything was ship shaped and worked. Bembridge then Yarmouth back to Buckler's Hard, finally returning to the Hamble. Winds mainly from either S or N of F3/6, just perfect sailing. Certainly, in the future, hope to repeat this experience with a very well run organised Charter.
Thank you for everything, certainly hope in the near future to charter again, and pleased to recommend the efficient way your organisation works
We charter regularly from HPYC and always find the boats are clean, well maintained and properly equipped. The handover and breifing process is always efficeint and thorough so we get away quickly and we know support is available if there are any difficulties. The marina locatioin is also a great plus, giving easy and quick access to the Solent with optoins ot go east or west depending on the tides. All of the team at HPYC are very friendly and helpful and we really appreciate the great service they provide.
Thoroughly enjoyed the week. Four days sailing with Leigh as skipper; made up the itinerary as we went along - across to Cowes then down to Lulworth Cove and back. Several of us have sailing experience but did not have the experience to navigate the tides and currents of the south coast. Leigh was brilliant - quickly got us doing all the work within our own abilities and his knowledge and experience was exceptional. Knew his stuff. Great fun and pretty good value for money all once you divided it up between the seven of us. Not quite enough storage for all the beer however...
Very efficient and friendly service, quick and slick handover and return. Communication with Alex was very good, both by telephone and emails. I’d never sailed a Gib Sea 37 before but Viola is quick under sail and motor, very noisy in tick over as was pointed out at the handover but equally quiet with a few revs, in fact almost ‘electric’ quiet one crew member remarked. The heavy kick to port in astern can be used to good effect when close quarter manoeuvring. Plenty of electronics ( I brought charts with me but didn’t need them, the plotter at the helm was great ) All in all, Viola was a credit to you and I wouldn’t hesitate to charter her again... Although I do like the look of the Halberg Rassey on the next berth ! Perhaps next year? Many thanks Alex and the team.
