Further afield – Discover picturesque

Moorings around the Island

Cowes may be the UK’s most famous sailing destination, but if you’re visiting the Isle of Wight by boat there’s so much more to discover. The picturesque anchorages, well-equipped marinas and harbours found around its coast can all provide a very different Island experience.

BEMBRIDGE HARBOUR 8NM EAST OF COWES

Beautiful Bembridge Harbour, at the Island’s eastern-most point, is home to two sailing clubs, an angling club, a small commercial fishing fleet and numerous water activity-related businesses. Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Site of Special Scientific Interest, it's also an RSPB site.

The entrance channel is accessible approximately 3-3.5 hours either side of High Water for vessels drawing 1.5m - a digital depth gauge is updated every 60 seconds on the harbour's website. Visitor berths offer power, water and free WiFi, with online booking for premier fingers. Rallies are welcome with discounts available, and a water taxi runs between the marina, beach and pontoons. There's a seasonal café, and the Berthing Office Galley Locker provides delicious Island produce,

licensed alcohol sales and all the basics.

In Bembridge and St Helens villages you’ll find delightful independent shops, and eateries showcasing delicious locally grown or caught produce.

Operations and Safety Manager: Gordon Wight. VHF Ch 80 call sign 'Bembridge Harbour'. Tel: 01983 872828. bembridgeharbour.co.uk

RYDE HARBOUR 6 N M E A S T O F C O W E S

This small leisure harbour to the East of Ryde Pier can welcome around 75 visiting boats and provides a gateway to the Island’s largest town. In vibrant Ryde you can discover a fantastic selection of restaurants, pubs, shops and other attractions. This seaside town’s miles of sandy beaches create a vast playground at low tide, and you can enjoy the wonderful coastal stroll or bike ride from Ryde along to Seaview or Bembridge. Ryde Harbour dries out completely at Low Water, so access for small craft with a 1-metre draught is about 2 hours either side of High Water. The harbour is also near to train and bus connections, making it easy to explore the rest of the beautiful Island.

VHF Ch 80 call sign 'Ryde Harbour'. Tel: 01983 613879. Mobile: 07970 009899. Email: ryde.harbour@iow.gov.uk.

iow.gov.uk/Visitors/Where-to-go/Harbours1/ RydeHarbour/Ryde-Harbour1

WOOTTON CREEK 5 N M E A S T O F C O W E S

This pretty tidal estuary is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. It flows into the Solent just 5 miles east of Cowes, and has been used as a waterway and port for thousands of years. Anchoring at the mouth of Wootton Creek is not permitted and the creek dries out at low tide. No moorings are available in the creek but you can contact the welcoming Royal Victoria Yacht Club next to the Wightlink Fishbourne car ferry terminal to use their visitor pontoon. Smaller boats can navigate up to the Sloop Inn at Wootton Bridge.

Wootton Creek Fairway Association secretary. Tel: 01983 882560

NEWTOWN CREEK 5 N M W E S T O F C O W E S

This stunning natural harbour, set in National Trust-owned Newtown National Nature Reserve, is always well worth a visit. Lying to the east of Yarmouth, it is one of the few places in the Solent where anchoring is easy and sheltered in all wind directions. The peaceful estuary is steeped in history and wildlife, with extensive mudflats and saltmarsh adjacent to pretty meadows and woodland walks. Once you’ve picked up a visitor’s buoy or anchored, the creek can be navigated by dinghy to Shalfleet Quay, only a short stroll from the welcoming New Inn.

Harbour Master: David Flannagan. No VHF service. Tel: 01983 531424

YARMOUTH HARBOUR 9NM WEST OF COWES

For a charming blend of ancient and modern, sail into picturesque Yarmouth Harbour on the north coast of West Wight. The pretty harbourside town is busy with pubs, restaurants, boutique shops and galleries, with Grade ll listed Yarmouth Pier reputedly the longest wooden pier in the UK. A Wightlink car ferry service to Lymington in the New Forest also departs from Yarmouth.

Yarmouth Harbour has up to 220 berths, allocated on arrival. If you wish to plan your visit in advance there are an additional 30 premium berths which can be booked via the website.

Call on VHF CH68 to be assisted by the friendly berthing staff who will show you to a berth. At Cockpit Essentials you can catch up on the news, enjoy a coffee, purchase tasty Island produce and check out the forecasts.

Harbour Master: Tim Adams. VHF Ch 68 call sign 'Yarmouth Harbour'. Tel: 01983 760321