A Bareboater’s Guide to The Solent

Many of our Bareboat clients frequently ask us for suggestions on where to go during their charter, our office team are always happy to send over suggestions however we thought it was time for us to put together a brief guide…

Morning preparations

A couple of days before your charter our team will give you a call to run through the day’s logistics, one of the most important being what time you’d like your handover. If you’re a frequent customer of ours this can be over in a matter of minutes, however for new charterers we take our time to give you a full run through of the boat.

Being based out of Lymington Yacht Haven Marina, we’d recommend that during this time the rest of your party find a seat in the Haven Bistro to grab a quick coffee and bite to eat for breakfast. Once the keys have been handed over it’s time to gather the rest of your party, get life jackets on and head out for the day.

Bareboat Guide - Lymington handover

Setting off

Once you’re out of Lymington River, The Solent is open to you – head west, out past Hurst Castle and then blast your way over to the famous Needles off the Isle of Wight. After an hour or two of exploring, dip into Yarmouth for a short stay to wander around the town and grab any refreshments needed to keep you going.

Bareboater's Guide - underway

Lunch

Always a key factor in the day and sometimes even the primary reason for chartering as The Solent has a wide range of spectacular venues on offer. Below is a list of just some of our favourites, however there are plenty more on offer.

The George – Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
A 17th century town house which has been converted into a waterfront venue with stunning views over The Solent, just a stones throw away from the main pontoon.

The Hut – Colwell Bay, Isle of Wight
One of the most popular venues on The Solent and most certainly for our Bareboat clients, anchor up in Colwell Bay and wait for their tenders to collect your group and take you ashore.

The Folly Inn – Cowes, Isle of Wight
Another waterside venue – moor up on their private pontoon and enjoy classic pub style food overlooking the Medina River.

Master Builders – Bucklers Hard, Beaulieu
A slow wonder up the Beaulieu River will take you to the historic shipyard – Bucklers Hard, The Master Builders Hotel houses The Riverside restaurant & The Yachtsman’s Bar.

Bareboat guide - Yarmouth, Isle of Wight

A slow afternoon

After lunch it’s back on the Rib and off to explore – head east and anchor up in Osborne Bay or west over in Alum Bay, where those brave enough can take the opportunity to go for a swim! If you’re looking for a quiet stop off, you can head over to Newtown Creek, another great location to anchor up and potentially spot some of the local seals. However, if you’ve never been into Newtown it is advised that you create a passage plan as the entry can be tricky!

Bareboat clients swimming

Wrapping the day up

At the end of your charter – simply text or call our handover rep on the day as you approach Lymington River to give them the heads up. They will meet you on the pontoon where all you need to do, is step off the Rib and hand back the keys – a hassle free finish to your day!

If you’d like to Bareboat charter with us, all that is required is a minimum of a Powerboat Level 2 certificate and suitable experience on The Solent. If this is your first time on The Solent then we can organise for one of our skippers to join you as a guide for the day. You can contact our office on 01590 607101 or email us at admin@solentribcharter.co.uk.