This month we make our way across the Solent to the wonderful Isle of Wight.
Bembridge Harbour is a privately owned, picturesque, sheltered harbour at the eastern end of the Isle of Wight, nestled between the villages of Bembridge and St Helens. A European ‘Special Protection Area’, SSSI and Ramsar Convention ‘wetland of international importance’, its habitats include saltmarsh, sand dunes, vegetated shingle, saline lagoons and intertidal mud, providing feeding grounds for wintering and migratory waterfowl.
The current owners bought the Harbour in 2012 and began an ongoing programme of investment, regeneration and improvement, including a new visitor facilities/admin building which has just opened at the Duver Marina.
An annual event highlight is Bembridge Harbour Family Fun Weekend (25 – 27 July), which includes beach games and sandcastle building, to paper boat races, fancy dress, a Harbour Party and a Crabbing Competition. The Harbour also hosts Bembridge Gig Fest (14 – 15 June), attracting traditional fixed-seat rowing boats from around the South Coast for a weekend of racing, and Rock the Boat (28 June), featuring live music from Island bands.
In 2024 Bembridge Harbour was nominated for the British Yachting Awards in the category of Marina of the Year, which it won! A huge accolade for the hard work of the staff team, and the strong support of local clubs, businesses and community.
FACILITIES AND BERTHING
There are visitor berths at Duver Marina on the north side of the Harbour, with a capacity of 150 – 170 comprising finger berths for boats up to 12.8m and berthing alongside for larger boats and rally rafting. Vessels up to 25m LOA can be accommodated and multihulls are welcome. Bookings are made online, other than boats over 18m/multihulls/+4m beam, which need to book direct with the Berthing Team. There is also a drying beach anchorage on the port side as you enter the Harbour.
Pre-booked rallies (five or more boats) are popular, booking fingers or opting to raft together, which outside July and August gives an extra discount. Short stays are welcome.
Resident berthing is at Bembridge Marina at the harbour’s western end, and drying berths are available on Fisherman’s and Selwyn pontoons and mid-Harbour fore and aft moorings and pontoons.
Lifting and boat servicing:
Lifting facilities are available at Bembridge Boat Storage (adjacent to Duver Marina) including a ‘while-you-wait’ lift and scrub offer to visiting boats, plus maintenance, repair, servicing and valeting.
Duver Marina facilities:
– New visitor facilities/office building
– Electricity (extra cost) and water (own hose) available
– Free WiFi
– CCTV
– Galley Locker selling the basics and IoW produce (including ales and spirits)
– Water Taxi (fares apply)
– Marquee/BBQ available to hire
– Covered seating area
– Duver Café
– Steve’s Bar
The Harbour is home to two sailing clubs, both welcoming visiting yachtsmen. A variety of marine businesses include a chandlery, RIB hire, powerboat/jet-ski training, dinghy hire/training and boat builders. Eateries, cafes and pubs celebrate local produce – a floating Café on Fisherman’s pontoon serves fresh crab and lobster. Independent shops in Bembridge Village include a farm shop, bakery, family run butchers, gift shop, jewellers and florist.
ACCESS
By land…
The Isle of Wight is well served by car and passenger ferry routes, and foot passenger only options. The nearest car ferry port to Bembridge Harbour is Fishbourne (from Portsmouth), with Hovercraft and Fastcat services coming into Ryde from Portsmouth and Southsea. There is a bus from Ryde to St Helens, and a short walk to the Duver Marina.
By sea…
50˚41’.62N, 01˚06’.40W + (ENT)
Bembridge Harbour is on the eastern tip of the Island. A sandbar at the outer Entrance Channel is marked by a ‘Tide Gauge’ post (topmark X Fl. Y2s) situated NW of St Helens Fort, extending between Channel Marker buoys 1, 2, 2a and 3. From the Tide Gauge posting a course of approximately 240° brings you to the start of the buoyed channel.
An electronic live-feed tide height gauge shows the depth of water over the bar, displayed on the Harbour website and updated every 60 seconds. On spring/medium tides 1.5m draft vessels can enter approximately 3 hours +/- HW. On neaps with a HW height of less than 4m at Portsmouth, the channel depth sometimes does not exceed 2.2m.
On spring tides the depth in the channel can exceed 3.5m. More info including a video is available in the Navigation section of the Harbour website.
Once in the Entrance Channel (approx buoy 10A) visitors should call ‘Bembridge Harbour’ on VHF Ch80 for berthing instructions. Harbour staff are on duty 0800 – 1800 seven days a week (summer hours).
CRUISING
Explore the Island – drop anchor just around the corner from Bembridge Harbour in Priory Bay, Seaview or Osborne Bay… all provide safe anchorage in the prevailing south westerlies. Overnight in Cowes or the Medina River and explore this world-famous home of sailing, racing and royalty.
All Solent harbours and marinas are within easy reach – Chichester, Langstone and Portsmouth are all within a 10-mile radius, or head west towards Yarmouth and Lymington, taking in Beaulieu, Hamble, Newtown Creek or Keyhaven on the way, and then continuing further afield to Poole and beyond.
Bembridge is also a great starting point for those embarking on a Channel crossing to France and the Channel Islands.
OUT AND ABOUT
The Harbour is on St Helen’s Duver with sandy beaches, rock pools, sand dunes and coastal woods all within a small area – a perfect place to look for wildlife from burrowing digger wasps to wasp spiders, rare insects, tiny flowers and wading birds.
By St Helens beach is an ancient Church Tower – dating from around 1220. St Helen’s Church ceased usage in 1703, and once derelict, became a source of Holy Stones, taken by sailors to scrub down the decks of wooden ships.
Bembridge Windmill – the island’s only surviving windmill, built around 1700. Last operated in 1913, most of its original machinery remains intact.
Bembridge RNLI Station – established in 1867, the Lifeboat Station (Lane End, Bembridge) is open seven days a week (summer hours 11:00 – 16:00, winter 14:00 – 16:00).
Sally’s Riding School – easy walking distance from Duver Marina in summer. All ages welcome, basic beginner instruction and rides with experienced riders. It is magical to ride along St Helens and Bembridge beaches when the tide’s right.
For provisions beyond the Galley Locker basics there is a corner shop in St Helens Village. Bembridge Village has local shops (bakery, butchers etc…) and two small supermarkets. Longer stay visitors often order deliveries to the Duver Marina.
MARINA BUSINESSES
AT THE DUVER MARINA
Duver Café
Onsite Café open daily from Easter to October, serving fresh coffee, teas, breakfast rolls, sandwiches, cakes and ice-creams. Stone-baked pizzas at weekends.
Steve’s Bar
Alongside the Café, stocking Island-made beers, ales and spirits, with a covered outside seating area for unfriendly weather.
AT THE DUVER – PO33 1YB
Bembridge Boat Storage Ltd
www.bembridgeboatstorage.co.uk
office@bembridgeboatstorage.co.uk
01983 872828 (extension 5)
Specialist Dry Stack boat storage: internal/external storage for boats and RIBs up to 9m LOA, plus external yard racking. Boats are launched ready for use, then washed down and returned to storage racks. Services: repair, maintenance, servicing, valeting and DIY ‘Rent a Rack’.
Tackt-Isle Adventures
Woodnutts Yard, The Duver
www.tackt-isle.co.uk
hello@tackt-isle.co.uk
01983 875542
Sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding, windsurfing, bubble football. Courses, private lessons and hire. RYA Training Centre.
Bembridge Powerboat Training Ltd
Woodnutts Yard, The Duver
www.powerboat-training.com
mail@powerboat-training.com
01983 778077
Courses, charters, RIB trips. Jet Skis, Seadoo GTIs. RYA Training Centre.
Aqualibrium Art Gallery
Woodnutts Yard, The Duver
www.aqualibrium.co.uk
info@aqualibrium.co.uk
07799 700263
Showcasing original paintings, prints, cards and jewellery by Island artists.
The Duver Hire Co
Woodnutts Yard, The Duver
www.theduverhire.co.uk
info@theduverhire.co.uk
01983 642143 or 07535 585077
Car and bicycle hire.
Jane Crofts Design
The Loft Studio, Woodnutts Yard
www.janecrofts.co.uk
design@janecrofts.co.uk
07787 163435
Unique handprinted lampshades and cushions handmade on the Island.
Will Squibb Boatbuilders
Attrill’s Yard, The Duver
www.willsquibb.net
office@willsquibb.net
01983 874629
A family-run boatyard with 20 years’ experience of building/refitting, maintenance, surveying, marine engineering and electronics.
H Attrill and Sons (Isle of Wight) Ltd
Attrill’s Yard, The Duver
www.attrillandsons.com
boatyard@attrillandsons.com
01983 872319
One of the oldest boatbuilders on the Island, building, renovating and repairing yachts, dinghies and boats for over 50 years.
Duver Marina (Bembridge Harbour Authority)
The Duver Marina
The Duver, St Helens
Isle of Wight PO41 0ND
T: 01983 872828
E: office@bembridgeharbour.co.uk
W: www.bembridgeharbour.co.uk
VHF Channel 80 callsign ‘Bembridge Harbour’
Harbour Master – Jack Miskin
Deputy HM – Thomas White
Opening hours: Summer 08:00-18:00 daily (extended for early/late tides and event weekends)
Winter 09:00-17:00 Monday to Friday
