Yarmouth or Cowes or neither

[Daydream believer]

My daughter is going to try & rent a cottage on the IOW for a week for her birthday 23 June 2020. I will be sailing down the French coast to CIs & could easily nip over from Cherbourg for a couple of days.
She will try to get a cottage as near as poss to either place if she knew which one I was going to.
Can any forumites with experience of the area please tell me if i am likely to be able to sail straight into a marina berth in either of the 2 places that time of the year for 3-4 days. Preferably without the hassle of pre booking. Or will it be too crowded to take a chance.- I do not know the area.
Which is the nicest to visit tourism wise.
Or where else is there on the IOW which would suit us all
Please do not suggest anchoring or mooring on a buoy- I am not interested- pontoon only

 

[shirazchaz]

Having lived and worked there, I'm biased but Yarmouth and the West Wight are the nicer options. Somewhere round Freshwater would be good. You'd be best off booking a berth at Yarmouth to ensure you get a finger to yourself without being rafted (beware it is money up front and no refunds....). There is a decent bus service from Freshwater/Yarmouth to Newport and thence to Cowes and also an Open Top "round the island" service. Oh and do yourself a favour by spending a night at anchor or on buoy in Newtown! HTH Chaz (ex Stella Rigel #103)

 

[richardbrennan]

The 23rd of June is a Tuesday so hopefully you will avoid the weekend scramble. Yarmouth is very much more attractive and has some nice restaurants and pubs, as well as the Royal Solent Yacht Club, which is very welcoming to visitors. There are walk ashore finger berths with power, water and showers are also provided. However, they are run by the Harbour Commission and unless you want to take pot luck, you will not only have to book in advance, but also pay in advance without a refund if you don't turn up. The alternative is Harold Hayles Boat Yard, which has a long pontoon with water and electricity, but you may have to raft and you have to walk over the bridge to the HC showers and toilets. There are lots of good walks from Yarmouth and the west of the island is generally considered the most attractive part.

Cowes is a much busier and more commercial destination, but there are three marinas and I doubt you would have trouble getting a berth in one of them. Two are in West Cowes, Cowes Yacht Haven and Shepherds Wharf, the third, East Cowes Marina, is slightly further up the river on the east side. It's about a 20 minute walk into West Cowes across the famous chain ferry or you can get a water taxi. Most of the shops, pubs and restaurants are in West Cowes, but the marinas are noisier and can suffer from wash. You can walk up to Newport and the Folly Inn from East Cowes Marina. There is also a marina further up the River called Island Harbour, but it has a lock and limited access and is a bit in the middle of nowhere.

The other place you could consider is Bembridge, but again, the entrance dries and access is restricted.

I hope this helps?

 

[slipknot]

Yarmouth every time

 

[scotty123]

Having lived and worked there, I'm biased but Yarmouth and the West Wight are the nicer options. Somewhere round Freshwater would be good. You'd be best off booking a berth at Yarmouth to ensure you get a finger to yourself without being rafted (beware it is money up front and no refunds....). There is a decent bus service from Freshwater/Yarmouth to Newport and thence to Cowes and also an Open Top "round the island" service. Oh and do yourself a favour by spending a night at anchor or on buoy in Newtown! HTH Chaz (ex Stella Rigel #103)

Could always find a berth upstream of Yarmouth bridge, might be cheaper.

 

[Seven Spades]

Yarmouth is really expensive these days. East Cowes is probably cheaper, I would ring around.

 

[mainsail1]

No contest! Yarmouth and its surrounding area is the place to be. Unlikely to have a problem with a berth in Yarmouth during June week days.

 

[mainsail1]

Yarmouth is really expensive these days. East Cowes is probably cheaper, I would ring around.

Price is not everything..............

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Yarmouth will be quieter and and its a nice place to stay for a few days.

 

[bdh198]

+1 for Yarmouth.

Although if you’re looking to turn up without booking you shouldn’t have a problem finding a walk ashore pontoon for a midweek stay in Cowes in one of the marinas Richardbrennan mentions above, even in June.

 

[Daydream believer]

Price is not everything..............

Problem is that it seems, on checking,Reeds, that rate is £4-00 perM of boat, so if I book for 4 days & have bad weather, or a problem, getting from Cherbourg, I could loose £160-00, if they do not allow refund. Compared to the French side it is VERY expensive-- if I have got that correct.
I will also be arriving late at night SH & tired, so looking for a berth might be an issue if there is a shortage. One of the reasons I have always stayed away from the Solent.
So it looks like Cowes for a day then try & book & move to Yarmouth from there provided they have a berth free
But thanks everyone for the heads up on the area. Once I am there I might have a look round some other places , but not at £40-00 per night I won't.

 

[Seajet]

East Cowes Marina is far more reliable for a berth than Yarmouth, and has excellent facilities and transport links in every direction both around the Isle Of Wight and to the mainland; Yarmouth have made it a profession to be a small, awkward rip-off !

Rather than Yarmouth, Lymington has a lot of berths in two marinas, the Dan Brown pontoon and the Town Quay and doesn't turn people away, with lots of facilities and a handy ferry to Yarmouth.

 

[scotty123]

Problem is that it seems, on checking,Reeds, that rate is £4-00 perM of boat, so if I book for 4 days & have bad weather, or a problem, getting from Cherbourg, I could loose £160-00, if they do not allow refund. Compared to the French side it is VERY expensive-- if I have got that correct.
I will also be arriving late at night SH & tired, so looking for a berth might be an issue if there is a shortage. One of the reasons I have always stayed away from the Solent.
So it looks like Cowes for a day then try & book & move to Yarmouth from there provided they have a berth free
But thanks everyone for the heads up on the area. Once I am there I might have a look round some other places , but not at £40-00 per night I won't.

Try UKSA, they have berths.

 

[ip485]

I was in Yarmouth again for New Year. Lovely. I have only once been turned away (when arriving at 2 am in August, but I dont think the chap on the radio was quite with it ). What tends to happen is everyone pitches up from around mid afternoon onwards, with inevitably people moving on first thing. I woudl be surprised if you arrived around midday if you had a problem. The bouys just outside the entrance arent a problem in pretty much any weather and there is an on call water taxi, so they will do as a temporary measure. You will pretty much always get a berth somewhere up the river at Cowes, even Cowes week!

I love Yarmouth, but I would also recommed considering Bembridge. It is as beautiful, possibly as a harbour more so, and very friendly. There are some wonderful walks. The bar is well dredged now and the real time bar water height on their web makes planning very easy.

If you go to Bembridge and like meat "on the Rocks" is a must.

 

[ip485]

PS - I know you mentioned not using a bouy but my comment about Yarmouth was that if you do need to take a bouy for one night they will almost certainly have a berth the next day when boats leave, but as I say I would be very surprised if they didnt fit you in, it is very very rare, and pretty much would only be during Cowes week.

 

[Iain C]

East Cowes is a bit of a pain TBH, especially if you are using it as a "base" and will be going to the cottage and vice versa. I'd stay on the W side.

You don't say how old your daughter is and what she might be planning for her birthday, however if she wants a bit of a pub crawl, or to do some shopping, visit cafes/bars/restaurants etc, Cowes does have much more to offer. There's also lots more to watch in terms of general comings and goings on the water.

Yarmouth is certainly the more picturesque destination, with scope to head out towards the Needles, but you can "do" Yarmouth very quickly indeed. Osborne House is easy from Cowes too.

 

[Daydream believer]

. I woudl be surprised if you arrived around midday if you had a problem.

Not likely to happen coming from Cherbourg If i want to cross the Channel in daylight.as I will be SH & do not want to be tired ,(not young anymore) - . HW portsmouth 22nd june is 12-36 BST so (if i have it right) the flood starts around 17.36 BST . So I would time it to arrive at the start of the approach to Hurst around 19-30 BST ( gives lattitude on crossing time)which should be Ok leaving Cherbourg 07-30 BST (12 hours to do 60 miles but could do it in 9) which would mean arriving at final destination about 2-3 hours later ie circa 22-00 when everyone has gone home-- (& I do NOT want to start anchoring etc )
Does that sound right?

 

[burgundyben]

There is also Harold Hayles Boatyard in Yarmouth, by the bridge and for a bit more peace and quiet the River YAr boatyard south of the bridge. Midweek in June will be no problem.

 

[Daydream believer]

East Cowes is a bit of a pain TBH, especially if you are using it as a "base" and will be going to the cottage and vice versa. I'd stay on the W side.
You don't say how old your daughter is and what she might be planning for her birthday, however if she wants a bit of a pub crawl, or to do some shopping, visit cafes/bars/restaurants etc, Cowes does have much more to offer. There's also lots more to watch in terms of general comings and goings on the water.

It is her 50Th & wife might be along as well, so pub crawls & shopping are certainly on the cards

 

[dom]

Not likely to happen coming from Cherbourg If i want to cross the Channel in daylight.as I will be SH & do not want to be tired ,(not young anymore) - . HW portsmouth 22nd june is 12-36 BST so (if i have it right) the flood starts around 17.36 BST . So I would time it to arrive at the start of the approach to Hurst around 19-30-30 BST ( gives lattitude on crossing time)which should be Ok leaving Cherbourg 07-30 BST (12 hours to do 60 miles but could do it in 9) which would mean arriving at final destination about 2-3 hours later ie circa 22-00 when everyone has gone home-- (& I do not want to start anchoring etc )
Does that sound right?

Sounds about right and you have many easy options:

1. Anchor, notwithstanding your reservations, us Solent mob can tell you precisely where to drop the hook for a peaceful and possibly charming evening - unless it's blowing a hoolie.
2. Pick up a buoy outside Yarmouth if late - there'll be plenty free midweek. Perhaps not as easy as it sounds as strong tides can twirl the rodes around the buoys!
3. Go to Cowes; most marinas are 24h and you'll easily get a berth. Yarmouth is less than an hour back down the Solent with a following tide.
4. You also have the option to enter the Solent the other way if conditions require and if late can always stop in Portsmouth for the night and continue the next day.
5. If by chance you're headed off by a NE wind (unlikely) you can anchor in Studland and then whip down through Needles next morning.

Enjoy !

Edit: if heading for Yarmouth, first identify Black Rock just to its west. Don't hit it!