Things you can do in Solent – Yacht Rib Charter
If you look at the map, you will see that The Solent is a 30 mile strip of sea between the Isle of Wight and Hampshire off the south coast of England. Look at in more detail however, and you will see that The Solent is an exhilarating sailing experience waiting for you to visit.
The stunning sailing ground of the Solent is a haven for yacht enthusiasts, and is rightly known as the home of yachting. Steeped in maritime history and surrounded by areas of outstanding natural beauty, the Solent offers a fantastic variety of scenery, history, culture and sailing conditions, and it can be as exciting as you want or as relaxing as you need.
It is claimed that the Romans could wade across The Solent at low tide, but these days you need a boat and The Solent is a major shipping route for ferries, cruise liners, container ships and the Royal Navy. When you add in the hovercraft, dinghies, catamarans, windsurfers, kitesurfers, jetskis etc, the variety of vessels and sailing companions is truly astounding and ever changing.
For many people, the safest, easiest and most practical means of sailing in the Solent is to charter or hire a boat of some kind, and you have a fantastic choice for your Solent yacht charter. Whether you want a yacht for a Solent stag party or a day boat for fishing, a white-knuckle ride or a romantic cruise, a corporate charter for Cowes Week or a family holiday to remember, then you can easily charter a powerboat, rib or yacht to match your budget, objectives and desires.
The Solent has the largest concentration of yachts in the UK, and it follows therefore, that it also has the greatest number and variety of charter yachts available for hire at any given time. The range of boats availiable for hire is as diverse as the reasons people might hire them for from a basic rib to an unadulterated luxury yacht, and prices can start from as little as ?0 a person. So whatever type of Solent yacht charter you require, the likeliehood is that it will be available.
A skippered Solent yacht charter would be best if you have limited sailing experience, or would prefer somebody else to take responsibility for everything. On the other hand, if you want to "captain" your own ship, and have the neccessary experience, then you will probably prefer a Solent bareboat charter. You choose whether your you’d prefer to be powered by sail or motor, and the quality of facilities and home comforts required.
For family holidays, we recommend that if this is to be your first sailing holiday together, you should try a weekend charter first, to assess the suitability of a whole weeks charter at a later date. You want a family holiday, not a family mutiny because other family members don’t enjoy sailing as much as you do. A weekend is long enough to experience some of what a Solent yacht charter can offer, and if everyone is really disappointed that the weekend finishes so quickly, you know that it is safe to book a longer family sailing holiday the next time.
If chartering a yacht for a week or more with friends sounds like a good idea, then try it for a day or a weekend first to see how good an idea it really is. It is easy to assume that friendships built around evenings out, or days at the office will work out just as well in the cramped accomodation of a yacht with less privacy than you may be used to.
There are many marine events in the Solent between Spring and Autumn, including Solent regattas (especially Cowes Week at the beginning of August), a visit from the Tall Ships, the start or finish of a round the world race, and the International Boat Show to name but a few. These are particularly popular for Corporate Events and team-building exercises, and prices are obviously higher and queues longer at these times, so it is recommended that you take these into consideration when planning your visit.
The roster of Solent attractions and features is pretty impressive, and you are only twelve hours sailing away from France, or a couple of hours from The Jurassic Coast in Dorset. But whatever you come for, you cannot live by sailing alone, you need drink, food, shopping & entertainment ! Portsmouth and Southampton should cater for most of your needs, and the many harbours, marinas, towns and villages that border the Solent all help to spoil you for choice.
Book your Solent Yacht Charter soon at the "home of sailing".
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