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Gins Farm is situated on England's south coast two miles within the River Beaulieu. The river is entered from the western Solent whereupon it commences its meandering path through the New Forest. It is the home of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club clubhouse who provide a number of pontoon berth and moorings for the occasional use of the club members and visitors.
Set within The Solent, and up the Beaulieu River, Gins offers complete protection from all reasonable conditions. Although the Beaulieu River is entered over a sandbar it is well marked and straightforward.
Keyfacts for Gins Farm
Last modified
February 12th 2019 Summary* Restrictions apply
A completely protected location with straightforward access.Facilities
Nature
Considerations
Position and approaches
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Haven position
This is the position of the Gin's Farm jetty.
What is the initial fix?
The following Beaulieu River entrance will set up a final approach:

What are the key points of the approach?
The entry and the run-up thorough The Solent and Southampton Water are covered in
The Solent and Isle of Wight
overview.
The Solent and Isle of Wight
- Approaches and the run up the Beaulieu River are covered in the Bucklar's Hard
entry.
- Pontoon berths, both shore connected and mid river, plus mooring buoys off the club house are available to visitors.
Not what you need?
Click the 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons to progress through neighbouring havens in a coastal 'clockwise' or 'anti-clockwise' sequence. Below are the ten nearest havens to Gins Farm for your convenience.
Ten nearest havens by straight line charted distance and bearing:
- Gull Island - 0.9 nautical miles ESE
- Buckler's Hard - 0.9 nautical miles NNW
- Thorness Bay - 3.2 nautical miles SE
- Newtown River Entrance - 3.5 nautical miles S
- Newtown River - 3.7 nautical miles S
- Ashlett - 3.8 nautical miles NE
- Cowes Harbour - 4.4 nautical miles ESE
- Cowes Yacht Haven - 4.7 nautical miles ESE
- Lymington - 4.7 nautical miles WSW
- Lymington Yacht Haven - 4.7 nautical miles WSW
These havens are ordered by straight line charted distance and bearing, and can be reordered by compass direction or coastal sequence:
- Gull Island - 0.9 miles ESE
- Buckler's Hard - 0.9 miles NNW
- Thorness Bay - 3.2 miles SE
- Newtown River Entrance - 3.5 miles S
- Newtown River - 3.7 miles S
- Ashlett - 3.8 miles NE
- Cowes Harbour - 4.4 miles ESE
- Cowes Yacht Haven - 4.7 miles ESE
- Lymington - 4.7 miles WSW
- Lymington Yacht Haven - 4.7 miles WSW
What's the story here?

Image: Michael Harpur
Gins Farm is situated in the lower section of the Beaulieu River about 2 miles above its entrance on a remote section of the western shoreline. It is the home to one of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club’s two clubhouses. The club provides a number of mooring buoys and pontoon berths, both shore connected and mid-river. They make these available for occasional use of members and visitors alike.
The club may be contacted
How to get in?

Image: Mike Nicholls retired Beaulieu River Harbour Master

Image: Michael Harpur

Image: Michael Harpur
The Royal Southampton Yacht Club also leases the southern section of the mid-river pontoon, from the elbow southward, and visiting vessels may also be accommodated here. Tenders and dinghies can land at the club pontoon at all states of the tide.
Why visit here?
Like the name for the River Beaulieu, ‘Gins’ is thought to go back to the 13th century Cistercian Monks who derived its name from the Latin Word 'Ingenium'.
Image: Michael Harpur
At the time it is believed the monks had their fishery at Gins. It was a convenient location that provided quick access to the sea, at all stages of the tide, without having to navigate the river’s narrows and currents. Their fishing fleet landed sea trout, mackerel, eels and ling here. Likewise, as the Abbey developed, the fishing boats came to be accompanied by a matching fleet of trading ships. This would have been a sizable fleet as Beaulieu was the largest Cistercian Abbey in England and unusually powerful. Monks normally sustained themselves from the monastery’s outlying farms, called granges, that was typically no more than 20 miles from an Abbey. However, by 1270, the ‘Great Close of Beaulieu’, as it was then called, operated no less than five granges.

Image: Michael Harpur
Today this remote stretch of the river is home to the Royal Southampton Yacht Club’s (RSYC) clubhouse. The club is one of the few UK Yacht Clubs to have two clubhouses and the only ‘Royal’ club to have two on the Solent. The origins of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club go back to the 'West Quay Amateur Regatta Club' which is recorded as existing in 1858. It was renamed the 'Southampton Amateur Regatta Club' in 1862, and the 'Southampton Yacht Club' in 1875 when it was awarded the right to use the ‘Town Arms’ of Southampton. In 1964 the club purchased land here and constructed the Gins clubhouse with its extended walkway leading out to the riverside jetty. In 1987 it also constructed its headquarters at Ocean Village Marina, when the marina was being built in and around Southampton's old Princess Alexandra Dock.

Image: Michael Harpur
Akin to Gull Island, Gins offers another berthing opportunity on a more secluded section of this beautiful river. However, at Gins there are the facilities of the clubhouse and jetty and the very warm welcome of the RSYC members.
What facilities are available?
There are no facilities here except for the ability to land on the Beaulieu River Sailing Club Jetty. The clubhouse offers showers and changing rooms, a bar and dining room that serves hot food. Buckler's Hard, further upriver, can cater for almost any boating requirement and offers basic provisions.Any security concerns?
Never an issue known to have occurred to a vessel moored at Gin's Farm.With thanks to:
Mike Nicholls, retired Beaulieu River Harbour Master.

About Gins Farm
Like the name for the River Beaulieu, ‘Gins’ is thought to go back to the 13th century Cistercian Monks who derived its name from the Latin Word 'Ingenium'.

Image: Michael Harpur
At the time it is believed the monks had their fishery at Gins. It was a convenient location that provided quick access to the sea, at all stages of the tide, without having to navigate the river’s narrows and currents. Their fishing fleet landed sea trout, mackerel, eels and ling here. Likewise, as the Abbey developed, the fishing boats came to be accompanied by a matching fleet of trading ships. This would have been a sizable fleet as Beaulieu was the largest Cistercian Abbey in England and unusually powerful. Monks normally sustained themselves from the monastery’s outlying farms, called granges, that was typically no more than 20 miles from an Abbey. However, by 1270, the ‘Great Close of Beaulieu’, as it was then called, operated no less than five granges.

Image: Michael Harpur
Today this remote stretch of the river is home to the Royal Southampton Yacht Club’s (RSYC) clubhouse. The club is one of the few UK Yacht Clubs to have two clubhouses and the only ‘Royal’ club to have two on the Solent. The origins of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club go back to the 'West Quay Amateur Regatta Club' which is recorded as existing in 1858. It was renamed the 'Southampton Amateur Regatta Club' in 1862, and the 'Southampton Yacht Club' in 1875 when it was awarded the right to use the ‘Town Arms’ of Southampton. In 1964 the club purchased land here and constructed the Gins clubhouse with its extended walkway leading out to the riverside jetty. In 1987 it also constructed its headquarters at Ocean Village Marina, when the marina was being built in and around Southampton's old Princess Alexandra Dock.

Image: Michael Harpur
Akin to Gull Island, Gins offers another berthing opportunity on a more secluded section of this beautiful river. However, at Gins there are the facilities of the clubhouse and jetty and the very warm welcome of the RSYC members.
Other options in this area
Click the 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons to progress through neighbouring havens in a coastal 'clockwise' or 'anti-clockwise' sequence. Alternatively here are the ten nearest havens available in picture view:
Coastal clockwise:
Gull Island - 0.6 miles ESELymington - 2.9 miles WSW
Berthon Lymington Marina - 3 miles WSW
Lymington Yacht Haven - 2.9 miles WSW
Keyhaven - 4.3 miles SW
Coastal anti-clockwise:
Buckler's Hard - 0.6 miles NNWAshlett - 2.4 miles NE
Hythe Marina Village - 3.4 miles N
Marchwood Yacht Club - 4.4 miles N
Eling - 5 miles NNW
Navigational pictures
These additional images feature in the 'How to get in' section of our detailed view for Gins Farm.







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