Situated on the south coast of England, deep within The Solent and Southampton Water, Shamrock Quay Marina is on the west bank of the Itchen River within the city of Southampton. The marina offers a convenient pontoon berth close to the heart of the historic and nationally important city with excellent onshore repair facilities.

Set two miles up-river of the largely protected Southampton Water the marina offers complete protection from all conditions. Safe access in all reasonable conditions, at most all stages of the tide, night of day, is provided by The Solent and Southampton Water, one of the most well-marked and protected expanses of water in the world.

Beware during a Spring tide when Southampton's double stand ends. The first flush of the ebb tide whistles out under the pontoons here, making berthing perilous. It is best to come alongside the hammerhead until it abates.

Keyfacts for Shamrock Quay Marina

Position and approaches

Haven position

50° 54.533' N, 001° 22.798' W

This is the outer end of Pontoon D, which is commonly used for visiting boats.

What is the initial fix?

This is 50 metres south of the marina's hammerhead at its southwestern end, which exhibits a light.

What are the key points of the approach?

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What's the story here?

Shamrock Quay Marina is located on the west bank of the River Itchen, on the east side of Southampton and about 2 miles upriver from Southampton Water. It is a working marina operated by MDL Marinas that is known for its historical connection to the J-Class yacht Shamrock V. The marina is still a major centre for refit and boat building with numerous specialist marine trades on-site.

The depth of water available to approach and berth at Shamrock Quay Marina is generally 2.5 metres at Mean Low Water Springs (MLWS) for both the entrance channel and the berths themselves, and the marina has 255 berths, two of which can cater for super yachts of up to 70 metres and 60 metres.




Daily Visitor Berthing [2025] (Excluding electricity):

• • Up to 12.5m: £5.35 per metre


• • 12.6m – 18m: £6.75 per metre


• • 18.1m – 24m: £7.50 per metre


• • 24.1m +: £8.15 per metre

Short Stay Berthing (Up to 4 hours):

• • Up to 15m: £12.60


• • 15.1m +: + £18.55 per metre

Visitor berths must typically be vacated by noon on the day of departure. Letting the marina know is good practice if you expect to arrive after 5 p.m..





However, Shamrock Quay Marina does not have permanently set-aside reserved visitor berths in the way some marinas do. Instead, the marina staff allocates visitor berths according to availability and vessel needs when you arrive or make an advance booking. It is therefore recommended to arrange berthing in advance by contacting the marina on Ch. 80/M [Shamrock Quay Marina], +44 (0)23 8022 9461, shamrockquay@mdlmarinas.co.uk or via the MDL web form .




However, berths are available for visitors at nearly all times, but these may not be fixed or reserved in advance for each visitor. Staff will do their best to fit you in and accommodate your needs, including temporarily assigning spaces on outer hammerheads during intense tidal periods.

How to get in?

Coastal guidance waypoints and pilotage for the run-up to the River Itchen, along with river guidance, are available in the Western Approaches or the Eastern Approaches to the Solent and Southampton.




Yachts navigating the six-mile stretch of Southampton Water should keep a listening watch for Southampton Vessel Traffic Services (VTS), available via Ch. 12/16 [Southampton VTS], +44 (0)23 8060 8208 (24/7/365). Yield priority to commercial vessels, particularly near the docks. A speed limit of 6 knots is enforced north of a line connecting Hythe Pier and Weston Shelf.




Vessels converging on Dock Head should encounter no local hazards if following the clear marks of the Solent and Southampton Water, preferably staying close to the inner navigable waters within them and maintaining reasonable soundings to avoid commercial shipping. The River Itchen is well-trafficked, and as such, it is advisable to stay well to the starboard side of the river following the marks.




Follow the River Itchen markers for two miles from Dock Head to Shamrock Quay. The 28-metre-high Itchen Bridge in Woolston can cause a sharp intake of breath, but there is ample clearance for most leisure yachts. Vessels with an air draft of less than approximately 24m at MHWS or 23 metres HAT will pass easily beneath. However, exceptionally tall-masted vessels should check tide heights carefully.




Beware of a shallow patch 200 metres southwest of Shamrock Quay Marina. It is located abrest of Ocean Quay Marina and has 1 metre Chart Datum over it, so you should check your draft and tide height carefully. It would be best to confirm its current height with the marina office when booking or arriving.

Stay alert for river traffic and cross swiftly into the marina entrance when berthing, and similarly, keep a good lookout when leaving the marina.




Shamrock Quay Marina's pontoons are floating but fixed at the shore end. Pontoon letter A to K ascends in order as you travel upstream, berth numbers ascend as you move out from the main walkway along each pontoon, odd numbers on the downriver side, even on the upriver side. Berth as advised by the marina staff, primarily stern-to or bows-to pontoon berthing, mainly with finger pontoons. Visitors usually dock alongside pontoon D. Reversing in is the most typical method to come alongside. The finger pontoons can be relatively short on some of their berths, so have fenders prepared midship and be ready to use your midships cleat.




The River Itchen has significant tidal flows, especially around springs. The current runs strongly parallel to the entrance. Crucially, there's often a noticeable eddy or cross-current right at the entrance. Approach slightly angled against the anticipated current and be ready for a last-minute push. The current then abates as you advance towards the inner berths.




This is particularly true during Spring after its double high 'tidal stand'. When the Spring Stand ends, the ebb tide whistles out beneath the pontoons, making berthing between outer pontoon heads extremely difficult. During these times, it is advisable to ask if it is possible to temporarily come alongside the outer hammerheads to take up an allocated berth when the run abates. It is also wise for newcomers to plan their arrival for slack water and ask for assistance.




Staff usually meet you on the pontoon at your assigned berth, not in a RIB. Have your lines and fenders ready amidships as you approach the berth. The marina staff know the quirks of specific berths and the day's conditions, so they provide invaluable guidance in addition to taking your lines.

Why visit here?

Shamrock Quay takes its name from the legendary J‑class yacht Shamrock V, which was built on this site in 1931 to challenge for the America's Cup.



The beautiful J-Class yachts graced the seas in the late 1920s and 30s. A J-Class yacht is a single-masted racing sailboat built to the specifications of Nathanael Herreshoff's Universal Rule. The one rule was established in 1903 and rated double-masted racers, classes A through H, and single-masted racers, classes I through S. From 1914 to 1937, the rule was used to determine eligibility for the America's Cup, with the J-Class being considered the peak racers of the era.



During this time, Sir Thomas Lipton, 1848–1931, was obsessed with winning the America's Cup. He owned the English Lipton chain of grocery stores and is best survived today for the Lipton tea brand, which was acquired by Unilever in 1983. Between 1899 and 1930, he sent five challengers across the Atlantic to claim the cup. All of the boats were named Shamrock after the three-leaf clover, which is the unofficial national symbol of Ireland. The original Shamrock was helmed by Robert Kemp Senior, as well as the King's own yacht 'Britannia', whose descendants still manage Kemps Quay, located half a mile upriver more than a century later.




In each challenge, he entered a newly built yacht, and in every event, Lipton lost to the Americans by a considerable margin. His well-publicised attempts to win the cup only earned him an especially crafted "the best of all losers" trophy. However, the shrewd self-made Glaswegian had more than just sporting ambitions in mind with these costly endeavours. Because the race was held in the US and garnered great interest among the public, Lipton rightly calculated that this attention would help promote his tea brand across North America.




Shamrock V was his fifth, and ultimately final, America's Cup challenge. He retained Charles Ernest Nicholson to design the challenger, and she was built jointly at the Camper and Nicholsons' yard in Gosport and here, at their second yard, where Shamrock Quay now lies alongside the Itchen River. Constructed with wood over steel frames, and most notably a hollow spruce mast, Shamrock V was revolutionary. Following her launch on 14 April 1930, the magnificent 36.4 metres (120 ft.) long, 6.07 m (19.9 ft.) beam and 4.75 metre (15.6 ft.) draft racing craft showed early promise. She won 15 of 22 races on the British Regatta circuit. During this first season, Shamrock V was continually upgraded with modifications to her hull shape, rudder, and rig to create a more effective racing sail plan. Afterwards, she departed for Newport, Rhode Island, for the 15th America's Cup.




Shamrock V's challenge, however, was marred by bad luck and haunted by one of the most ruthless skippers in America's Cup history, Harold Vanderbilt. The Americans were well prepared for the strong British contender. Despite the Wall Street Crash, sailing clubs had built four variations of the J-Class rule—Enterprise, Weetamoe, Yankee, and Whirlwind—to compete against the British challenger. They raced these boats until Enterprise narrowly proved to be the best in class. However, when the Shamrock V was finally revealed, Enterprise appeared as an outdated wooden vessel with a heavy wooden mast that performed poorly to windward. Sensing the mismatch, Vanderbilt swiftly fitted Enterprise with the world's first very lightweight Duralumin, an aluminium alloy, mast, which entirely transformed the vessel's performance.




Enterprise secured a convincing victory, winning by nearly three minutes in the first of the showdown's best-of-seven races. Shamrock V fared worse in the second race, losing by almost ten minutes. The third race finally delivered the racing the thousands on the shore at Newport had been hoping for. Shamrock V's initial lead at the start was soon overtaken by Enterprise after a tacking duel. After this, Shamrock V's main halyard broke, causing her sail to collapse onto the deck and eliminating her from the race. The fourth race sealed the cup for Enterprise, after which Sir Thomas Lipton was heard to say resignedly, "I can't win."




At the same time, Harold Vanderbilt reached the peak of his yacht racing career. His victory earned him a spot on the cover of 'Time' magazine. In 1934, he went on to defeat the UK's Endeavour in Rainbow, and in 1937, he triumphed again in Ranger, the last of the prohibitively expensive J-Class yachts to defend the Cup. Later, Vanderbilt would become Commodore of the New York Yacht Club and play a key role in many successful America's Cup defences. Sir Thomas Lipton passed away the following year, never fulfilling his ambition to win the cup. Nevertheless, after endearing himself to the American public with five brave attempts over 31 years, he had secured America's leading tea brand.




Shamrock V remains one of only three surviving J-Class yachts worldwide and the most original remaining wooden J-Class. Velsheda and Endeavour are the other two surviving J's, both built shortly after Shamrock V. As the first yacht designed to the J-Class Rules, Shamrock V is smaller than the subsequent designs. This is apparent in LOA and most noticeably in beam, hence righting moment is less and the vessel looks more delicate, classic and refined than either Endeavour or Velsheda. In 1967, Shamrock V returned here for her first major refit, cementing the yard's reputation for high‑end craftsmanship. She has been rebuilt and restored numerous times and is arguably the ultimate pure sailing yacht currently available for charter. In August 2001, Shamrock V participated in a significant reunion with the only two remaining J-Class yachts, at the America's Cup Jubilee in the Solent. Similarly, Shamrock Quay continues to uphold its Camper and Nicholsons' yard heritage. In the immediate vicinity, all repair facilities are available, and yachts of all sizes are constantly refitted here.




Today, the area around the marina is primarily industrial, with few, if any, landmark buildings. During World War II, it was home to the Spitfire and served as a major commercial port and industrial zone, which meant it was particularly hard hit by the Luftwaffe. Likewise, after D-Day, Southampton's docks handled military cargo vital for supporting the Allied forces. This made it a prime target for bombing raids right up until late 1944. The city suffered many casualties, and most of the historic buildings near the docks were levelled as a result. Nevertheless, a short taxi ride or a 20-minute walk will bring a visitor into the heart of the city, where there is much to explore and enjoy. Football fans may also note that St. Mary's Stadium, passed 600 metres downriver from the marina and a short walk away, has been home to Southampton Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, since 2001.




Today, Shamrock Quay Marina is owned and operated by Marina Development Limited (MDL), based in Hamble, Hampshire. The company owns and manages eighteen coastal marinas and boatyards in England, including its adjacent sister marina of Saxon Wharf, located a ½ mile above on the River Itchen, Ocean Village a mile below and Hythe Marina Village near the head of Southampton Water. From a pure boating perspective, this is an excellent bolt hole, set deep inland, to escape extreme weather. It has every yachting facility immediately ashore, making it an ideal place to tackle a boat overhaul. Likewise, what is not immediately available can easily be had in the city of Southampton.

What facilities are available?

All the pontoons provide power and water. Domestic requirements such as showers, toilets, launderette facilities, and WiFi are available throughout the marina area. Facilities for garbage disposal and waste oil are located ashore near the marina office. A sizable chandlery that caters for gas exchange is just a few minutes' walk from any berth, along with a pub and a selection of food outlets.



Shamrock Quay has every repair facility a vessel could require; marine engineers, riggers, sailmakers, electronic and electrical experts are all immediately ashore. If you cannot find what you need directly ashore, the very helpful marina staff will be only too happy to assist you. A travel hoist can lift vessels weighing up to 63 tonnes, and hard standing is available ashore. The only service not offered by the marina is diesel fuel filling; however, diesel— not petrol— can be obtained at Itchen Marine at American Wharf, just south, or within Hythe Marina Village in Southampton Water.




Shamrock Quay is a taxi ride to downtown Southampton, which, as a major city and commercial port, offers excellent transport links. Regular car ferries or fast catamarans travel to Cowes, Isle of Wight, and these are a short taxi ride away. Mainline trains run to London Waterloo in approximately 70 minutes, as well as to Poole, Weymouth, Portsmouth, and Brighton. A wide variety of local and regional bus services complement these connections. Southampton International Airport, offering internal and continental flights, is a 20-minute taxi ride in free-flowing traffic. The M27, connecting to the M3 and A3, is a 20-minute drive.

Any security concerns?

The marina is very attentive to the security of vessels both alongside pontoons and on the hard. Gates are secured with coded access, and a 24-hour security system with CCTV is in place.

With thanks to:

Michael Harpur S/Y Whistler.