Protected sectors

What's the story here?

Pilsey Island sits in the northeast section of Chichester Harbour. It is about a 1½ miles above the entrance to the Chichester Channel, which runs north-west through the harbour and branches into the Thorney Channel. It is close west of the entrance to the Thorney Channel and directly off the southeastern tip of Thorney Island.





It offers an anchoring area that lies about ¼ of a mile inside the entrance to the Thorney Channel and is one of the harbour's three recognised anchorages. The other two anchorages are the nearby and lower East Head and Chalkdock Point above and on the approaches to Itchenor. However, except for marina berths where they have been explicitly included, harbour dues still apply.




Pilsey is just as convenient as the nearby and very popular East Head, albeit much quieter. Depths in the channel range from 3 to 5+ metres at Chart Datum. The seabed consists of sand and mud, offering excellent holding ground.

Standard Chichester Harbour Conservancy dues apply to all vessels operating or anchoring within harbour limits: Itchenor Harbour Office +44 (0)1243 512301, [VHF]: Channel 14 (Call sign [Chichester Harbour Patrol])
.

Visitor Berthing Rates [2026] (LOA inc. VAT)

• • Up to 3.00m | 7-Day £16.00 | 48-Hour £8.50 | 24-Hour £7.00


• • 3.01m – 4.00m | 7-Day £16.0 | 48-Hour £8.50 | 24-Hour £7.00


• • 4.01m – 5.00m | 7-Day £16.00 | 48-Hour £8.50 | 24-Hour £7.00


• • 5.01m – 6.00m | 7-Day £19.50 | 48-Hour £9.50 | 24-Hour £8.00


• • 6.01m – 7.00m | 7-Day £19.50 | 48-Hour £9.50 | 24-Hour £8.00


• • 7.01m – 8.00m | 7-Day £19.50 | 48-Hour £9.50 | 24-Hour £8.00


• • 8.01m – 9.00m | 7-Day £23.50 | 48-Hour £10.50 | 24-Hour £9.00


• • 9.01m – 10.00m | 7-Day £23.50 | 48-Hour £10.50 | 24-Hour £9.00


• • 10.01m – 11.00m | 7-Day £32.00 | 48-Hour £13.00 | 24-Hour £10.00


• • 11.01m – 12.00m | 7-Day £32.00 | 48-Hour £13.00 | 24-Hour £10.00


• • 12.01m – 13.00m | 7-Day £40.00 | 48-Hour £15.00 | 24-Hour £11.00


• • 13.01m – 14.00m | 7-Day £40.00 | 48-Hour £15.00 | 24-Hour £11.00


• • 14.01m – 15.00m | 7-Day £52.00 | 48-Hour £19.50 | 24-Hour £12.00


• • 15.01m – 16.00m | 7-Day £52.00 | 48-Hour £19.50 | 24-Hour £12.00


• • 16.01m – 20.00 | 7-Day £60.00 - £67.00 | 48-Hour £23.00 | 24-Hour £15.00


• • Over 20.00m | 7-Day £73.00 | 48-Hour £23.00 | 24-Hour £15.00

Valid harbour dues plaques must be displayed on craft at all times while in harbour waters. Non-display or failure to pay incurs a £100 penalty fee plus a £50 administration charge.

How to get in?

The approaches to the entrance, with its tidal flow, are detailed in Navigating Chichester Harbour . Follow these directions up to the Thorney Channel's Camber Light beacon, south cardinal pile, Q (6) + LFl 15s, which stands 500 metres southeast of Pilsey Island.




Exit the Chichester Channel and proceed up the Thorney Channel, close to the west of the Camber Light beacon. From this point, the substantial piles within the channel make the fairway plain. Although unlit, the principal beacons are all objects in the app, making the path clear.




The first port 'Pilsey' pile Fl [2] R 10s off Pilsey Island and a corresponding starboard pole on the opposite bank will be clearly seen 300 metres north by northwest. Pass between these marks and prepare to anchor in the deep, steep-to Thorney Channel off the eastern shore of Pilsey Island.




The primary anchoring area lies along the western side of the steep-to channel between the first 'Pilsey' port pile, Fl(2) R 10s, and a second port pile approximately 500 metres further north up the channel, standing opposite the corresponding 'Thorney' starboard beacon, Fl G 5s.




The anchorage has excellent sand-and-mud holding. The vessel should not be left unattended for long periods and must display a black ball and an anchor light at night.




Land on the steeply shelving beach by tender, but do not leave the foreshore as the island is a wildlife reserve. Likewise, swimming off the boat is dangerous here due to the strong tides in the channel.

Why visit here?

The name Pilsey originates from Old English, originally Piles-īeg or Piles-ey, meaning "Piled Island" or "Island with Piles." These piles refer to heavy wooden stakes or posts driven into the mud or seabed, historically used for coastal defences, fish traps, early revetments, or channel markers in mudflats. Historical records indicate that the low-lying shingle and sandbank was named after these wooden stakes or pile structures, which once marked the surrounding channels and mudflats, long before the island assumed its present shape.




Thorney Island, of which Pilsey lies just off the southeastern tip and at the mouth of the Thorney Channel, derives its name from the Old English Anglo-Saxon Þorn-īeg, or Thorn-ey, meaning "Thorn Island" or "Isle of Thorns." This combines with the Old English suffix -īeg, or -ey, which denotes an island or a piece of dry land surrounded by marsh. The name originated in the dense growth of thorny scrub, specifically hawthorn and blackthorn bushes, that historically covered the island. Both names combine with the Old English suffix -īeg, or -ey, which denotes an island or a piece of dry land surrounded by marsh.




Unusually, both Pilsey and Thorney Island are no longer technically islands. Since the tidal mudflats were reclaimed in 1870, they have effectively become a peninsula extending into Chichester Harbour. Today, only a narrow channel called the Great Deep separates them from the mainland. The old piles at the north end of the anchoring area are remnants of a more ambitious project to build a large embankment from Thorney Island across to Chidham. This plan would have drained and converted the current Thorney Channel into farmland, resulting in the loss of a significant part of the harbour. The exact timing of this project remains unknown, but the durable wooden stakes visible at low tide on the mudbanks once supported the embankment. During construction, a storm with high seas washed away the bank, leading to the plan's abandonment.





Over recent decades, the small 'V'-shaped Pilsey Island, covering about a hectare, has established its own connections to Thorney Island. Naturally, sand has accumulated between it and Thorney Island, forming a causeway or bridge. Despite its modest size, the island played a significant role in World War II as a decoy to defend the coastline against Luftwaffe bombing campaigns. The military set up a "Starfish" decoy site on the island, equipped with scaffolding, fuel tanks, and braziers to simulate fires. This setup impersonated a burning urban area or damaged airfield, fooling German bombers into releasing their bombs onto Pilsey's empty mudflats instead of nearby Portsmouth or Chichester. The island also experienced direct combat in 1940, when an RAF Bristol Blenheim bomber crash-landed upside down on Pilsey's sands.




Today, the small island showcases a variety of coastal habitats, including intertidal sand and mudflats, salt marshes, sand dunes, bare and vegetated shingle areas, and a white beach on the eastern side. This diverse environment supports a wide range of distinctive plants, such as sea lavender, samphire, bladderwort, and marram grass. These habitats provide homes for many waders, which are especially popular here, with populations peaking at around 10,000 across 20 different species. Oystercatchers, recognisable by their bright orange bills, are especially popular, along with Dunlins, which form flocks that flash silver and white in flight. Other species include Brent Geese, which visit to feed and roost in winter; Snipe, Ringed Plover, Lapwings, Curlews, Skylarks, and Shelduck. The island's tufty grasses and windswept sands also attract Ospreys, particularly in late summer and autumn, when they stop here to fish and roost during their migration from Africa to Scotland.




Additionally, the island hosts the Solent's only resident breeding colonies of harbour and grey seals. The tranquil sandbanks and mudflats around Pilsey Island and the Thorney Channel serve as vital haul-out sites, where seals bask in the sun at low tide or drift in the currents alongside anchored boats.




All these features help create a protected environment and a safe haven for wildlife. Pilsey Island has been a nature reserve managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds since 1985, having previously been under the Ministry of Defence. The island is one of the few natural sanctuaries within the harbour. The Chichester Harbour Conservancy and the RSPB classify Pilsey Island as a strict no-landing zone to protect highly vulnerable ground-nesting, roosting, and wintering bird populations, as well as resting seals. Visitors are requested to keep at least 100 metres from the shoreline to avoid disturbing the wildlife.




Landing is permitted on the eastern beach of Thorney Island, where visitors can walk and picnic on the foreshore. However, crossing the Mean High Water line to protect bird habitats is prohibited. From this spot, you can enjoy views of Pilsey Island, Thorney Channel, and East Head to the south. Those wishing to explore more of Thorney Island can use public footpaths accessed from designated landing points further north, such as the nearby Thorney Island Sailing Club landing stage. The surrounding coastal public footpath forms an 8- to 9-mile (approximately 13-14 km) circular trail. The island's interior houses Baker Barracks (a Ministry of Defence site), so the paths are strictly regulated. Walkers must pass through security gates on both the east and west sides near the Great Deep, where they must use an intercom to contact MoD personnel and provide their name, address, and phone number before gaining access.




From a sailing perspective, this is a very quiet anchorage that never gets crowded or overrun, unlike its near neighbour East Head, a short tender run away. It also provides very good shelter from strong winds from the west, around to the northwest, to which East Head is exposed.

What facilities are available?

Pilsey Island has no facilities.

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have occurred to a vessel anchored off Pilsey Island.

With thanks to:

Phil Walker, Deputy Harbour Master, Chichester Harbour.