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What's the story here?

Emsworth is a charming historic village at the head of the Emsworth Channel and on the Hampshire side of the Hampshire-West Sussex border. It offers a drying town quay for vessels that may take to the bottom and a deep-water mid-stream visitor's pontoon in the approach channel where a vessel can remain afloat a ½ mile south of the town.





Chichester Harbour Conservancy manages the Emsworth mid-stream visitor's pontoon, which is at least 20 metres long and located in a deep-water pocket of the Emsworth Channel. It lies north of Sweare Deep, near Fowley Island. The pontoon has an alongside depth of about 2.0 metres at Chart Datum (LAT) and can accommodate vessels up to approximately 12.0 metres (39 feet) LOA. It is usually available, and vessels can stay for up to two weeks, with payments collected by the Harbour Patrol on the water. As there is no shore connection and no water or electricity, visitors need a tender to reach Emsworth Quay or landing points at high tide. Despite this, the pontoon offers a good berth in conditions up to Force 5–6 and is enjoyed for its peaceful seclusion, especially on summer evenings.

Chichester Harbour Conservancy charges £2.50 per metre per night for the Emsworth Mid-Stream Visitor Pontoon [2026]. This is in addition to the standard Chichester Harbour dues as below.

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.




Emsworth Jetty, often referred to as the Emsworth Pier or Town Quay Jetty, is situated at the northern head of the Emsworth Channel. Vessels can temporarily come alongside the Emsworth Jetty for a set-down or pick-up. Expect about 1.8 metres (6ft) of water two hours either side of High Water. Access alongside for vessel movements is generally restricted to 1.5 to 2 hours either side of High Water, depending on draught.




The town quay is about 250 metres northwards. The quay wall is primarily used by visiting boaters for short stays (to access the town's shops, pubs, and restaurants) or by local working vessels. It has about 1.8 metres HW +/- 2 hours, and vessels that can take to the hard are more than welcome to dry out there. It is suitable for twin-keel (bilge keel), lifting-keel, flat-bottomed, or heavy long-keel vessels capable of drying out safely.




The village has two sailing clubs, and opposite the town quay there is the separately covered marina, Emsworth Yacht Harbour , which is accessed over a sill.

How to get in?

The approaches to the entrance, with its tidal flow, are detailed in Navigating Chichester Harbour for approaches and entry to Chichester Harbour and Northney Marina for details to the Emsworth channel cardinal where the channels divide. At the Emsworth South Cardinal beacon, the channel divides, with Sweare Deep forking off at 45° to port and the Emsworth Channel continuing northward.





Pass the beacon to port and continue north between the lines of moorings that flank the channel on either side. Both channels are well marked, with the principal marks available as objects in the eOceanic app, making navigation easy.




Emsworth's floating pontoon is located on the west side of the channel, ½ mile below the town. The channel's path is clearly marked by the lines of deep-water moorings on either side. At least 3 metres of depth can be expected up to the pontoon.




After the pontoon the Emsworth Channel increasingly narrows and becomes shallow until it eventually dries near the foot of the Fisherman's Beacon Fl(3) R.10s. Beyond the Fisherman's Beacon vessels of about 1.8 metres (6 ft.) or less can approach the Emsworth Jetty, and boats of 1.5 metres (4 ft. 9 in) or less can reach the town quays and basin at HW +/- 2 hours.




Those continuing to Emsworth on a sufficient rise should leave the Fisherman's Beacon to port and follow the channel northward. The channel is made plain by its moorings but is also marked by red pile posts with can-top marks on the western Fowley Island side and green pile posts with conical-top marks on the eastern Thorney Island side.




Vessels continuing past the Emsworth Jetty to Town Quay should pass the Echo starboard pile on the east side of the channel. After this, follow the moorings of local boats and starboard perches to a south cardinal perch. Here the channel divides, with the branch tending at right angles to the northwest leading to the town quay and the branch tending eastward leading into the entrance to Emsworth Yacht Harbour .





Berthing options include coming alongside the visitors' pontoon located about a ½ mile to the south of the town. The helm should watch out for tidal currents in the fairway that can reach up to 2 knots during spring tides, so take care when coming alongside. Come alongside the opposite side of the pontoon to suit the prevailing weather for the most comfort.




Land by tender at the drying Emsworth jetty, where fresh water may be obtained, or closer in at the town quay. As the channel dries out to the foot of the Fisherman's Beacon, the Emsworth jetty can only be accessed by tender at high water ± 3.5 hours.




Emsworth Town Quay is at the northern head of the Emsworth Channel and offers a traditional drying-berth experience. The bottom directly alongside the quay consists of thick, soft mud mixed with gravel/shingle.




Vessel bow/stern lines are typically secured to ringbolts or wall bollards along the stone Quay wall. Long warps are required to accommodate the circa 4+ metre tidal range, and a fender board would be ideal to prevent the hull/fenders from snagging on rough stone, brickwork, or ladders as the tide falls.

Why visit here?

Emsworth's origins date back to Saxon times, when it was home to a small settlement. The town's name derives from the Saxon personal name 'Æmele', combined with worth, meaning enclosure; ‘Æmele’s enclosure’. The enclosure would most likely have been an early farm or hamlet, surrounded by a palisade.




During the Saxon era, Emsworth was connected to the nearby settlement of Warblington. As part of the Parish of Warblington, which was historically served by the ancient St Thomas à Becket Church, Emsworth was included in the Warblington entries of the Domesday Book of 1086, though not mentioned explicitly. Later, falling sea levels caused Warblington's decline as its creek became too shallow for boats during most tides. Meanwhile, Emsworth experienced growth, remaining accessible to sea traffic, and ultimately became the larger and more significant town.




Emsworth was first recorded in 1224 in contemporary records as Emeleswurth. In 1239, Henry III granted the town a charter to hold a weekly market and an annual fair. In 1332, Emsworth, then recorded as Empnesworth, was one of Hampshire's four Customs Ports that could actively import wine. By 1341, the town was sufficiently established as a trading and fishing port to be among the five ports in Hampshire ordered to provide a ship for the fleet, to be sent to protect the Channel Islands from French attack. In the following centuries, malt-makers, or maltsters, grew in number in the Emsworth area, and some of them became rich as large-scale brewing of beer and ale created a growing demand for malt. During the wars of 1689-1713, much of the crop went to brewers supplying Portsmouth dockyard to help quench the thirst of the sailors of England's burgeoning navy.




The pond, which covers nearly seven acres, was built in the 1760s to power the Slipper Mill, one of three working mills in and around Emsworth. There were two further mills on the Sussex side of the River Ems, and all were kept busy supplying meal for the Navy in Portsmouth. Tide mills harness the constant rise and fall of the tidal cycle by impounding a head of water in a mill pond behind a sluice gate and then releasing its energy to turn the mill wheels. Compared with windmills, they were expensive to build and could operate for only seven to ten hours each tidal day. But the power was constant and reliable, which led to their development in this sheltered recess of the harbour, which had the benefit of a quay. The mills reflected the change in agriculture from grazing to arable farming. All the corn they milled was locally grown, and the flour was exported from Emsworth quay to feed London's growing population.




The first half of the 19th century was Emsworth's heyday, and many of its fine Georgian houses date to this period. By then, it was the chief port of Chichester Harbour, and almost every kind of trade was active here. These ranged from brewing to boatbuilding, with related industries such as tailors, boot and shoemakers, and shopkeepers selling all kinds of goods. Alongside this, the town had as many as 30 beer houses catering to the thirst of the boatmen, craftsmen and traders.




Pigot's Directory of 1821 describes Emsworth as a market town whose "inhabitants live by building ships and boats, by rope and sail making, by trade in timber and by fishing." In the case of fishing, the town had, at the time, the largest fishing fleet in the harbour. Oyster fishing, in particular, flourished here, but larger fishing vessels went out to sea.




The town's prosperity grew further with the opening of the canal to Arundel in 1823, allowing barges from Emsworth to reach Chichester's centre. By 1836, Emsworth handled nearly half of all coastal cargoes. Similarly, the 1862 Cosham-to-Chichester turnpike greatly enhanced coach travel. The 'Crown Inn', where coaches changed horses en route to London and the south coast towns, is a historic stop.




The 'Coal Exchange' on South Street, dating back to the 17th century, is closely linked to Emsworth's maritime trade. Colliers from northeast England docked here to unload coal. They loaded timber from Stansted Park to take northward, where it was used as pit props to support coal mine shafts. The area in front of the pub and at Town Quay was the local trading hub, where ship captains negotiated coal cargoes and settled payments.




From 1850 onwards, Emsworth's commercial traffic and fortunes steadily declined. This was partly due to improved inland communications and partly to the increasing size of vessels that the smaller ports could no longer accommodate. As commerce declined at the latter end of the 19th century, oysters and long-distance fishing took its place. Oyster production became a major industry here, and Fowley Island was adapted for use as oyster beds. A causeway to the island was built between 1826 and 1848 to provide access to the beds and additional landing stages for fishing boats. Now known as Fisherman's Walk, the causeway's construction would have been an expensive and labour-intensive venture that underscored the importance of the fishing and oyster industries. By the turn of the century, the oyster industry was on the verge of collapse, largely due to an unfortunate incident that sparked the 'Great Oyster Scare of 1902'.




In 1902, Emsworth oysters were served as the first course at a banquet attended by the Dean of Winchester and others. Following the event, he and several attendees died of typhoid, which was blamed on the oysters. An inspection of the oyster beds then revealed severe sewage contamination. Consequently, the sale of Emsworth oysters was prohibited until a new sewage system was implemented in 1914. Although the industry restarted after World War I, it never regained its former peak.




Today, Emsworth is a large village with around 10,000 residents. Its medieval street plan highlights its history, centred around St. Peter's Square. The town's wealth in the 18th century is evident in the many Georgian buildings lining the streets. The oldest part of the waterside town remains between two large mill ponds, where the 'Old Slipper Mill' has been converted into flats, and 'Quay Mill' on the town quay, now housing the Emsworth Slipper Sailing Club. Many of the town's public houses today date back to the 18th century.




Emsworth's history is closely linked to its harbour, now shifting from traditional commerce to tourism and recreation. To connect with the past, the Chichester Harbour Conservancy offers sailing trips on the last remaining oyster boat from Emsworth's once-busy fleet. Named The Terror, this vessel is believed to have been built in Emsworth during the late 19th century. It was restored in a local boatyard between 2005 and 6 and now carries six passengers on two-hour trips.




From a sailing perspective, Emsworth remains a protected berth in inclement weather. The combined marina and visitors' pontoon make it a popular destination for visiting yachtsmen. But it is its charming and lively town centre that is Emsworth's main attraction. It is full of independent shops and has a good selection of historic pubs and restaurants that offer quality food at various prices. The town has a reputation as a 'foodie' favourite, and late-season sailors may choose to visit during the annual Emsworth British Food Fortnight. At this time, you can enjoy a range of culinary events and activities, along with some truly great food.

What facilities are available?

The pontoon has no services. Fresh water may be obtained further up the channel from the drying Emsworth jetty. The jetty may be approached for about two hours either side of High Water on Neaps by vessels drawing 1.5 metres.

The Emsworth Yacht Harbour pontoons provide power and water. There are private shower and toilet cubicles in two sets of facilities. Diesel is available from the fuel pontoon outside the Harbour Office. There is a Laundrette on the ground floor of the Harbour Office building with a washing machine and a dryer, both of which are operated with tokens. Calor Gas cylinders are available from the office, and facilities are also available for general waste disposal. Wi-Fi is available free of charge across the marina for berth holders and visitors.

Emsworth Yacht Harbour has a Groves crane, a WISE boat parker and a 50-tonne travel hoist to move boats of any size. They can also pressure wash boats in the crane or hoist on request. Winter storage is also available. They offer hardstanding for 200 boats, some of which is now gravelled. Fin-keeled boats are primarily stored in cradles, which may be hired from the Harbour Office. Use of the slipway and drying grid is by arrangement with the Harbour Office. The surrounding shipyard has a host of small workshops that provide a wide range of onshore facilities. This includes a sizeable, well-stocked chandlery.

Emsworth’s two sailing clubs, the Emsworth Slipper and Emsworth Sailing Club, welcome visitors and allow them to use their bars, restaurants and washing facilities. The town has almost all the usual facilities.
Emsworth railway station is on the West Coastway Line. It has services that run to Portsmouth, Southampton, Brighton and London Victoria. Stagecoach operates the number 700 bus between Brighton and Southsea. Local bus services are provided by Emsworth & District, which operate services to Havant and Chichester.

Dining Options Near Emsworth
The Deck Cafe & Restaurant (Harbourside dining with terrace views over Emsworth Yacht Harbour)
hello@theemsworthdeck.co.uk | +44 (0)1243 376161
Address: Emsworth Yacht Harbour, Thorney Road, Emsworth, Hampshire, PO10 8BP.

36 On The Quay (Fine dining restaurant located directly overlooking Emsworth Town Quay)
bookings@36onthequay.co.uk | +44 (0)1243 375592
Address: 47 South Street, Emsworth, Hampshire, PO10 7EG.

The Lord Raglan (18th-century pub with waterside garden backing onto Slipper Millpond near Dolphin Quay)
+44 (0)1243 372587
Address: 35 Queen Street, Emsworth, Hampshire, PO10 7BJ.

The Coal Exchange (Traditional pub serving real ales and homemade food located steps from the harbour)
info@thecoalexchange.co.uk | +44 (0)1243 375866
Address: 21 South Street, Emsworth, Hampshire, PO10 7EG.

Other Local Useful Contacts
Itchenor Harbour Office: +44 (0)1243 512301
[VHF]: Ch. 14 [Chichester Harbour Patrol]

Harbour Office, The Street, West Itchenor, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 7AW.

Emsworth Yacht Harbour: +44 (0)124 337 7727 info@emsworth-marina.co.uk.
Emsworth Yacht Harbour, Yacht Harbour, Thorney Road, Emsworth, Hants PO10 8BP

Hayling Rescue (for boats): +44 (0)7748 997105

Sea Start: +44 (0)800 885500

Environment Agency: +44 (0)3708 506506

HM Custom and Excise Portsmouth: +44 (0)23 8079 7000

Chichester Police Station: +44 (0)845 6070 999

Solent Coastguard: +44 (0)23 9255 2100

Hospital Chichester: +44 (0)1243 788 122

Dentist: +44 (0)844 5769 676

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have occurred to a vessel berthed alongside the pontoon or in the Emsworth Basin.

With thanks to:

Sid Kenneth, Harbour Hand Emsworth, Phil Walker Deputy Harbour Master, Neil Brooke, Harbour Manager, Emsworth Yacht Harbour Ltd.