Osborne Bay is located off the south coast of England, within the Eastern Solent and close east of the Isle of Wight's apex and its principal port, Cowes. It is an anchorage in an open bay fronted by moderately high ground.

Although the high ground provides good protection from southerly component winds and moderate westerlies, the bay only makes for a tolerable anchorage. The commercial shipping channel passes to the north, and large ships rounding the Brambles Bank tend to send in a wash. Likewise, the bay's shallow nature forces a vessel well out where the Solent's tidal streams, although relatively weak, are still present. Access is straightforward at all states of the tide, night or day.

No landing is permitted as the shoreline falls within the private grounds of Osborne House. The bay is very popular and can get overwhelmed on a sunny weekend during the season.

Keyfacts for Osborne Bay

Position and approaches

Haven position

50° 45.497' N, 001° 15.248' W

This is in about 2 metres in the middle of the bay.

What is the initial fix?

This is the position of the Rolly Tasker yellow spherical race buoy (Mar-Dec). By night it exhibits a light Fl.Y.4s

What are the key points of the approach?

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What's the story here?

Osborne Bay lies on the Isle of Wight's northeast coast and the Solent's eastern arm. It is situated 1½ miles east of the entrance to the River Medina, which divides Cowes into the two parts of Cowes and East Cowes. The bay's shoreline is about ¾ of a mile long, gently curving and beautifully forested. Its northwest extremity commences at a wooded headland located ¾ of a mile southwest of Old Castle Point, and its southwest extremity is at Barton Point.




The beach at the head of the bay has some sand but is predominantly shingle. It is privately owned and falls within the grounds of stately Osborne House, which National Heritage manages. Although open to the public, they permit no landings.

How to get in?

Western approaches may utilise the Western Approaches to The Solent and the run-up to Southampton for entry via The Needles, the Western Solent, including its eastern shorelines to the north and south, continuing to connect Cowes and the River Medina. The guide for Cowes and the River Medina offers a tide timer and sailing directions for exiting all berths along the River Medina.

The Eastern Approaches to The Solent and the run-up to Southampton Water guides the approaches to the Eastern Solent, the eastern side of the Isle of Wight, and the northeastern coastline, through to Cowes and the River Medina.

Vessels converging on Osborne Bay will find nothing in the way of local hazards by staying in reasonable soundings.




The 'Rolly Tasker' yellow spherical race buoy (Mar-Dec), by night Fl.Y.4s, serves as a good mark to locate the bay and the tower and flagstaff on Osborne House will be readily identifiable from here. Proceed south-westward towards the house over the centre of the bay and prepare to anchor about 500 metres in from the race buoy.




Osborne Bay is shallow out for a ¼ of a mile. Closer inshore of this, the depths reduce abruptly. Within this area, a shallow plateau contains three shoreline reefs and the ruins of old groynes, bathing piers, quays, etc., close to the shoreline.

These obstacles are only a concern for those who want to nose in from the sea at high water, anchor off close to the shore, and have lunch that makes the most of the beautiful surroundings. The Solent Spring tides particularly lend themselves to this, as Spring high waters always occur around the middle of the day.




These obstacles are also a concern for those who want to spend the night close in, and it would require a vessel with a shallow draft during Neaps and/or one that can take to the hard. Vessels planning to come in and dry out should carefully work around the reefs, particularly the West Patch, and the ruins extending from the shore should they strike them or dry out on unlevel ground.

The first of Osborn Bay's reefs is uncharted and is part of a sandbank flaking the bay's western end. It has some awash rock patches extending out about 150 metres offshore. In the middle of the bay is the well-charted West Patch that dries to 0.6 metres chart datum and is situated about 400 metres out from the beach. Finally, the East Patch extends 300 metres eastward of Barton Point and dries to 0.1 with a rock 150 metres to the southwest that dries to 0.6 metres chart datum.




Alternatively, these may all be avoided by standing out a ¼ of a mile from the shoreline and anchoring off in deep water. Depths of at least 2 metres will be readily found ¼ of a mile out, particularly on the bay's eastern side, which is slightly deeper than its western side. In all cases, the holding is a mixture of mud and sand and is good once the anchor has set.




No landing should be made, but you are welcome to explore by dinghy staying outside the yellow 'Swim Area' buoys.

Why visit here?

Osborn Bay derives its name from a softening of the area's old name of Austerborne or Oysterborne. This came from the River Medina, which had extensive oyster beds; the manor is said to have derived its name from them. However, today, the bay is now more famous for overlooking Osborne House, which was once the former royal residence of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.




During the reign of Victoria's predecessor, Queen Elizabeth I 1558-1603, and the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, the anchorage went by the name of 'Meade Hole'. Meade Hole was defined as being a fathom's depth of the present Osborne Bay, and it was a natural resting point for 16th-century ships sailing up and down the channel. From the middle of the 1500s, it became the place where pirates brought their plunder for resale. As they carried different goods, they naturally traded with one another. In time, it became where they traded their booty into the Island economy via the backwaters of Kings Quay Creek, which was entered from Osborne Bay. King Phillip II of Spain's agent reported of Meade Hole in 1570' a grand fair of spices, wines, wool, saffron, oil, soap, woad, and many other goods stolen from your Majesty's subjects. If ships continue to come freely in this way, the trade will simply be to enrich the heretics'.




But it was to be Queen Victoria who would make an indelible stamp on the area. In 1831, the young future Queen Victoria and her mother, the Duchess of Kent, came to stay at the neighbouring Norris Castle. The sojourn left a lasting impression on Queen Victoria, and a decade later, when the queen wanted a home of her own, her thoughts returned to Norris Castle. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were searching for a seaside retreat for their young family. They wanted a place where they could bring their children up in a natural and loving environment. Windsor and London she considered too stately and demanding, as Victoria described in her letters as 'all the bitterness which people create for themselves in London. She felt the Brighton Pavilion was too uncomfortable for a family home. The Solent, reminiscent of Prince Albert of the Gulf of Naples, very much met with his approval, too, and they decided to buy the castle. This was to be their playground, their family holiday home and the place to which they came to avoid prying eyes.




But Norris Castle was not to be. The owner at the time, the newspaper tycoon Thomas Bell, wanted too much for the estate. The Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel, intervened and found a solution in the Osborne estate immediately east of Norris Castle. This was the ideal resolution, and Victoria wrote to Sir Robert Peel, saying, 'We are increasingly delighted with this lovely spot…… The air is so pure and fresh despite the hottest sun, which oppresses one so dreadfully in London and Windsor. The combination of sea, trees, woods, flowers of all kinds, the purest air, make it - to us - a perfect little Paradise'. In 1845, Lady Isabella Blackford sold the estate to Queen Victoria for £28,000. The original estate comprised about 2,000 acres, and the queen extended it to nearly 3,000 acres. Blackford's existing Georgian house was too small for the royal families' needs and was demolished. Though Thomas Cubitt was commissioned for the rebuild, Prince Albert strongly influenced the new Palladian-style house that replaced it. The first stone of what would become Osborne House was laid in 1845, and the royal family entered into possession in September 1846. 'It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot," noted Queen Victoria of the palatial holiday home they built in Osborne House.




Hidden in the woods on the Osborne estate was a more petite Swiss Cottage built by Prince Albert in 1853 and 1854 for their nine young children to play in. Along with the beach, this two-story wooden chalet was the young royals' favourite place at Osborne. Here, they played and learned practical skills, such as cooking and growing vegetables, and the children often entertained their parents. Queen Victoria found it a wonderful retreat to attend to personal correspondence. Following Prince Albert's death in 1861, Osborne became what was in effect a family mausoleum in his memory. Queen Victoria continued to use the house as a regular family retreat and a place to escape public life. In Osborne House, the queen died forty years later in 1901. Except for a memorial plaque situated above her death bed, the bedroom in which she passed has remained unchanged ever since.




By a letter dated on his Coronation Day 1902, her son, King Edward VII, gave the house to the nation. He desired that Osborne House's secondary wings would be transformed into a convalescent home for officers of the navy and army. The home opened in 1904 and was called the 'Edward VII Retirement Home for Officers'. Part of the house's ground floor was opened to the public simultaneously. A Royal Naval College was also opened on the Osborne estate in 1903 and continued in service until 1921. Osborne House continued to provide residence for retired officers of the British Armed Services until 1990.




In 1986, English Heritage assumed the management of Osborne. It is open daily from 1000 to 1800 for a fee and is free to English Heritage members. The estate church of St. Mildred located a mile southward in Whippingham and a short stroll from the Folly Inn, has memorials for various members of the royal family.




Queen Victoria came to Osborne House to transform the Isle of Wight and Cowes. The Victorian trend for sea bathing and the growth of yachting were already well established by then, but the coming of Victoria and her children to Osborne House established Cowes like no other place. They entirely reshaped Cowes' standing and future by making it a fashionable place to live, stay and be seen in Victorian and Edwardian times. The remarkable stately house remains a treasure to the island. Most extraordinarily, one of its most notable admirers was Adolf Hitler. He ordered that the estate should not be bombed during the Second World War as he planned to use it as his post-war retreat after the defeat of England.




Sadly, no landing is permitted as the shoreline falls within the grounds of Osborne House. Today, Queen Victoria's Osborne House, its gardens, the Swiss Cottage and the private beach are best visited via a 15-minute' walk from East Cowes and any of the town's moorings.




From a sailing point of view, Osborne Bay is one of the Solent's most popular lunch anchorages. Centrally situated within the Solent, about a 20-minute cruise from the mouth of Portsmouth Harbour and the first eastbound bay almost immediately outside of Cowes, it is a sought-after location that can easily get overwhelmed. With its high ground providing shelter from the prevailing winds, a nice midday sun trap is created, making it ideal for a pleasant afternoon swim. Its location and ease of access make it a perfect lunch stop, tide wait, or Solent stepping stone location. But with its deeper waters well offshore, its currents, occasional wash, and any prohibited landing, it could never be described as a great anchorage.

What facilities are available?

There are no facilities in Osborne Bay. Cowes, 1½ miles westward, offers almost any conceivable marine services or facility a vessel could require. Almost anything in the marine world can either be repaired or rebuilt from first principals in Cowes. Having a population in excess of 10,000 it is also an excellent location for provisioning.

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have occurred to a vessel anchored off Osborne Bay.

With thanks to:

Michael Harpur, S/Y Whistler.