Bembridge Harbour is situated on the south coast of England, close north of the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It is a tidal harbour that offers a marina, along with the possibility of drying out on the beach close to a historic village set into a very attractive part of the island.

Set within a nearly landlocked harbour, Bembridge is well protected from all weather conditions. Although tidal and set behind a meandering channel, with a sufficient rise of tide, a daylight entry is made straightforward by its closely spaced and numbered channel marks. The approach channel becomes challenging in north to northeast winds of Beaufort force 4 and above, and in such conditions, it is best avoided by a newcomer.

Tidal planning is essential, and this may involve a single opportunity to enter or leave, as a night entry through the unlit twisting channel would be inadvisable without the benefit of local knowledge.

Keyfacts for Bembridge Harbour

Position and approaches

Haven position

50° 41.666' N, 001° 6.026' W

This is the eastern end of the marina pontoon within the harbour.

What is the initial fix?

This is the position of the Bembridge Approach Light-beacon. It is a yellow pile with an X topmark Fl.Y.2s 1M and has a tide gauge.

What are the key points of the approach?

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What's the story here?

Bembridge Harbour lies close northward of the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight and immediately west of Bembridge Point. It is a tidal harbour bordered by the twin villages of Bembridge and St. Helens, which lie opposite each other across the harbour. The larger of the two villages is Bembridge, reputed to be the largest village in England, which is home to many of the Island's wealthiest residents. Its chief attraction is the pretty harbour and its surrounding scenery.




Bembridge Harbour can accommodate approximately 100 visiting yachts. The main area for visitor berthing is the Duver Marina, which can accommodate a maximum LOA of 12.50m on its finger berths, which are dredged to 2 metres or dry out. Additionally, vessels that can take the ground can dry out, fore and aft, on the sandy beach just inside the entrance on the port-hand side near Bembridge Sailing Club.




Bembridge Harbour reduces to a channel at low water and is nearly completely landlocked, making entry and exit reliant on adequate water depth. A sandbar is situated at the beginning of its outer entrance channel, which nearly dries at low water springs. Times of high water closely correspond with those in Portsmouth, but it is important to note that the range in Bembridge is significantly reduced. This is particularly important on neap tides when vessels carrying a draft of 1.8 metres (6ft.) will have little, if any, clearance over the bar.




A fair 'Springs' or medium tide expectation is that a vessel carrying a draft of 1.5 metres can enter approximately HW +/- 3 hours. On full spring tides, the depth of the channel can exceed 3.5 metres. Once a sufficient rise is available, the channel is well-marked by closely spaced and well-maintained buoys. The only exception is during winds of over Force 4 or above between the northeast and east. These conditions create confused seas in the channel, add wave troughs that require added clearance and turn the Duver shoreline, which the channel runs very close to, into a dangerous lee shore.




Assessing the depth of water over the bar is made easy by using the harbour's live electronic bar tide height, updated every 60 seconds, that is displayed on the top of the Bembridge Harbour website. The site also provides local tide height and time predictions for the week ahead and a channel pictorial guide showing a walk-through of all the channel marker buoys in turn.




The harbour authority is in charge of all the moorings within the harbour. They can be contacted on Ch. 80 [Bembridge Harbour] or +44 1983 872828, or you can directly book a berth via Online Booking that provides a 5% discount. The Harbour Office is open Monday through Friday from 0900 to 1700 and is closed on weekends and Bank Holidays. Berthing Staff operate seven days per week from 0800 to 1800 during summer and 1000 to 1600 during winter. The harbour can accommodate approximately 100 visiting yachts and takes advance bookings, usually 24 hours in advance.




In all cases, staff will make their best endeavours to find a berth and rafting vessels when necessary. During busy weekends in the season, the harbour often gets overwhelmed, so it pays to arrive earlier on the tide to increase the likelihood of securing a berth. It is, however, advisable that larger vessels make contact in advance, especially during peak periods. Then, stay on VHF channel 80 to listen to any special instructions from the Harbour Staff.




Duver Marina walk ashore finger berth - max LOA 12.80m - £5.30 (£5.04 online) per metre per night,
Friday and Saturday (and Sunday Bank Holiday weekends) £4.50 (£4.28 online) per metre per night,
Sunday (Monday on Bank Holiday weekends) to Thursday. Vessels with a LOA over 12.81m - £5.80 (£5.51 online) per metre per night, Friday and Saturday (and Sunday Bank Holiday weekends) £5.30 (£5.04 online) per metre per night, Sunday (Monday on Bank Holiday weekends) to Thursday. Electricity Facilities Charge £5.00 (£4.75 online) per day. Short Stay Up to 10m £15.00 per tide, up to 15m £18.00, 15m+ £22.00 per tide [2025].

How to get in?

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 the guide for Cowes and the River Medina . This also provides a tide timer and sailing directions for exiting all berths along the River Medina.




Although the smallest of the 1860 Palmerston forts, St. Helen's Fort is easily identifiable from many miles out to sea, marking the area where the Bembridge approach channel begins. In fair conditions, newcomers can enter with confidence, as although access is via a doglegged channel, Bembridge's well-maintained set of closely spaced and numbered navigation marks makes light work of this. With a rising tide and a sensible clearance, which may be accurately confirmed on the Bembridge Harbour website, access is straightforward for those who carefully follow the buoy's ascending increments and maintain a modicum of seamanlike attention.




Bembridge's initial fix is the position of the Bembridge Approach Light-beacon that has a tide gauge. It is located 400 metres northward of the conspicuous St. Helen's Fort, which, although the smallest of the 1860 Palmerston forts, makes itself readily known for many miles to seaward.




At this point, confirm there is sufficient clearance to proceed and call the Berthing Master on Ch. 80, [Bembridge Harbour], for instructions and then again from Channel marker buoy No 12. If not pre-booked, provide a description of your vessel, name, type (sailing or motor), LOA, draft, and any specific requirements such as single-handed, crew with mobility problems, etc. and the berthing masters will do their best to provide a berth.




Then, steer a course of approximately 240°T to the commencement of the outer buoyed channel located about 400 metres westward. The meandering and acutely bending channel can appear confusing on first impression. Only the two entrance buoys to the channel, No. 1 and 2, are lit.




After this, the buoys are marked with reflective numbers and tape; even numbers are to port, odd to starboard, and ascending inwards. Staying within the marks and carefully following the buoys on their correct sides in their ascending numbering scheme is essential. Try to remain focused as the course involves some surprisingly quick bends, but apart from that, it is very straightforward. The maximum speed in the entrance channel and harbour is 6 knots, but first-time visitors should take it very steadily.





Once through the first No. 1 and 2 buoys, steer straight in for buoys 2A and 3, the channel's shallowest point where it almost dries on low spring tides. On arrival at buoys No. 4 and 5, turn to starboard for the next pair of buoys 6 and 7, where it then turns to port.




Upon passing buoys No. 6a and 7a the channel will run parallel to the Duver shore, overlooked by the Baywatch Café, and the Harbour Entrance will start to become visible in the distance.




On big spring tides, the current can be extremely strong from buoys Nos. 8 and 9 right through to the harbour entrance, where the strongest currents will be experienced at buoy No. 11A, passed to starboard.





Vessels that can take to the hard may anchor fore and aft on the drying-out beach within Bembridge Point port side beach immediately inside the entrance.




This location is just inside the harbour entrance on the port side. Vessels are permitted to run up and dry out on the sandy beach here, which is near Bembridge Sailing Club.




Fin keel vessels that need to stay afloat should continue up to the visitors' pontoon at 'The Duver', the harbour's main location for receiving visiting boats. Take a sharp turn westward at starboard hand buoy No. 13 inside the harbour and pass north of the port hand buoy 10A. Duver Marina is about 200 metres up from the entrance. The last buoy before the visitor's pontoon is port hand Buoy No. 12A, located opposite the fuel pontoon at Atrill's Yard on the shore to starboard, and the Duver pontoon is on the north, or starboard side, of the harbour.




Duver Marina is a clearly marked single-length pontoon connected to the seaward shore of the harbour at the Duver yard. It is sectioned according to its pile posts, which have lettered heads 'A' to 'J' ascending inwards. The marina staff typically assign berths according to the clearly visible lettered pile posts. The pontoon is dredged on both sides to a depth of approximately 2 metres LWS.




Rafting out is common on busy summer weekends, and the berthing staff are on hand to give instructions, take lines and help where needed. Although 2 metres of water can be expected, it is possible to touch mud at the bottom of the tide, albeit so soft that it is hard to notice.




Deeper into the harbour is Bembridge Marina, which is fully occupied by local boats and has no visitor berths available. Similarly, Fisherman's Wharf opposite is also full. However, the harbour staff have been known to squeeze vessels into these locations on some occasions.

Why visit here?

Bembridge Harbour was originally part of Brading Haven, which ranked as an important Island port from Roman times, and at that time, the sea extended down as far as Yaverland and Sandown. The whole peninsula was almost itself an island. This is how Bembridge acquired its name, which was first recorded as Bynnebrygg in 1316 when a causeway was built from Yarbridge to Yaverland around 1300. The 'Eastern Island' was called Bin Bridge derived from Old English words binnan plus brycg or 'within bridge' meaning 'place lying inside, or this side of the bridge'.





The original entrance of Brading Haven was by St Helens Old Church with the spit, known as the Duver (pronounced 'duvver'), that extended out from the Bembridge side. By the early 1600s, this had shifted to its current layout, with the entrance at the Bembridge end of the Duver.




The history of Bembridge can be traced from the Paleolithic period through to the Iron Age with various finds of stone tools. In AD 432, Roman Galleys entered Brading Haven, establishing a settlement at Brading, and small finds of coins and tiles from this period have been found in Bembridge. In 661 AD, Wulfere, son of Penda of Mercia, landed here on the Isle of Wight, taking it from the Kingdom of Wessex and ceding it to the King of Sussex. In 704 AD, Bishop Wilfred landed at St Helens and brought Christianity to the area. The Domesday survey records four separate hamlets on Bembridge Isle, with taxable returns relating to just 40 male adults. There were no seemingly urban areas on the Island at the time of the Domesday survey. However, the nearby settlements of Yaverland and Brading figure much more prominently than any at Bembridge.




Bembridge remained very much the same until the Victorian era because it remained so difficult to access. The only route to it was via marshes in Yaverland, which flooded in winter. Even at the start of the 19th Century, access to Bembridge was difficult owing to the strong currents across the mouth of the harbour. It was only safely accessible in fair weather and at low tide via a 'horse boat'. This kept it a rural area of small dispersed hamlets of wooden huts and farmhouses, which may have had links and physical access to Yaverland, Brading and St Helens, but for the most part, it was home to a self-sufficient agricultural/fishing community.




In 1545, Bembridge was taken by the French when French naval and military forces attempted to secure Portsmouth and its harbour. They set it alight to provoke the English fleet in Portsmouth to come out and engage. The English fleet, who could clearly see the flames, refused to leave the safety of Portsmouth and Spithead, except that is, for the Mary Rose, which promptly sank. The famous diarist John Oglander gives an account of the invasion. "Afterwards they [the French] landed again in Binbridge, where Seigneur de Tais commanded-in-chief. They marched up as high as the top of Binbridge Down before they were by us set on. We, lying in ambush on the other side, fell on them both with foot and some horse that we had mustered up among the carts, killed many, took prisoners, and drove the rest down as far as their ships, killing them all the way; but then the Admiral, having notice of it, commanded all ashore to their succour, and our King also sent word to us that we should retreat in order, seeking to draw all their strength ashore far from their ships, hoping for a favourable opportunity to bring our fleet in the interim to surprise theirs. Whereupon we retreated and skirmished with them as far as Yarbridge, and gave them leave to burn all Bindbridge and Yaverland, but the wind being still calm and not serving for our fleet we beat them back again to their ships."




Coastguards were first stationed in Bembridge in 1822, and in 1827, the first parish church was built. With the construction of the church, later rebuilt in 1846, an authentic village began to form. By then, the Victorian resort era had commenced and, in a similar fashion to the growth of East Cowes and Seaview, Bembridge grew from a tiny fishing village to become a fashionable seasonal retreat for the affluent classes. In 1853, a small steamer, the Dart, made two daily trips to Bembridge from Portsmouth and called into Ryde and Seaview. In 1867, a lifeboat station was established to help those using the busy Solent sea lanes, and the fort on Bembridge Down was constructed between 1862 and 1867 as part of the defence of the Portsmouth and Solent area.




The Bembridge Railway, Tramway and Pier Act was enacted by Parliament in 1864, permitting reclamation works and the construction of a short 250-foot timber pier. Following numerous attempts dating back to the Middle Ages, Brading Haven was eventually dammed and drained in the 1880s. This action was primarily taken to reclaim the land for agricultural purposes and improve the area's sanitation. The haven had transformed into a large, shallow, and marshy inlet, which was unproductive and posed health risks due to stagnant water and its associated diseases. The embankment road was constructed, over 800 acres of land were reclaimed, and the pier was put into active service.




During this period, from 1867 to 1880, St Helens Fort was built. It was part of the Palmerston Forts, a series of coastal defences established to protect against the potential French invasion during the 19th century. The fort was designed to safeguard the St Helens anchorage and played a vital role in protecting the Portsmouth dockyard from seaborne attacks. Its strategic location enabled it to control access to the harbour.




Visitors benefited from the accessibility provided by road, steamer, and later rail, which opened in May 1882 and provided the principal link to the village until 1952. These transport links were instrumental in the development of the village, but unlike many other British seaside resorts, including Sandown and Ryde, it did not fuel extraordinary levels of growth. In a Directory of 1878, Bembridge is described as having 'several good inns and many handsome villas and lodging-houses, many of them built since 1830'. Most notable of these are The Spithead Hotel, completed in 1880, and Old Bembridge Hotel, on Kings Road.





Initially, the best route for travellers to Bembridge was by seagoing vessels, and so the stout timber pier played an important part in the village's initial growth. Unfortunately, the harbour continued to silt up, reducing the effectiveness of the pier at low tide, meaning the steamers frequently had to row their passengers ashore and land them on the beach. Soon, this would all change with the coming of the railway in 1882.




From then on, travellers could come into Ryde and then into Bembridge by rail, dramatically increasing the number of visitors and raising its profile. St. Helens Quay, the location of Bembridge Marina as opposed to Duver Marina, where most visitors stay, then became the main railway terminus with railway sidings, a crane, warehouses, a gas works and an engine shed. It was the main port with North and South Quays. The railway made a considerable difference in the lives of people in St. Helens and Bembridge. By 1899, a guide for travellers to the Island describes Bembridge as a select, rather than popular, resort by virtue of the quality of its facilities, including the landmark Royal Spithead Hotel, the Isle of Wight Golf Club and the Bembridge Sailing Club, which was formed in 1886. All of these received Royal patronage in 1883.




Bembridge was at its peak at the turn of the century, and the 20th century led to a decline in the tourist industry, particularly during the war years and further when the railway closed in 1953. By then, housing developments sprung up, creating a burgeoning local population. The 1950s and 1960s saw the building of many new houses, and the village expanded to its present boundary. Today, the historical heart of the village is located close to the church in the north of the village, which consists of a number of shops, pubs, and restaurants, along with the village hall and the site of the former Parish Council hall. The Bembridge Windmill is now under the care of the National Trust and has been restored for visitors.




From a sailing point of view, access to Bembridge has to be planned to coincide with high water. But after that, with the harbour website providing the amount of water over the bar, the buoyage up the well-maintained channel is easily followed. Once inside and alongside its pontoon, there is a natural beauty, whether it's the downland, the harbour and marshes, the many pleasant and varied coastal and rural walks, or simply the convenient Duver beach, a short stroll away for a family boat. Across the water, Bembridge town is a joy, and the coast at Foreland, The National Trust windmill, and the RNLI station are well worth a visit.

What facilities are available?

Pontoons provide power and water. Domestic requirements such as showers and toilets, and including WiFi, the first half hour free of charge, can be had in the marina. Bins for domestic rubbish are available at all pontoons. All waste goes to a customised picking station on the Island to be sorted for recycling. A coin operated launderette is available on the ground floor of the Old Marina Office at Bembridge Marina.

Diesel fuel can be obtained from H Attril & Sons pontoon or Ken Stratton's Boatyard located to the north of Bembridge Marina. Petrol by jerry can is available from the Hodge & Childs Peugeot garage in Bembridge. All are only open during workweek days.

The Galley Locker in the Berthing Office stocks a range of essentials such as milk, tea, coffee etc, ice, weekend newspapers, and a selection of Isle of Wight produce. It is open seven days a week from 0830. A small on site cafe serves breakfast, lunches and special street food dishes in the evening at the weekends. The harbour welcomes rallies offering discounts although these are not applicable in July and August and over Bank Holidays. Two marquees, overlooking the Duver pontoon and Harbour, with commercial BBQs are available for groups of visiting yachtsmen to hire (gas is provided as are tables with bench seating) which can be pre-booked.

Two clubs, Bembridge Sailing Club and Brading Haven Yacht Club that have their own private jetties for tenders, have their home in the harbour area. Both run active sailing, racing and training programmes throughout the summer and welcome visiting yachtsmen. A number of local businesses also offer water-based activities and tuition, from paddle boarding, dinghy sailing and kayaking, to powerboat training and charter boat fishing.

A harbour water taxi operates 3 hours +/- HW during the day June through September, by prior arrangement after 1900. It can be contacted on VHF Channel 80 or +44 7582 806017. The taxis are based at The Duver pontoon and stops are at the beach next to the Tollgate Cafe and Bembridge Sailing Club, the Fisherman's pontoon, and Bembridge Marina next to Grading Haven Yacht Club. They also service the trot moorings and central Harbour pontoons. In all cases fares apply.

Bembridge village, situated a ½ hours’ walk around the harbour, has a good range of shops including medium sized supermarkets, delicatessens, a bakery, butchers, chip shop, Chinese takeaway as well as a high street bank. The bank does not have a cashpoint but one can be found in the village supermarket. The much closer village of St. Helens, about 10 minute’s walk from the marina, has a post office, cashpoint, and a smaller local shop. Both villages offer a choice of pubs, that serve food, and restaurants.

An hourly summer bus service runs between Bembridge and the harbour, Ryde, Sandown and
Newport. Newport is the central hub for the island’s bus service from where connections to all other parts of the island can be found.

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have occurred to a vessel in Bembridge Harbour.

With thanks to:

Michael Harpur S/Y Whistler.