Seaview is a seaside resort situated off the south coast of England and on the northeastmost point of the Isle of Wight. The shore is shoal but the welcoming Sea View Yacht Club provide visitor moorings well offshore beyond which it is also possible to anchor.

Set so far out from the low lying shore this is an exposed and tiderode location that can only be made use of in settled conditions. Approaches require attentive navigation as, although an eastward approach is entirely open, the shoals to the east of the island and the very dangerous Ryde Sand have to be circumvented.

The moorings are subject to very strong tidal currents and are vulnerable to wash from commercial shipping entering and exiting The Solent.

Keyfacts for Seaview

Position and approaches

Haven position

50° 43.446' N, 001° 6.094' W

This is the position of the 2-metre contour in the vicinity of the Sea View Yacht Club mooring area.

What is the initial fix?

This is positioned about midway between two race buoys, F.Y 4s at night, located just under a mile east by northeast of Nettlestone Point.

What are the key points of the approach?

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What's the story here?

The coastal village of Seaview stands on Nettlestone Point, located 2½ miles northwest of Foreland and 2 miles southeast of Ryde. It is a small Edwardian resort that has somehow managed to remain something of a quiet retreat compared to the island's more active coastal locations. The key attraction from a boating perspective is the Sea View Yacht Club, a vibrant sailing community that offers a blend of sailing activities and social events amidst the picturesque backdrop of Seaview, Isle of Wight.




Visiting Yachtsmen are welcome to use the Sea View Yacht Club moorings and tender, subject to payment of fees and signing in on the club visitor book when ashore. Boats up to 10 tonnes 12 metres (40 ft.) can be accepted at the owner's risk, and there are a handful of 20-tonne moorings for larger craft. All the moorings are around 2 metres deep at Mean Low Water Springs. Their ferry service is available from 08:30 to 16:30 during the season.




The mooring charge is £20.00 [2025] for a 24-hour period, from 11 am to 11 am the following day. However, if you purchase a meal at the Club's restaurant, the mooring fee is reduced to £10 for that day. Pay for the mooring at the bar and present your receipt to the boatman on your return journey.




Although the club has plenty of moorings, they occasionally receive visiting clubs and rallies, so it is advisable to call or e-mail 24 hours in advance to confirm availability. Sea View Yacht Club is manned every working day and available for general enquiries +44 1983 613 268, office@svyc.co.uk. Otherwise, just contact the club by M2 (P4 on an Icom) [Sea View Boatmen] as you approach the area.

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.




Vessels approaching from the west should stand well off the head of Ryde Pier so as not to hamper the high-speed ferry service.




Ryde Sand is the primary hazard for all vessels approaching the Isle of Wight's northeastern part. It is a great expanse of Ryde Sand that has left many a leisure craft standing. From Nettlestone Point, the sands are uncovered and dry to 2 metres at low water springs. This drying area extends nearly a mile northward, towards Spithead, and then turns away west by north towards the head of Ryde Pier. Although Seaview is clear to the east, Ryde Sands must be approached with great caution.




Ryde Sand's northern edge arches out from Ryde Pier and its northeast point, Ryde Sand red port beacon, by night Fl.R.10s. From Ryde Pier, continue north-eastward keeping at least 200 metres outside the Red Piles as this section is very steep to and the most dangerous part of Ryde Sand. Then steer for No Man's Land Fort.




No Man's Land Fort can be passed via the ¼ mile-wide Small Boat Channel on the fort's western or island side. It has a least charted depth of 2 metres between the fort and the red beacon that exhibits a light at night, Fl.R.12s. After passing No Man's Land Fort, steer for St. Helen's Fort, just over 2 miles southward, preparing to turn to starboard at the initial fix located about ¾ of a mile southward.




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. It lists the key hazards for vessels rounding Foreland, the low eastern extremity of the Isle of Wight, are the Bembridge Ledge, Cole Rock and the Dickey Dawe Rocks.




Keep Bembridge Ledge Cardinal to port, then St. Helen's Fort at least 200 metres to port, and leave all the various spherical seasonal buoys to the port to clear the rocks and shoals along the shoreline between Nodes Point and Nettlestone Point.




The initial fix is located about midway between two race buoys, F.Y 4s at night, located just under a mile east by northeast of Nettlestone Point, where the clubhouse stands.




The mooring area's lines of multi-coloured keelboats will be clearly visible about a third of a mile westward from here. Steer towards the mooring area and the sands east of Nettlestone, which, although more irregular, do shoal gently. A careful eye on the sounder while keeping outside the 2 metres contour sees a vessel clear of dangers. Those intending to anchor should do so well outside the mooring area.




At the height of the season, the club visitor moorings are laid out in two trots of 20 and 18 outside the mermaids. They all have a 'V' on them and are ideally targeted at 12-metre (40 ft.) boats, circa 10 tons.



The club boatman M2 (P4) [Sea View Boatmen] will be delighted to assist with any questions.




Those landing independently by tender on the club landing stage and slipway should be equipped with a stalwart outboard motor, as tidal currents run very strong here.

Why visit here?

Seaview is a small off the beaten path Victorian and Edwardian resort located on Nettlestone Point. The appropriately named coastal village commands views over The Solent and Portsmouth Harbour and the open sea from the relatively low-lying northeastern corner of the Isle of Wight.




Seaview's earliest mention comes from the formidable 1545 French invasion of the Isle of Wight. The French, or their mercenaries, landed in multiple places on the island in July of that year. Their believed purpose was to sack the island in order to provoke the English Fleet into battle with their far larger fleet. One of these landings was on the Seaview beach below, where there was a small, round stone tower known as Nettlestone Fort. Martin Du Bellay wrote of the invasion: "...To keep the enemy's forces separated, a simultaneous descent was made in three different places. On one side Seigneur Pierre Strosse was bidden to land below a little fort where the enemy had mounted some guns with which they assailed our galleys in flank, and within which a number of Island infantry had retired. These, seeing the boldness of our men, abandoned the fort and fled southwards to the shelter of a copse. Our men pursued and killed some of them and burned the surrounding habitations... "




The invaders destroyed what they found at Nettlestone and burnt its manor. The entire Island population at the time was approximately 9,000 people, but Richard Worsley, the Captain of the Isle of Wight militia, had an army of 6,000 under his command. Everyone on the Island had compulsory military training, with women often fighting as archers. Worsley led a brave defence and managed to repulse the attackers. Although the battles ended without a clear winner and the English took great losses, including the sinking of the carrack Mary Rose, the French were effectively repelled, and it was considered an English victory. It proved to be the last French attempt on the Isle of Wight. As it was such a close run thing an organized system of defence was undertaken for the island and forts were constructed at Cowes, Sandown, Freshwater and Yarmouth. The original Nettlestone Fort went out of existence sometime during the 18th century, and the Old Fort Café, on the esplanade immediately to the east of the Yacht Club, now stands on the site. The invasion is commemorated by a plaque in Seaview which reads: "During the last invasion of this country hundreds of French troops landed on the foreshore nearby. This armed invasion was bloodily defeated and repulsed by local militia 21st July 1545".





Despite the existence of the fort, Seaview remained a landscape of dispersed settlements as late as the 18th century. A saltern, created by reclaiming a coastal marsh, formed the nucleus for the current village. The salt-boiling house was built to the north of where the present High Street is situated with a saltern's slipway on the shore. The salt pan worker's cottages that sprung up around the boiling house, along with a scattering of early coastal houses near the original fort most likely owned by sea captains as they overlook the naval anchorage of Spithead, formed the origins from which the village of Seaview began to grow.




Like other Isle of Wight coastal towns, such as Ryde, Cowes, Bembridge and Gurnard, Seaview got swept up by the Victorian penchant for coastal holidays. Many of the houses along the Esplanade, Circular Road and West Street go back to the 19th century, including Seaview House. From about the 1850s, the coming of a railway connection dramatically increased the popularity of Seaview and its development. This is reflected in the enlargements of houses and the numerous seaside accommodations, including the Hotel. The construction of a very elegant suspension pier in 1880, which was one of only three suspension or chain piers built in the British Isles, further fueled its visitor popularity.




During this period, it was noted as 'a pleasant retreat for those who are fond of a quiet seaside nook away from the bustle and gaiety of Ryde' and was recommended for its fine bathing and good sands. The Sea View Yacht Club was founded in 1893, and its stated aim is 'to encourage amateur sailing and boat racing', and this went on to further the village's popularity with the upper and middle classes. The village's popularity went on into the 20th century as ‘Ward Locks Red Guide', from the 1930's, noted "The constant procession of warships, liners and craft of all kinds is a source of never-failing interest. The fine firm sands of the two bays, the bordering woodland, reaching down to the very water, and the leafy lanes in the vicinity lend the place a rare charm. Both on and near the front are many attractive houses, but accommodation is in such demand during the season that the would-be visitor has generally to make arrangements months in advance. The speciality of Seaview, and the principal attraction to the families who regularly, year after year, resort to it, is the sea-bathing. Very pleasing the many bathing tents look from the water, with their crowd of merry children on the sand in front and their dark green setting of foliage behind and eastward".




Today, Seaview retains its picturesque Victorian and Edwardian resort charm. It is renowned for its upmarket atmosphere, beautiful beaches, and rich maritime heritage, which is largely shaped by the Sea View Yacht Club, established in 1893. The club is particularly famous for two boat designs: the Mermaid, a keelboat with a long history in Seaview, and the Sea View One-Design (SVOD), also known as the Seaview Dinghy.




The Mermaids are a fleet of 13 identical keelboats owned by the Club and moored off Seaview from April through October. Initially designed in 1907, the Mermaid class has evolved over time while maintaining its elegant profile and attractive sheer line. The current fleet consists of GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) boats built around the year 2000. These boats are often used for corporate entertainment and are available for charter.




Sea View One-Design (SVOD) are clinker-built boats that are handcrafted in the village by the family firm of V.A. Warren & Son. The Sea View One Design class was established in 1931, and its 75th Anniversary was commemorated with a fleet race on 18 August 2006. This was followed in the afternoon by a sail past of 198 boats from the class, which continues to expand, with over 180 boats based in the village. These dinghies remain hand-built in the village by the family firm of V.A. Warren & Son.




The Sea View Yacht Club hosts various sailing events throughout the season, including an ISAF grade 3 Match race held annually in April. The annual Regatta at Seaview, held in late August, is a very good time to visit. It has a host of family events both onshore and at sea. There are sports for children and adults, including tug of war, beach races and the greasy pole. Offshore, there are rowing races on the village's iconic boats and a rescue race for couples. The event concludes with a fireworks display that brings people from all over the Island.




Set amongst a picturesque, gently undulating landscape on the edge of the Solent, overlooking the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour, Seaview is a very pretty seaside village by any standard, and it only gets better ashore. Here, a visitor is greeted by a core of small, narrow, brightly coloured streets that exude an old-world Victorian tradition punctuated by decorative customary shops. The promenade and beach are hallmarked by bunting, brightly painted boats, beachside cafés and deep sailing associations.



Seaview's rich sailing tradition and the village's preserved Victorian and Edwardian architecture enhance its enduring appeal as a charming coastal resort. This contributes to its immense popularity among visitors and its cherished status among the close-knit locals.




Although it may not be the most comfortable mooring ground on the Isle of Wight from a boating perspective, the beautiful village, its relaxed atmosphere, excellent pubs, cafés and restaurants, and, above all, its friendly people make it a very worthwhile destination should an auspicious weather window present itself.

What facilities are available?

Sea View Yacht Club has showers, toilets, and a bar and restaurant that is open every day for lunch where they appreciate visitors patronage.

Seaview’s High Street, running perpendicular to the shore, has a post office, and a small grocery store. Being a seaside village it has a host of small shops, and several excellent pubs and restaurants. Ryde, the island's largest town is situated an hours’ walk around the beaches, and has an abundance of pubs, shops and restaurants.

An hourly summer bus service runs between Seaview, to Bembridge, 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 obtained.

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have happened to a vessel off Seaview.

With thanks to:

Michelle Reader Membership Secretary, Sea View Yacht Club.