Key information
| Anchor allowed | Mooring Bouys | Harbour Master | Services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes for free | No | No VHF or Phone | No services and no landing allowed |
Osborne Bay, overlooking queen Victoria’s once private beach, is without a doubt one of the most popular anchorages in the Solent. Nestled on the North Eastern side of the Isle Of Wight, the bay offers a lovely spot to anchor up for the afternoon to soak up the sun. It’s position usually gives you good cover from the wind and the midday sun can sometimes be tempting enough to take a swim or at least try some paddle boarding!
Whilst Osborne Bay is a large anchorage, it can definitely get busy in the peak summer months which naturally takes away some of the tranquility. People often talk about struggling to find space although I recently visited in September, during a warm day and was pleasantly surprised to only see 2 other sailing yachts anchored up. So my advice would definitely be to consider visiting either side of the peak summer months or get there early.
The one downside that has put some off anchoring up here is the swell. At times this can be quite significant from the volume of large vessels passing through. Whilst this doesn’t spoil the views both back across the solent and inland, it can be a nuisance, especially those on smaller boats. This definitely isn’t the case all the time, so don’t let that put you off before you’ve at least given it a try.
Where to moor?
In terms of anchoring, technically there’s lots of space to do so and its usually a good holding. Just be aware that you can’t anchor too close to shore (yellow buoys clearly mark the voluntary no anchoring zone closer to shore). And you cannot land ashore as it is a private beach.
If you're looking to visit Osborne Bay with a boat hire, check out our shortlist of places to hire RIBs from on the solent.
Why visit Osborne Bay?
Aside from the above, there are a number of reasons Osborne Bay is worth a visit:
Osborne Bay is best known for Osborne House a former Royal residence built back in 1845. Purposely built for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Today, a museum, as you anchor at Osborne Bay, looking back up at Osborne House is one of the amazing views you benefit from this anchorage.
The other cool thing to look out for is Queen Victorias bathing machine. This intriguing contraption was built as a mobile changing room to protect the queens modesty whilst bathing in the sea. Amazing, once the queen changed into her bathing suit, she was then lowered into the sea allowing her to swim straight out into the Solent.
Finally and more generally Osborne Bay has some breathtaking views and on the right day is a wonderful place to anchor up, have a spot of lunch and watch the world go by. It's popular with Swimmers too so if you're feeling brave, the shallower waters closers to shore are a good place to take a dip.
How long does it take to get to Osborne Bay
- From Cowes, it’s no more than 10minute cruise as you come out of the harbour and head east around the island
- From Port Hamble, depending on conditions expect around a 25min cruise South East
- From Lymington, depend on conditions expect around a 40min cruise from the mouth of the habour
- Finally from Portsmouth, expect around 20mins cruise from the mouth of Portsmouth Harbour
Things to be aware of when visiting Osborne Bay
- As mentioned earlier, it gets super busy here during the peak summer months. Either get there early or pick warmer days either side of the summer
- Anchoring at Osborne Bay is totally free, just be sure to stay outside of the no anchoring zone and remember you cannot land ashore here
- Remember the tides whilst you’re here. The depths can become quite shallow at times so know your boats minimum depths
- Watch out for fishing pots that are sometimes not marked as well as they should be!
Please note: this information is only provided as a rough guide, not for navigation purposes.