About our yachts - FAQs

Why are the boats on the South Coast? I'd like to try but I live quite far away.

The Solent offers us great sailing opportunities for the full sailing season - and is well connected for trains, motorways and airports. Occasionally, we have chartered a yacht in other places but the cost of chartering means it is cheaper to offer travel subsidy to crews from further afield. The Club will help with flight, train or ferry costs from further afield places and with Southampton Airport being nearby, we've had crew from Scotland get home before someone in Milton Keynes. It's also not cost effective to moor one or two of the boats elsewhere for administrative, storage and maintenance reasons.

Where are the boats and how do I get there?

The boats are all moored at Universal Marina near Southampton. The full address is JLPSC, Unit 8, Universal Marina, Crableck lane, Sarisbury Green, Southampton SO31 7ZN. Before your trip, the skipper will send out an email asking for everyone's travel plans so we can try to maximise lift shares. People catching trains often go to Southampton Airport Parkway as there is often a driver passing there (M3/M27) who can pick you up. The
closest station is Bursledon but this has fewer and slower trains. There is a large free car park on site.
The boats themselves are moored on berths J8, J10, J12, J14 and J16 on the north bridge head - ask your skipper for the access code to the bridge head gate.

What kind of yachts do we have?

We have 5 Hallberg-Rassy yachts. Our flagship is our 36ft Sabeema which has a steering wheel and sleeps seven. We have two 34ft yachts, Deborah Anne and Ann Speed, and two newer 342s (still 34ft), Norama
and Jeroma. All the 34ft yachts have tillers to steer with and sleep six. Although we primarily sail them in the Solent, they are all capable of going offshore - e.g. crossing the Channel.

How long is the sailing season?

We usually start our sailing season at the end of March when we fit out the yachts with their sails and safety equipment. From then, the yachts will be out virtually every weekend and sometimes during the week on
business sails and charters. We lay them up for the winter towards the end of November. Over the winter, we bring them out of the water to give them a good clean and check over.