Yacht Hire
Hire one of our yachts, your way. Whether you're looking for a day of leisure, a weekend escape, or an extended week-long voyage, with a skipper or without – you choose.
The Solent - No Finer Place to Charter a Yacht
Yacht Charter and Yacht Hire are synonymous terms, both referring to the fantastic experience of renting a yacht to create an unforgettable experience. And, there is also no finer place to take a yacht hire than in the Solent, with it’s many harbours, estuaries, anchorages, marinas and historic ports, the possibilities for a week or a weekend yacht hire are endless.
First Class Sailing’s Yacht Hire operation is conveniently based in Shamrock Quay in Southampton. The marina has great facilities for you to start your Solent yacht hire with. A pub, a breakfast café, a restaurant and excellent showers. There is also plenty of parking which is secure.
From Shamrock Quay you can cast off and be in the Hamble River for lunch or Cowes, the capital of yachting, for a late lunch. You then have a number of options to carry on sailing to for the evening. In fact you can spend a whole 5 days in the Solent without visiting the same place twice, stopping twice or only once a day.
Some of the options are:
Cowes
Enjoy the ambience of the most famous yachting centre in the world. Cowes dates back to Tudor times and is divided in two by the River Medina, creating East and West Cowes. The two being linked by a chain ferry.
Watch hundreds of different boats come and go, stroll through the narrow cobbled high street - and visit some of the many pubs and restaurants.
Visit Osborne House, Queen Victoria's magnificent summer residence, open to the public and a short bus or taxi ride from East Cowes Marina.
Portsmouth Royal Dockyard
Take your hired yacht to Portsmouth and take a walk around the historic Royal Dockyard where you can see modern day frigates and aircraft carriers. To contrast today's modern naval ships go aboard HMS Victory, Nelson's flag ship that fought in the Battle of Trafalgar. The museums are excellent and will be enjoyed by all.
Beaulieu
Potter up the very peaceful and pretty Beaulieu River to Bucklers Hard in the heart of the New Forest where most of Henry VIII's fleet was built. If you have time the town is nearby and Lord Montague's private car collection at Beaulieu Motor Museum.
Yarmouth - Western end of the Isle of Wight
A charming, pretty village great pubs and restaurants. From here there are some lovely coastal walks to the Needles and across the Island to Freshwater or Tennison Down.
Newtown Creek
New Town Creek is a wonderfully peaceful, natural, and totally unspoilt harbour. It is National Trust protected nature reserve. There are many sea birds and sometimes the colour of the water is such that it looks like the perfect Caribbean anchorage. Visitors moorings are provided and a run ashore in the dinghy to the local Pub is a must!
Lymington
A beautiful, Georgian market town, Lymington is on the southern edge of the New Forest at the western end of the Solent. The town is world renown as a sailing resort and has a number of boutique shops, good pubs and excellent restaurants.
Lymington is surrounded by outstanding natural beauty and this is clearly visible as you sail into the harbour. To the north are the ancient woodlands and heathlands of the New Forest. To the west are miles of coastal nature reserve including Hurst Spit which is an SSSI.
You can tie up on town quay right in the middle of town and watch the world go by or in the large marina with all the facilities you might need. It's a very charming bustling place with cobbled streets, a fun market (dating back to 13th century) on Saturdays, good pubs and excellent restaurants.
Wotton Creek
On the Isle of Wight Wotton Creek is a very pretty estuary flowing into the Solent. Flanked by Wootton village on one side, Fishbourne village on another and 30 acres of woodland on the other Wootton Creek (along with adjacent Ryde Sands) is a designated SSSI’s due to its wide range of intertidal sand flats. It’s a very charming lunch stop.
Hamble River
The River Hamble is a major centre for all types of recreational boating. It is home to thousands of sailing yachts and motorboats. There is always a bustle of activity going on on the water.
There are a number of marinas and pontoons to berth at. Hamble village itself is on the west side and boosts a number of good restaurants and pubs. Warsash on the East side has the Rising Sun – a favourite pub amongst those who have been out sailing for the day.
All these places are within easy reach of Shamrock Quay and it's possible to get some great sailing in and visit more than one in a day. Contact us todayto book your Solent Yacht Charter or visit our sister company Firstaway Yacht Charters and discover details of our fleet of yachts available for charter.
