Hamble Cruising Guide

In 1837 the Royal Southern Yacht Club was founded, initially known as the Royal Southampton Yacht Club, it was based in Southampton with a club house opposite the Royal Pier. It’s new club house was opened at the Town Quay in 1846 and remained there until 1934 when it moved to the Hamble. The Royal Southern has enjoyed Royal patronage from 1840 with Queen Victoria, then in 1910 by King George V in succession to the late King Edward VII.

The third and oldest surviving sailing club in the village is The Hamble River Sailing Club which was founded in 1919 by seven men from Hamble who used a storage hut in the grounds of the Bugle Pub. An active sailing club, it runs weekly club racing as well as the Garmin Hamble Winter Series.

Adjoining Port Hamble Marina is Hamble Yacht Services. HYS offer a complete range of services, including lift out, boat repairs, maintenance & rigging facilities.

A short journey up river is Mercury Yacht Harbour, originally built by Sir Robin Knox Johnston and favoured by many for its sheltered wooded site, this is the third marina on the river operated by MDL. In 1892 the training ship Mercury was moored nearby. Known locally as “Noah’s Ark”. TS Mercury was run as a nautical training school for the Royal & Merchant Navies before closing in 1968.

A little further up stream is Universal Marina, just 20 mins from the river entrance it is a family run business set in acres of rural and tranquil surrounds. There are numerous on site businesses able to meet all your boating needs and an excellent bar and restaurant.

Since the mid 1300’s Swanwick and Bursledon were the focus for a range of ship building activities with the last Naval vessel being built in 1813.

In 1786 HMS Elephant was launched, chosen by Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson in 1801 as his flag ship during the battle of Copenhagen where he is said to have placed his telescope to his blind eye and claimed not to be able to see a signal ordering him to withdraw.

In 1798 the first bridge at Bursledon was built. In the first year £126 was raised in tolls, by 1815 it raised £2148. Tolls existed until 1930.

In 1827 John Moody, a carpenter who started boat building in his back garden in Swanwick, moved to a parcel of land on the Swanwick shore. His son Alexander joined the business in 1850 where along with his other brother Frederick, they repaired fishing boats and built dinghies. Reginald Moody joined the partnership in 1907. Moody started to build GRP boats in 1965 and continued until 1989. Set in the upper reaches of the River Hamble.

In 1970 the M27 Motorway bridge was built across the River Hamble and then in 1980’s the BBC TV series “Howards’ Way” helped make the area famous. The Jolly Sailor Pub set on the banks of the river was the setting for many scenes of the hit show. Built in 1750 and owned by the nearby monastery it became a pub around 100 years ago, it is still a favourite riverside watering hole.

When Francis Deacon returned from the First World War in 1918 he bought a strip of land on the foreshore below the railway and lived in a 70 foot Motor Launch with his wife. This was the start of Deacons boat yard still a thriving yard today with full on site facilities. Beyond the road and railway bridges lie RK Marine boat yard and then further up the river Eastlands Boat Yard naturally both favoured by those without a mast!!

At the highest navigable point on the River Hamble lies the Horse and Jockey Pub, only accessible at certain times of tide this is a great place to explore by dinghy, kayak or paddle board.

The Hamble River is home to the Ancasta Group with new and used boat sales offices located in both Swanwick and Port Hamble marina. The Ancasta Aftersales and Parts departments operate from the Hamble Yacht Services boat yard which has been supporting yachtsmen from all over the world from their convenient location in Port Hamble for over 35 years. Today the site and services have grown and cater for boat owners of all disciplines.