| The Solent is a magnificent sailing playground on the | | | | Hovercraft |
| South coast of England between the mainland and | | | | Underwater submarine barriers |
| the Isle of Wight. Approximately 30 miles long and 3 | | | | Mid channel defensive forts |
| to 5 miles wide, it encompasses an amazing variety | | | | Cross Channel ferries |
| of geography and sailing conditions. You could choose | | | | Ocean going liners |
| a quiet natural harbour like Newtown Creek nature | | | | Warships & a naval dockyard |
| reserve or a busy cosmopolitan city like | | | | A small boat channel |
| Southampton. Nowhere is more than a few sailing | | | | Fishing vessels |
| hours apart and it is all protected from the worst of | | | | Active minesweepers |
| any weather by the Island itself. That's not to say | | | | Floating dead whales |
| there are no challenges for the yacht sailor and for | | | | Railway sleepers adrift |
| sailing instruction courses there is no better spot to | | | | Lighthouses, lateral buoys, cardinal buoys, |
| learn due to the wide variety of navigational | | | | safe water and isolated danger marks |
| obstacles some natural and some man made. To give | | | | Locks |
| you an idea, here are some of the obstacles that | | | | Firing range danger area |
| you may find. | | | | Sand bar |
| An historic ship wreck | | | | Chain ferry |
| Tides in excess of 4 knots | | | | Submerged pipelines marked by a fresnal |
| Dangerous rocks | | | | lens |
| Ferries | | | | As a result of this variety, the Solent is a paradise |
| A curved ledge with a trap in its hook | | | | for sailors and Cowes at its centre can rightly |
| High speed catamarans | | | | describe itself as the home of yachting. The annual |
| Oil tanker and container ships with moving | | | | Cowes week regatta sees the Solent filled with so |
| prohibited zones | | | | many yachts, taking part in so many simultaneous |
| An offshore sandbank suitable for hosting | | | | yacht races, that its virtually impossible to navigate a |
| a cricket match | | | | straight course. But it is also this huge variety that |
| The biggest yacht race in the world | | | | enables so many sea schools and yacht charter |
| Radar speed traps | | | | companies to flourish in the area. It may not be as |
| Pile moorings | | | | beautiful as the West Coast of Scotland, but I know |
| In excess of 30 marinas | | | | where I would rather learn or instruct. |
| A National Trust nature reserve | | | | |