Dinghy Trails from this location
Itchenor to East Head
Itchenor to Dell Quay
Itchenor to Pilsey
About the Area:
The village of Itchenor is situated in the heart of Chichester Harbour, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a small pocket of wilderness and tranquility on what is otherwise a somewhat hectic section of the south coast. This huge natural harbour is very tidal and its extensive mudflats and saltmarsh provide a wonderful natural haven for wildlife. At the same time the powdery white sands of beaches such as West Wittering provide plenty of variety and the smattering of charming waterside villages provide great variety for the sailor. This is also a harbour steeped in history, with many settlements, including Itchenor, dating back to the time of the Roman conquest. The harbour is also famed for being the spot where King Canute commanded the tide to stop in order to demonstrate his royal powers – to no effect. Bosham church was the site where King Harold prayed before his trip to France to negotiate with William the Conqueror before the Battle of Hastings. Bosham is the spot where William landed with his invading force and is featured in the Bayeaux tapestry.
Itchenor is situated on the south eastern side of the harbour which provides even greater peace and tranquility as you are further removed from the hubbub inland. The village is soaked in salt water and the mainstay of its economy for many years was shipbuilding, having supplied a number of naval vessels for the Napoleonic wars. This picturesque village is therefore a particularly appealing option to the sailor and it has an illustrious history of yachting with the sailing club having been established in 1927 and has seen a number of successful Olympic sailors make the grade after enjoying tough racing in the local regattas.
There are two fees applicable to sailing in Chichester Harbour
Think of them as a permit to sail at all, and a separate launching fee. If you arrive from the sea, you only have to pay the permit to sail, but if you launch into Chichester Harbour you have to pay the launching fee as well.
So even if you have bought an annual Chichester Harbour Conservancy sticker, if you want to launch into Chichester Harbour at Itchenor you also have to pay the launching fee.
Note that if you land at Bosham by Bosham Sailing Club, they will require you to pay a “launching fee” to launch back into Chichester Harbour as the Manor of Bosham is not the same as the Chichester Harbour Conservancy.
Chichester Harbour Conservancy https://www.conservancy.co.uk
Launch Point Lat and Long:
50.80699649586137
-0.8658916975863606
Launch Point What3Words: https://w3w.co/months.sweetener.attaching
Launch Information: There is a launch fee payable to the Harbour Office which is next to the slipway. Even if you have an annual plaque from the Conservancy, there is a launching fee to pay each time.
https://www.conservancy.co.uk/on-the-water/harbour-dues-charges/
Trailer Parking What3Words: https://w3w.co/battling.amps.sneezed
Trailer Parking Information: Britannia Parking are now the car park managers at Itchenor, and the system is a pay-before-you-leave system. Park in the carpark, and on return you scan the QR code and it leads to payment, it uses Number Plate Recognition, so just type in your number plate and pay. It’s says 48 hours to pay so if you don’t have signal you can pay later (other than the QR code bit) so save this on your phone.
Britannia Parking: prices checked 2024:
Up to 1 hour £1.40
2 hours £2.80
4 hours £4.80
12 hours £5.80
24 hours £7.00
48 hours £10.40
Up to 3 days £13.80
4 days £17.20
5 days £20.60
6 days £24.10
7 days £27.50
Additional days £3.60
Annual £135.00
Business/Fishermen £70.50
Toilets: There are public toilets built into the Harbour Office building at Itchenor.
Toilets Information: There are public toilets but no disabled toilets at Itchenor.
Trailer Parking Information: You can sometimes leave the roadbase parked up the bank behind your car and blocked in. The launching trolley can be left on the foreshore at Itchenor, and know that on a spring tide the place where you might leave the trolley will flood. If your trolley floats, it could float away, so tie it to something solid.
Toilets What3Words:
Itchenor https://w3w.co/neon.stupidly.resettle
Safety Information: Be aware that the harbour entrance is deep with a very fast tidal flow of a maximum of 6 knots. At the western end of East Head, the sand drops away abruptly and the tide can rip past. The harbour has soft mud in many locations, and it’s best not to get out of your dinghy unless you are sure of the ground being hard.