Southampton SC to Eling

Launch Point: Southampton SC Public Slipway

Mission Statement: Busy port on one side, beautiful nature on the other – this is a dinghy sail of contrasting landscape.

Trail Introduction

Sailing a dinghy in Southampton Water is only for those who are prepared to keep a sharp lookout for the movements of huge ships, medium sized ships and small ships, as this is a busy commercial port with a lot of activity.

The sail to Eling is interesting for the adjacency to huge ships and also an adventure that can have a peaceful and rural destination, or straight into a busy tiny harbour which has a welcoming public house.

Interesting facts If you have some interesting facts please let me know.

Round Trip Distance: 10 miles (with the tide in both directions)

Approximate Time that the Trail will take Two hours there and back with a nice break for lunch – say… 5 hours in a Wayfarer or similar in F4 winds

OS Map or Chart:

Trail Details

Step by step information

1. Launch from Southampton SC public Slipway
2. The tide should be gently flooding and needs accounting for when approaching the pierhead. Sail round the pierhead that sits between the River Itchen and the River Test. Be particularly careful about entering the Test because the commercial port is hidden behind the pierhead, and it’s possible to get too close to a ship that is leaving because the visibility is restricted. It’s best to leave sufficient room between yourself and the pierhead so that you have some distance to escape any leaving ships.
   This is a straightforward sail, following the deep water to your chosen destination.
3. When returning and rounding the pierhead, the tidal flow is fast, so compensate for the ebb to arrive at the public slipway.

Refuge – the whole of the East of Southampton Water is commercial dock, and most of the West of Southampton Water is not a lovely place to land – there seems to be an abundance of discarded, twisted metal debris south of Marchwood which can easily lurk invisibly, and North of Marchwood it’s wooded and muddy. Marshwood Yacht Club has a slipway and people sail dinghies from there, so it could be a refuge if required.

Destination – rural or urban?

A. Goatee Beach – if there are a lot of sailors in the fleet, you may choose to stop for a picnic at the rural location of Goatee Beach. There is nothing there but grass and fields, and is a popular spot to stop at.

B. There is a beach at Eling which is sandy and lovely to land on, and there is a local pub, The Anchor Inn who do not seem to mind serving visiting dinghy sailors, and there are toilets. The beach can be completely full of activity and unsuitable for a sailing dinghy to land on during high season, and Eling itself can be a hive of watersports activity which a skipper might not want to entangle themselves with.

Trip Extensions:
Not really any trip extensions on this dinghy cruise – it’s a linear sail as far as a dinghy can go.

Tidal Information:
This is a dinghy cruise best suited to a high lunchtime tide, and plan your lunch during high tide. One of the challenges of Southampton Water’s tides is that it has a long “stand” at high water, and this is very noticeable on this cruise as the tide comes in at Goatee Beach or in the Eling channel and stays high for a couple of hours.

Best Tides:
lunchtime high tide = 12,13,14,15

Toilets:
No toilets at Goatee Beach and there is a Public Toilet within 1/4 mile walk in Eling on the same side.

There are publicans toilets inside the pub on Eling Quay.

Page Month Published: March 2026

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