A LONG WEEKEND
With white sand beaches, quiet anchorages and miles of creeks, you may never want to leave Chichester Harbour
Chichester: the harbour you’ll never want to leave. Why this harbour has everything for cruisers
Everyone seems to be in such a hurry. Always rushing around, scurrying to get somewhere, to make a tide perhaps, and never slowing down to look at the beauty around them as they motor flat out for the harbour entrance.’ This comment came from a friend who sails a very pretty little day sailer in Chichester Harbour and who, like me now, has no real ambition to go any further afield.
Then there are the racers, the many fleets of dinghies sailing out of Chichester, Itchenor, Bosham and Emsworth. The achingly pretty Sunbeams and Swallows with their multicoloured spinnakers paint the harbour in bright colours for whom the harbour is a playing field, albeit a playing field with the added challenge of changeable tides and weather and a course that dodges the many banks and hazards in the harbour. They, like the cruisers en route for the Solent, France or further afield, never seem to take the time to look around at the natural world around them, the wildlife and the ever-changing land and seascapes. Because Chichester Harbour is one of the most outstandingly beautiful harbours in the country, if not Europe. It is described on Wikipedia as being ‘an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is of national and international importance for nature conservation. It is a site of special scientific interest, a wetland of international importance, a special protection area for wild birds and a special area of conservation.’ It seems such a shame to rush by.
My first experience of Chichester Harbour was in 1960 when, with my sister, I was sent on a twoweek sailing course with Emsworth Sailing School under the watchful eye of one Crab Searle. My sister preferred horses and at the end of the two weeks, returned to their pastures. For me, the seed was sown for what was to be a lifetime passion for boats and the sea and would eventually lead toa career working on sailing magazines. As a teenager, I sailed and raced dinghies, initially from Emsworth and later from Bosham and as I graduated to larger boats I moved away, occasionally visiting, and it was not until I launched my 26ft wooden gaff yawl, Maggie May, in 2013 and kept her initially in Chichester Marina, now at Northney, that I became ‘resident’ in the harbour again, living close by the shores in Emsworth.
I have, during this time, developed great respect for the harbour, for its tides and tidal streams, shallows and mudbanks and many hazards, mainly through hard, sometimes bitter, experience. A harbour mudbank on a falling tide is an excellent tutor. But for every ‘learning’ experience, I’ve had huge joy sailing here, whether it’s flat water and a good breeze, seals basking on the shores of Thorney Island or a low-flying Spitfire out of Goodwood.
The harbour is shaped like a hand, with the little finger leading down towards Langstone, the ring finger the Emsworth Channel, middle finger Thorney, index finger Bosham and thumb heading past Itchenor towards Chichester Marina and Dell Quay. The palm of the hand is the body of the harbour, the wrist the entrance with its potentially dangerous Winner shoals. That entrance is shallow, the tides run fast and it’s no place to be when there’s a spring ebb and strong onshore breeze.
We, that is YM editor Theo, photographer Richard Langdon and myself, left Northney Marina, my home base, sailing Maggie May. Designed by Steve Dalzell and built by John Chambers in Grimsby, she is built of speed strip cedar and epoxy with spruce spars and was launched just over five years ago. We motorsailed along the Northney Channel and turned north along the Emsworth Channel. South of the Emsworth cardinal mark, the Emsworth Channel continues down past Fowley Island and the visitor’s pontoon on the lefthand side of the channel which has space for half a dozen boats. Where it divides, the main and well-marked channel leads on towards Emsworth Quay and Emsworth Yacht Harbour. The quay dries and the yacht harbour has a 2.44m sill and is
It is one of the most outstandingly beautiful harbours in the country, if not Europe
HIDDEN GEMS FOWLEY ISLAND, EMSWORTH CHANNEL
This small islet is on the lefthand side as you approach Emsworth town. The island, which has two small lagoons inside, big enough for a dinghy, is made entirely of old oyster shells, witness to Emsworth’s history as a major oyster port. The trade was wiped out in the early 20th Century due to disease which was also responsible for a number of deaths.
SEALS
It is estimated that there are 50 or 60 grey and harbour seals in Chichester and Langstone harbours. They are best seen on the mudbanks either side of the Emsworth Channel on a rising tide.
SPITFIRES AND MOTHS
Visitors will often see low-flying Spitfires doing aerobatics over the harbour. These are based at Goodwood. If there is a reasonable breeze, they may also see hydrofoiling Moth dinghies sailing at high speed near Hayling Island Sailing Club.
EAST HEAD
Not so much a hidden gem than a very visible one. In 1951, the Church Commissioners, owners of the foreshore at East Head, were approached by Butlins with a view to developing a holiday camp here. One hundred and twenty six local residents raised the funds to buy the estate and the West Wittering Estate was created. Their remit covered not just East Head but also the beach at West Wittering, one of the most attractive and popular beaches on the south coast. The estate is now managed by the National Trust. The spit at East Head was breached in 1963, and there is now an ongoing programme of coastal protection.
BOSHAM CHURCH
This dates back to Saxon times, although part of the tower is Norman. Legend has it that King Canute’s daughter is buried here, although this has never been proved. The same legend has it that it was at Bosham that the King sat in his throne and ordered the waves to go back.
BOSHAM BELL
Legends abound here. Another is that the Danish plundered the church and stole the bell, which proved too heavy so their ship sank. At certain states of the tide, it is claimed that the bell can still be heard. Bosham Sailing Club has a bell as it emblem.
Legend or not, Bosham is a very pretty village, from its popular Anchor Bleu pub to the waterside homes here and on Bosham Hoe on the north side of the Itchenor Channel.
accessible, depending on draught and whether neaps or springs, for at least an hour, often more, either side of high water. At Fisherman’s, we turned back and threaded our way down the channel through the moored boats. Now under full sail, we set off down the channel in the easterly breeze at a respectable 6 knots.
On the largely featureless shores of Thorney Island, you can often see seals basking both before and after Marker Point and on Pilsey Sands, especially on a rising tide. Thorney Island is a military base, although there is a public footpath round its coast.
We passed the Hayling Yacht Company on the right before closing in on Black Point. Mengham Rithe Channel branches off to the right here, leading to Sparkes Marina and on the promontory itself is Hayling Island Sailing Club, which plays host to many national and international regattas. The biggest of these, numerically, is Chichester Harbour Week which runs from 13-17 August, when upward of 300 dinghies race in the harbour. Racing usually takes place for two hours either side of High Water so it is possible to keep clear of the mass of boats. Resisting the temptation to take a short cut across Pilsey Sands, possible with local knowledge, we rounded Fishery south cardinal, threading the narrow channel between the Winner and Stocker’s Sands.
We were now heading east towards the popular and, especially at weekends, busy anchorage at East Head. It is not just advisable but de rigeur to
A close reach took us past East Head, where tides can run fast in the channel
fly an anchor ball in the anchorage by day and an anchor light at night. Tides can run very fast both near the harbour entrance and across the channel leading to East Head. There is a less crowded anchorage to the east of Pilsey Island and on the west side of the Thorney Channel. The channel leads north past the Thorney Island Sailing Club and towards Thornham Marina, which dries completely at low water.
A close reach took us past the Camber south cardinal and on up the Chichester Channel towards Chalkdock – and then hard on the wind to Cobnor Point and Deep End. It was here that discretion prevailed and we lowered the mizzen, rolled the jib and motorsailed north along the Bosham Channel. Our aim, or Richard’s at least, was to get some aerial pictures with his drone. Bosham and Itchenor are really the heart of the harbour and we motored as far as depth permitted, where Richard launched the drone. Bosham’s medieval Saxon and Norman church (see Hidden Gems) dominates this very pretty village. When the drone miraculously reappeared and was caught, we repeated the exercise at Itchenor. This time, Richard went ashore.
There are six visitor’s moorings off Itchenor and it is possible to raft up several boats deep here. The main harbour office is in Itchenor, as is the popular and successful Itchenor Sailing Club. Although we decided to go no further west, Birdham Pool, which is a locked basin, is on the right and a short distance further is Chichester Marina.
Beyond Chichester Marina, the channel shallows and dries at LW towards Dell Quay, where there is a sailing club and popular pub, the Crown and Anchor. In the near distance, the tall steeple of Chichester Cathedral towers into the sky.
The wind had gone light so once Richard was back on board, we motored to East Head for a drone launch before heading back to Northney.