At approximately 5 nm (1 to 2 hours), Ashlett Creek is one of our closest cruising destination making it suitable for a ‘Shake Down’ cruise at the start of the season or one to end the season if daylight is a limitation.
Location
West bank of Southampton Water – south of oil refinery and north of (ex-) power station. For general location , find ‘A‘ on Cruise Destination Map.
Lat/Long: 50°49′ 37.76″N, 1° 20′ 20.03″W (50.8272, -1.3389)
Google Maps: click here.
Reports of Cruises to Ashlett Creek
You will find reports of cruises to Ashlett Creek within the Cruise Reports as follows:
- 2006: 14 May – Cruise 2
- 2012: 6 May – Cruise 2
- 2021: 9 Oct – Cruise 11
- 2022: 1 May – Cruise 1a
- 2022: 11 Sep – Cruise 11
- 2023: 22 Apr – Cruise 2
- 2024: 21 Apr – Cruise 2
- 2024: 4 Aug – Cruise 9
- 2025: 27 Jul – Cruise 8
- 2026: 19 Apr – Cruise 1
Photographs of Cruises to Ashlett Creek
You will find albums of photographs of cruises to Ashlett Creek within the Gallery Archive as follows:
- June 1986
- 27 April 2013
- 8 May 2016
- 9 Oct 2021
- 11 Sep 2022
- 21 Apr and 4 Aug 2024
- 27 Jul 2025
- 19 Apr 2026
Useful Links
Why go to Ashlett Creek?
The short distance provides a destination for crews that do not wish to spend long hours on the water. The head of the creek is very sheltered and berthing is relatively uncomplicated. The adjacent pub the “The Jolly Sailor” serves food indoors and outdoors in a covered area. Booking is not required for meals.
How far is it?
The distance will be in the order of 5 nm if the wind is not against you.
Planning
This destination is only tenable at or near high water Southampton. The high water at Southampton generally occurs some 30 minutes before the high water at Portsmouth for neap tides and about the same time, as Portsmouth, for spring tides. Southampton has a double high tide during or near spring tides, with a tidal stand on other occasions. This allows for an unpressured visit to this destination. One could, if so desired, stay for three hours which will provide a favourable tidal flow for the return journey.
Route: Outbound & Return
When sailing from the Club west towards Calshot, you are likely to cross or pass close to the “North Channel” channel so keep a good look out for ships using this route. Hill Head buoy (red, port hand) is a mark of the channel.
The primary consideration when cruising to Ashlett Creek is that you will need to cross the ‘Precautionary Area’ that lies to the east of Calshot Castle. In the Precautionary Area, all vessels over 150m are given a Moving Prohibited Zone of 1,000 metres ahead and 100 metres to either side. You must stay clear of this moving zone. The water between Calshot and Chilling can be very busy. As well as marine traffic to and from the Port of Southampton including large commercial vessels, the Isle of Wight ferry, and the Red Jet Fast Cat, you may also encounter a host of yachts and power boats on their way to and from the Hamble. It is prudent to make progress along the northern shore of the Solent until almost adjacent to the mouth of the Hamble River. At this point a decision can be made to cross the main Southampton Water channel to access Ashlett Creek from near the Fawley terminal jetty. As you cross, maintain a good lookout.
Clearly being so near the jetty, leeway and or tidal flow needs to be accounted for to mitigate the risk of being carried on to the tugs. Entering the channel from more easterly position presents the risk of running into the raised marsh areas. Once in the creek, channel lateral marks will be seen. A typical track to the slipway is shown below.
The lateral marker posts as well as the raised marshes to the east of the entrance is shown below in this picture taken looking towards Meon cliffs.
Berthing:
Adjacent the slipway is a concrete pier fitted with a good number of wooden mooring posts. This allows for a floating mooring without the use of inflatable rollers. There is no charge for mooring.
If there is insufficient space to secure to these posts, boats can be rolled up onto the mud/shingle slipway. Space should be left for members of the public who may wish to launch or recover their craft while you are at lunch.
On at least one occasion (May 2016), with prior agreement, Club boats have secured at the Ashlett Sailing Club’s pontoon.
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