Brighton Marina

Brighton Marina is part harbour, part waterfront development: pontoons packed with yachts, motor boats and fishing boats, surrounded by flats, restaurants and a leisure complex. The white cliffs rise behind it and the city sprawls to the west. It's lively and practical, and you won't be short of somewhere to eat.

The entrance lies between the east and west breakwaters and is buoyed red and green, with fixed vertical red and green lights at the inner entrance. The breakwater lights show for about seven miles. Approaching from the west, give the end of the western breakwater a wide berth to avoid boats leaving. In heavy weather many skippers approach from the south to avoid the worst of the backwash off the breakwaters.

The channel was dredged in mid-2025 to 1.7 metres below chart datum, but storms drive sand into a bank south and east of the eastern breakwater, and the channel can silt up, especially on the east side. Premier's 2026 notice advises boats drawing more than 1 metre to wait 120 minutes either side of low water. The speed limit is 5 knots.

Premier welcomes visitors but strongly recommends booking, especially in peak season, and gives priority to its own berth holders visiting from other Premier marinas. Call on VHF 80 or 37 or by phone, or go straight to visitor pontoons 10 and 11 and report to reception on the first floor of the West Jetty. Visitor rates are charged per metre per day and can be booked online.

The Inner Harbour, on the east side, is reached through a lock that runs on demand from 07:00 to 19:00 all year, with later times possible by agreement in summer. It takes boats drawing up to 3 metres. Call on VHF 80 or 37 to request a lock-in and moor on the port side of the floating pontoon inside. Pay at reception and return your fobs before locking out.

Premier lists a fuel pontoon, electricity on the pontoons, free water across the site, Wi-Fi, private shower rooms, contactless laundry, holding-tank pump-out, a chandlery and 24-hour security.

A full-service boatyard runs all year, with a 60-tonne hoist, a static crane for mast and engine lifts, a mast rack, high-pressure hull cleaning and storage in cradles. Other firms on site cover engineering, sailmaking and electronics.

On site are restaurants and bars including the Watershed, a multiplex cinema, bowling, a David Lloyd club and Brighton Marina Yacht Club. Brighton city centre, with the Royal Pavilion and Palace Pier, is minutes away on a 24-hour bus service. London is about 60 miles away and Gatwick about 30.

Boats on passage between the Solent and Dover or heading for France; crew changes with easy links to London and Gatwick; crews who want city life and full facilities.

Arrivals near low water with more than a metre of draught; entries in heavy onshore weather; anyone looking for a quiet, rural berth.

Premier describes Brighton as the UK's largest marina. Its breakwaters, lit to about seven miles, enclose a mixed fleet of yachts, motor boats and fishing craft, along with homes, restaurants and a yacht club. It is a destination in its own right as well as a stepping stone along the Channel coast.

To the west lie Shoreham, Littlehampton and Chichester Harbour, then the Solent. To the east are Newhaven and Eastbourne, with Dieppe and the French coast straight across the Channel. Plan each leg around tidal gates and forecasts, as this coast offers little shelter.

The practical information in this Guide was checked against the source records below on 21 October 2026. Operational details can change.