Wootton Creek

Wooded banks, moored boats on fore-and-aft trots, and the clubhouse lawn at the mouth: Wootton Creek feels much further from the Solent than it is. The ferry terminal is right next door, so it isn't silent, but once the boats have taken the ground it is one of the most peaceful stops on the north coast of the Island.

The Royal Victoria Yacht Club has its home at the mouth of the creek, right beside the Wightlink terminal at Fishbourne. Since spring 2025 the club has run its own bar and galley again, using Isle of Wight produce where it can. Inland, the creek is all tidal water, woods and quiet moorings.

Approach via Wootton Beacon and the buoyed ferry channel. The RVYC warns that, approaching from the west, the red post on Wootton Rocks should be treated as a north cardinal rather than a port-hand mark, because there are shallows between the rocks and the shore.

The ferries have right of way in the channel, usually spend about 15 minutes in dock, and outgoing boats may turn near the beacon. Time your entry around them, or keep just outside the starboard-hand beacons if there is enough depth. Use current charts, Portsmouth tide predictions and the club's own notes.

The RVYC pontoon is usually unstaffed, so space cannot be guaranteed; individual boats berth first come, first served, and rallies of five or more can book ahead by email. Check the club's mooring plan, moor to leave room for others, and be prepared to be moved.

The pontoon dries. Overnight stays suit boats that can take the ground; rafted boats should be of similar type and keel configuration. Ferry wash has cut channels under the pontoon, more so on the ferry side. On springs, a fin-keeler can manage a lunchtime stop if the crew watch the tide gauge on the dolphin beyond the crane: subtract 1 to 1.5 metres for the approximate depth alongside.

There is a water tap by the ramp, but no electricity. Toilets and showers are open 24 hours through the south entrance of the clubhouse, using a code from a member or the club office. Wi-Fi covers the clubhouse and sometimes reaches the pontoon. There are bins for rubbish and recycling. The clubhouse, bar and galley are closed on Mondays all year and normally on Tuesdays in the quiet season; the club asks visitors to pre-book meals.

The clubhouse lawn looks out over the creek to the Solent and the mainland. At the head of the creek, the Sloop Inn at Wootton Bridge has a waterside garden; nipping up on the top of the tide is for shallow boats and tenders only. Check opening hours for the dates of your visit.

Bilge-keelers, lifting keels and multihulls; yacht-club rallies; crews who want a quiet Island night away from the busy marinas.

Deep fin-keel boats overnight; anyone needing shore power, fuel or a guaranteed berth; skippers uneasy about sharing a channel with car ferries.

Ryde Marina and Bembridge lie to the east, Cowes and the Medina to the west, and Portsmouth Harbour and Gosport are directly across the Solent. Island Harbour, up the Medina, is another sheltered Island stop.

Email [email protected] ahead if you can, or call 01983 882325 when the club is open. Treat the Wootton Rocks red post as a north cardinal. Give the ferries the channel. Overnight only if you can take the ground. Don't anchor inside the entrance buoys.

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