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With potentially 1,400+ teams signing up for the 88th Round the Island Race (RTIR) on Saturday 29 June, marina space in Cowes is filling up rapidly. There are however, 100s of other berthing options available locally, within relatively easy reach of Cowes, so now could be a good time to sign up.

Cowes Yacht Haven, East Cowes Marina, Shephards Marina, and Whitegates River Pontoons are already fully booked but there are, as we go live, places available at Island Harbour Marina – two miles upstream, and Folly Reach Pontoon. There are also plenty of local swing moorings to consider off Cowes.

While mooring up in Cowes is considered to be an excellent option for an early morning start from the Royal Yacht Squadron start line, it is by no means the only choice. Elsewhere on The Solent to the east or west of Cowes, not only are there sheltered anchorages such as Newtown Creek on the island, or Beaulieu, Lymington and Chichester Harbour on the mainland, there’s also a good choice of relatively local marina berths.

Places like Newport Harbour at the head of the River Medina do dry out completely and access is restricted, so for the RTIR day with HW Portsmouth at 0933, you need to check the tide table/start time and leave your berth in good time.

One option for shallow draft or lifting keel yachts is Royal Victoria Yacht Club located at the mouth of Wooton Creek next to the Wightlink ferry terminal at Ryde, just 5nm east of Cowes. Although it does dry out, access to the visitor pontoons is possible at least two hours either side of high water says Rachel Leal – RBYC club manager.

Chatting about the forthcoming RTIR Leal said: “We are regular hosts to RTIR competitors and our berths are particularly popular with trimarans and Super Seals and other lifting keel yachts. Although it is tidal and dries out completely, our visitors never seem to have a problem about making the start line in time, they just arrange their departure from the pontoons accordingly. Our visitors are also keen on the fact it’s so close to Cowes and costs just £1.50 per metre per night.”

Although there are anchorages and berthing options in the far eastern Solent such as Bembridge and Ryde, the harbours and the approaches dry out, and it is a long way to the start line, so this option is not recommended. There are however, a total of 38 visitors’ moorings off Sea View worth investigating.

Nick Hewitt – Boatman at Sea View YC – says he can cater for all sizes of yachts from dayboats to big race yachts. “We charge a flat rate of £22 per night. Just give us a ring or call us up on VHF Ch M2 and we’ll sort out something. Our moorings are exposed so it can get a bit choppy in a northerly or easterly but if you don’t mind that, it’s a good local option for the Round the Island Race.”

To the west of Cowes, an anchorage or one of the visitors’ buoys in Newtown Creek – national nature reserve owned by National Trust – worth considering. It is tidal there but given the timings of the race/HW times on race day, and its location of just 5nms from Cowes there are few better anchorages. It also offers good shelter from all directions except when the wind blows from a northerly direction.

David Flannagan – Harbour Master at Newtown – says there are 25 moorings most of which are visitors’ moorings but it does work on a first-come-first served basis. “It’s simple, just come along, pick up a white visitors’ mooring buoy and that’s about it. We’ll then come round at some point and collect the mooring fee (£20 per night up to 36ft loa, or £25 per night for 35ft loa and above). If we run out of white buoys there’s usually an orange (resident mooring) available.”

The anchorage at Newtown Creek is in the Clamerkin Lake area on the port-hand side of the creek. Flannagan added: “There is no charge for anchoring there but because it is a National Trust reserve a donation is always appreciated.”

Although a fair distance from Cowes (9nm) Yarmouth Harbour offers plenty of opportunities for overnighting. Scott Neill – Deputy Harbour Master – says it is always a busy weekend, but there are still seven of the 30 bookable spaces available. The booking of the remaining 250+ berths at Yarmouth Harbour are allocated on arrival. “Basically you just need to turn up ASAP on the day to secure your spot from the range of pontoon berths and swinging moorings. The tide will be flooding still on the morning of the start, so that should make the passage to Cowes slightly faster.”

On the mainland shore in the Western Solent consider Lymington 10nm from Cowes, or closer still, Beaulieu just 2nm from Cowes. Conveniently located at the entrance to the Beaulieu River, there is a choice of Bucklers Hard Yacht Harbour visitors’ moorings (moorings 1-8) that can accommodate yachts up to 40ft loa. Access is at all states of the tide and the fee is £15 per night. As there is no booking available, it is purely on a first-come-first served basis. Bucklers Hard Yacht Harbour tell us the visitors’ moorings have a white pick up buoy and are marked with a green V.