Solent
Welcome to the Solent Section
The Solent Section is active and friendly, with a series of summer meets or rallies and a winter programme of nautical interest lectures with club suppers and occasionally more formal social events. Members include not only those who live around the Solent area, but also those who may live a distance away but keep their boats in the Solent, and those who spend the winter in the UK, with their boats in the Mediterranean or Baltic.
The Solent Area
The Solent is a unique local cruising area enjoyed by yachting and boating people for generations. There are many creeks and harbours suitable for deep or shoal draft craft and for those that can take the ground. The Solent has extremes from a quiet beauty to a busy commercial bustle. Often busy in the summer on fine weekends, excellent sailing can be enjoyed during the week even at high season, and especially out of season or when the weather makes offshore sailing too uncomfortable.
CA members enjoying the Solent may be just 'shaking down' before the season’s cruise to foreign shores, or maybe they won’t be cruising away this year. Others may have done their long distance cruising and now just wish to enjoy the Solent, or maybe it is work or family commitments that are restricting distance sailing.
Where We Meet
Summer events may take place anywhere in the Solent and occasionally further afield. They usually include a meal in a nearby yacht club or hostelry, and visits to places of interest are often arranged. Most evening meetings start with an optional Club Supper at 1900 and the talk at 2000. Guests are always welcome.
Being part of our Section
The section has seasonal newsletters and news items are published in the quarterly CA Cruising magazine. The Section news and programme are also published on the CA website.
The section welcomes new members and encourages volunteers to help with running the section such as writing-up an event for the magazine, or organising an event. There are many other opportunities to be involved which help new members get to know other members and give something back to the CA.
Forthcoming Events
Solent Christmas dinner
Date: 03/12/2024
The Christmas dinner event has moved to Tuesday 3rd December and is to take place at Emsworth Sailing Club where the chef Ollie has a great reputation. Where: Emsworth Sailing Club, 55 Bath...
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Ten minute talks
Date: 23/01/2025
We are returning to another popular event where our members give short talk about their sailing experiences last season. We would be delighted for members to volunteer their reminiscences of some...
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Solent Bistro night
Date: 15/02/2025
The Bistro night is a new event for us where members get together in small groups to have a supper in their favourite bistro. Suggestions for bistro's you'd like to visit, across the Solent area, are...
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The Inside Passage from Vancouver to Alaska
Date: 20/03/2025
Dennis and Janet will talk their trip up the inside passage from Vancouver to Alaska in May & June in 2002 in thier Oyster435 “Shilling”. Together with our usual supper this is a very sociable...
Read moreInterested in Finding out More?
Please contact the Section Secretaries at solent@theca.org.uk or
CA staff at office@theca.org.uk or +44 (0) 207 537 2828.
Cruising Sections
Baltic
Covers the Baltic Sea, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and Faroes. Holds a popular introductory seminar every spring.
Biscay
Covers Western France, Spain and Portugal as well as crossing Biscay. Holds a popular introductory seminar every spring.
Blue Water
For those sailing outside of European waters. Holds a popular Blue Water seminar in the summer.
Celtic
Covers waters from Land’s End to Cape Wrath. Meets at various west coast venues to share knowledge on all aspects of cruising the region.
Channel
For those cruising the south coast of the UK, Channel Islands, and France from the Belgian border to NW Brittany. Holds an annual seminar and summer rally/cruise-in-company.
European Inland Waterways
Covers over 30,000 km of navigable rivers and canals passing through over 20 countries. Annual seminar and lunch each autumn at CA House.
Mediterranean
Covers the Mediterranean from Spain and Morocco in the west to the Levant in the east, and includes the Black Sea. Meets at CA House in the winter, and afloat in the summer.
Motorboat
The Motorboat Section aims to bring together motorboaters where ever they are and whatever type of motorboating they enjoy.
North Sea
Covers the UK, Belgian and Dutch coasts. Meets at East Coast venues to share knowledge on all aspects of cruising the region.
Local / UK Sections
Antipodean
For members who live in Australia and New Zealand and who sail in the Northern Hemisphere.
CA London
CA London events are held at our Limehouse HQ.
Essex
Meetings held at Blackwater Sailing Club and mid-week lunches arranged.
Kent
Kent Section's 'Winter Warmers', talks by a variety of speakers, will be held via Zoom for the forseeable future.
Solent
Summer rallies with weekend meets. Winter talks with ‘club’ suppers usually at a Hamble yacht club or marina.
South West
For members living in or cruising the areas from Portland Bill to the Isles of Scilly and along the north coast of Cornwall, Devon and Somerset to Bristol.
Suffolk
Joint meetings are arranged with the Royal Harwich Yacht Club at Woolverstone.
Thames Valley
Winter talks are held in partnership with the Gerrards Cross Sailing Association (GXSA) at Colston Hall at The Memorial Centre in Gerrards Cross.
Wessex
Talks are held at Lilliput Sailing Club, Poole.
