Offshore Group Information

Early May Weekend Cruise

Based out of the Solent with several boats sailing together but independently, the rally could take a number of routings depending on tides and what members would like to do but range from Chichester to Poole.

Longer Summer Cruise

In the last couple of years we have taken a 7 day trip to Alderney and St Vaast, and sailed to the West Country from the Hamble in 9 days (one day too few!). Both trips included night hours and legs of 50 miles or more.

For 2026 we are hoping to charter from Levington in Suffolk in August and cross the North Sea to Oostende, and from there possibly into the Dutch Delta system, or returning via Ramsgate and the exciting navigation of the Thames Estuary and windfarms. New territory for a lot of people.

Boat Handling and Skills development

Based on the South Coast generally, but probably more specifically, the Solent, these courses are organised by our experienced Offshore sailors to help up and coming yachting sailors develop their knowledge and experience :

Crewing skills
Rope and rigging skills
Boat handling
Sail setting
Knowing the boat's equipment and systems
Manoeuvring and getting in and out of marinas
Skipper practical
Day Skipper assessment preparation
Skipper experience and mile building for qualifications

Round The Island Race - June/July

We have entered a number of 'Round the Island Race' (RTIR) races over the years, and we plan to hold a similar entry in the up and coming season.

Day	Programme / Plan
Thursday Evening	Join the boat at Port Solent and meet up with your fellow crew-mates from about 7pm.
Friday	Practice Day !!! - On Friday morning we will sail down the Solent, practising our boat handling skills, check out the starting area and arrive at Cowes Yacht Haven in the afternoon.
Saturday	Race Day !! - An early get-up for an early race start. The actual race starts and finishes outside Cowes Harbour, so it will be very busy with potentially over 1000 participating boats. It will be a full day's race, and on returning back to Cowes in the evening you'll be feeling triumphant and shattered !! Enjoy the festivities !!!
Sunday	On Sunday morning, after a lazy get-up and breakfast, we will have a leisurely sail back to Port Solent, arriving back at base by 4.30pm latest.

Click here if you would like to join the crew of the next RTIR.

Dartmouth Royal Regatta - Mon 24th - Sun 30th August 2026

We plan to enter a chartered cruise boat from the Hamble, to compete in the 2026 Dartmouth Royal Regatta.

Oceanis 37 chartered from Fairview Sailing (Hamble) Monday 10am 24th August
Sail overnight Monday, arriving Tuesday (or Wednesday latest). Cost allows for one marina stay in each direction if required
First race Thursday up to 3 races per day subject to weather etc.
Boat moored either on pontoons mid river or in a marina (frequent water taxis)
Prize giving and Fireworks Saturday 9pm.
Boat leaves Saturday night, returning to Hamble by 5pm Sunday. (Excess to pay if returned later)
Maximum of 8 crew
Cost approx. £870 per person (subject to availability of berthing and number of crew etc.)
Price includes boat hire, 2 marina stays in each direction (may not be required), provisioning for 8 days, fuel, cruising chute, race fees, and mooring (if mid river).

Email Nina Wilson to find out more about entering the Dartmouth Royal Regatta.

Cruising-2-Racing Course

This is a mainly practical course for established cruising sailors to discover and learn some of the dark-arts of 'yacht racing'

If you have been cruising for several years and you are now looking for a little bit of "je ne sais quoi" in your sailing, then yacht racing might be an avenue you might like to explore ...

Whilst the jump up from cruising into racing might seem a challenging one, we provide a course of practical 'on-board' sessions, together with a mix of theory and skills building to help you make the transition. To find out more about the 2026 C2R course click here. Please consult the Offshore Programme and get in touch with event organiser.

Yachts & Yachting Match Racing Weekends

Organised by Prometheus Sailing in Port Solent using their Sunsail 410 matched yachts, racing takes place in the Eastern Solent on the Saturday and Sunday of each weekend concerned. We meet up on the Friday evening at Port Solent and enjoy a meal out together, then on Saturday night, we stay over in Cowes and sample some of the delights it has to offer. Charter rates have remained stable over a number of years and we should be able to offer a weekend of yacht match racing for around £250 per head, which represents tremendous value for money. Please consult the Offshore Programme for the race programme, and get in touch with event organiser to book your slot.

JOG and RORC Offshore racing events

Amongst the racing section in the SOG, we have spend several years participating in JOG (Junior Offshore Group) and RORC (Royal Ocean Racing Club) offshore race programmes. Individual race events are diverse in nature, and range from cross-Channel destination racing with JOG to a definitive Fastnet project with the RORC. The Fastnet is held every 2 years, so it has been known for us to run a JOG offshore programme in non Fastnet years, then a RORC Fastnet program in the years when it is held. Individuals in the SOG club together to form a crew, and we will charter a yacht for the programme, then enter that yacht for the designated races. We encourage individual skills development and considerable effort is allocated to training and qualifications. Costs are highly specific to the programme but average out at around £250-350 per person sailed day. Please consult the Offshore Programme for the race programme, and get in touch with event organiser to book your slot.

Mediterranean Flotilla Holiday

After a number of successful flotilla holidays to Greece and Croatia with 3/4 boats and 15/20 sailors, if you would like to participate in a relaxing fun flotilla holiday in the Mediterranean in the August/September period, then keep a look out in the latest programme of events and get in touch with the designated organiser.