For London-based sailors
Sail the Solent —
90 minutes from Waterloo
Yacht charter, RYA training and offshore racing on the UK's most respected sailing waters. Real tides, world-class fleets, professional race coaches. Based at Mercury Yacht Harbour, Hamble.
Why London sailors come to the Solent
The Solent is the UK's premier sailing water — host to Cowes Week, the Round the Island Race and the Rolex Fastnet start. It's also where the country's most experienced race fleets, charter operators and RYA training schools are concentrated. For London-based sailors, that means access to proper offshore training and serious race experience without having to relocate or commit a holiday week to it.
Unity Sailing operates a fleet of race-ready yachts — Sun Fast 3600s, J-class racers and offshore cruisers — out of Mercury Yacht Harbour in Hamble. Whether you're working towards Yachtmaster, building a campaign for the offshore season, or want a weekend on the water with friends, you'll find the boat, the coach and the crew here.
Getting here from London
Door-to-door under two hours, by train or car.
By train
- Waterloo → Southampton Central: 1h 15 (South Western Railway, frequent service)
- Southampton Central → Hamble: 6 minutes (Hamble or Bursledon stations) or 12-min taxi
- Total door-to-door: roughly 1 hour 45 from central London.
By car
- Central London → Mercury Yacht Harbour: 1h 45 – 2h via the M3 / M27 (light traffic).
- Free on-site parking at Mercury for course and charter customers.
Charter fleet
Race-ready yachts to charter
HOD
Sunfast 3200
Inshore & Offshore-ready Sunfast 3200, fully spec'd for Cat 2 offshore and long distance racing. Fun, Fast & Ace for Double Handed & Teams
LOD
Sunfast 3300
Offshore-ready Sunfast 3300, fully spec'd for offshore and long distance racing. Fast & Fun
OW
Sunfast 3600
Inshore & Offshore-ready Sunfast 3600, fully spec'd for Cat 2 offshore and long distance racing. Fun, Fast and Great for Teams
MAD DASH
Elan 410
2008 Elan 410 "Mad Dash" – Offshore-Capable, Race-Ready
Racing
Race the Solent
Crew opportunities at every level — from your first inshore series to Round the Island, Fastnet and the RORC offshore calendar.
Sat 30 MayIn 3 daysRORC - DU GUINGAND BOWL
RORC De Guingand Bowl — round-trip Channel race from Cowes, part of the Cowes Offshore Series
Fri 5 JunNext weekWomen's Open Keelboat Championship
Women's Open Keelboat Championship — UK's only all-female open keelboat championship, hosted by Royal Southern YC
Sat 6 JunNext weekJOG - YARMOUTH
JOG OneSails Cowes-Yarmouth + Yarmouth-Cowes — round-trip Solent weekend
Fri 12 JunIn 16 daysRORC - MORGAN CUP
RORC Morgan Cup — Cowes to Dartmouth, classic west-going Channel race
Training
RYA courses for London sailors
Most courses run Friday evening to Sunday so you can come down on the train after work and be back in town for Monday.
From Sat 20 JunIn 24 daysSunfast Training Weekend
Intro to Sunfasts and Racing — two-day beginner Sunfast course (Tue/Wed, Thu/Fri or Sat/Sun)
From Sat 12 SeptIntermediateSpinnakers, Foredeck & Pit Training
Sunfast Foredeck & Pit Training — intermediate two-day course with optional Sunday racing
From Thu 28 MayTomorrowDouble Handed & Race Skipper Training
Race Skipper & Double Handed Training — advanced short-handed and DH training (from £375)
Coaches
Professional race coaches
FAQs from London sailors
How long does it take to get from London to Unity Sailing?+
By train: South Western Railway from London Waterloo to Southampton Central (1h15), then a 6-minute connection to Hamble or a 12-minute taxi to Mercury Yacht Harbour. By car: roughly 90–110 minutes via the M3 and M27, with free parking on site at Mercury.
Why choose the Solent over sailing closer to London?+
The Solent is the UK's busiest and most respected sailing water, hosting Cowes Week, the Round the Island Race and the Rolex Fastnet start. You're sailing on real tides, with real shipping, against world-class fleets — the experience and the qualifications are weighted accordingly. The Thames and Docklands offer dinghy / keelboat sailing; the Solent is where serious offshore and race training happens.
Can I do a weekend course coming down from London?+
Yes — most of our courses run Friday evening to Sunday late afternoon, designed to be reachable on a Friday-night train down. Offshore and Yachtmaster-level courses are typically 5 days (Mon–Fri or weekend bookends), and we can advise on accommodation in Hamble or Southampton.
Do you offer charter for London sailing clubs and corporate days?+
Yes. We charter our race fleet to London-based clubs, syndicates and corporate teams — bareboat where the skipper is qualified, or skippered with a professional Unity coach. Get in touch for multi-boat or multi-day quotes.
What level of experience do I need?+
We run courses from total beginner through to Yachtmaster Offshore — so the answer is none. For race events and crewed charters, we'll match you to a boat and crew suited to your experience level. Tell us where you're at and we'll pitch the right starting point.
Do you take crew for the big offshore races?+
Yes — we run Round the Island, Fastnet, Morgan Cup, Cervantes, JOG and RORC events with crew opportunities at every level from rail-meat to watch leader. Many of our regulars are London-based and travel down for the weekend or the race.
Get out on the water this weekend
Tell us what you're after — charter, course or race crew — and we'll come back with options.