It is rare that a complete harbour in The Solent comes onto the market but the latest episode in Bembridge Harbour’s recent troubled history (see CB248) sees this delightful backwater put up for grabs by estate agents Chesterton Humberts for a cool £3 million. Included in the 135-acre freehold are the foreshore, four marinas of various sizes, 108 trot moorings, the winding approach channel from The Solent and enough mud as you can dig – because herein lies a small problem. Local marine businesses claim the harbour has become so silted up as a result of poor maintenance by the present owners – the Bembridge Harbour Improvement Company (BIC) – that it may not be accessible to boats for much longer unless urgent dredging is undertaken.
