Leisure Marine Industry
The Solent is known internationally as a location for sailing and other watersports. There are sheltered harbours for novices and children and safe open water for the more experienced. Large numbers of both local people and visitors take part in recreational boating throughout the year. Southampton and Portsmouth host many of the world's long distance sailing races, Cowes on the Isle of Wight welcomes the world's racing yachtsmen, and the Solent is filled with leisure boats all year around.
The leisure marine industry sector is therefore important to our region for the jobs it provides as well as to our local tourism industry. However, there is a current shortage of good quality waterfront access and many local companies are having to face the prospect of relocating within the UK or even abroad to get the facilities they need. (Marine South East (MSE)).
National data from the British Marine Federation, published in a report sponsored by the Crown Estate in March 2008, showed that in the year 2005/6 turnover for boating services including moorings marinas and boatyard services, retail, charters and schools was £755 million. The boat building industry is also a major exporter, worth £446 million in the same year. Taken together, the boat building and leisure Service Industries employ some 27,000 people.
The south coast represents approximately a third of the national total, with much of that being concentrated in the Solent itself where there are some 30,000 boat moorings.
The Watersports and Leisure Participation Survey, 2006 commissioned by BMF, MCA, RNLI, RYA found up to 3.7 million adults took part in boating activities in 2006.
