Trip around the Solent

Question 1: What types of boats are you familiar with?

Question 2: How experienced a boatsperson are you?

"who to contact?" - Googling "Boating guides to the Solent" returns multiple hits immediately, so I would suggest starting there for up-to-date local knowledge.

"full day" - Most guides suggest that it takes 7-10 hours to circumnavigate the 60 miles around the Isle of Wight, so that can be a full day if you have excellent weather and are a good boat handler. Longer for headwinds, rough sea, etc.

Going on a boat trip means you are seeing the "ocean" and the "shore" in order of their appearance so the answer to "what to see?" is "everything."

My experience in northern sailing is that bad/wet weather is much more common than advertised.... Good Luck.

There are a number of yacht charter companies around the Solent, it's one of the best sailing areas in the UK with both river, harbour and sea sailing. The Isle of Wight is a great destination and Cowes is where the famous annual boat festival takes place.

You can easily fill a week sailing around the area, your decisions will be influenced by what you want to see and what interests you. You also need to decide how you want to sail, whether you opt for a fully skippered yacht where a crew are provided who do the hard work for you or whether you sail yourself (I don't know your experience and abilities).

https://solentyachtcharter.com is an example of the what can be found and will give you a general feel of boats, prices etc.

7-8 hours is fine i think it is more enough for the day, the boat type i had in mind was a motor boat similar to this one Boat rentals in Portsmouth , not too sure if this is a charter company or BednBlue is a business model representing a big brand like Airbnb? but it seems to have many yachts.. i'll look more into motor boats starting from Southampton, i won't lie though it does seem a little pricy for the day!

Did you notice that the boat you linked to comes with a crew of two and is a full 48 feet long, capable of 30 knots, suitable for parties?

How many people are you planning on taking on the trip with you?

Did you want a crewed large boat or do you just want a small motorboat you can take around the island on your own?

we are a family of 6, we want just about something spacious and incase the kids want to spend an extra day on the boat then we will want something comfortable..my kids can get a little fussy if they are not entertained so definitely crew and skipper is something to consider since it will be the first time cruising the Solent.

Boating doesn't come cheap, particularly in The Solent so you are going to be looking at paying a premium. It's also an incredibly busy stretch of water with commercial traffic, naval traffic and the plethora of pleasure and sporting traffic it's not an area best suited for novices so booking a boat with a skipper would be essential in my opinion. The good thing is that you don't require sleeping accomodation which increases your options for smaller, cheaper boats.

the boat you posted looks great, i would say go for it with either BednBlue or try searching charter companies based in Portsmouth, Ipswich, Southampton are all areas that definitely cruise in those areas, you should be fine so good luck Alexandra!

be careful about hiring a boat in Ipswich - it is a very long sail from the Solent, and the Channel between Ipswich and the south coast is an extremely busy shipping lane.