Beaulieu River
June 14, 2022
HM 194. The Beaulieu River - one of the few privately owned rivers in the world.
You feel you are driving into a private estate as you gently navigate this waterway....and that is because you are. Owned by the Montagu family for over 400 years, the landscape has been meticulously preserved and it is no surprise that over 8,000 yachts are attracted to visit this harbour every year.
Mary Montagu-Scott, the sister of the current Lord Montagu is both a keen sailor and a talented interior designer, and this shows in the way the harbour and boat yard at Buckler's Hard have been developed. The marina has doubled in size in the last three years, but in a most sympathetic way. For example instead of the normal metal pontoon piles, Green Oak piles have been used above the waterline. This beautifully matches the backdrop of oak trees famously used to build over 50 ships for the Royal Navy, including three which fought in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Overseeing all this development is Harbour Master Wendy Stowe. Born and bred locally, she forged her career in an interesting way. First at University in Southampton reading a degree in Maritime Leisure Management and then during her spell as Deputy HM in the busy Hamble River, she completed her Harbour Master's Certificate of Competence and Harbour Master's Diploma. With fewer ships' Masters retiring from the Merchant Navy, a smaller Royal Navy and a reduced fishing fleet, the pool of potential HMs is declining. Wendy's career shows it is still possible to get the formal training required and for anyone interested, the UK Harbour Master's Association is there is give you all the support you need.
Having said all that, when I asked her what was the most unexpected thing she had been asked to do in her job - it was to turn the river into a backdrop for the filming of a period drama - proof that the job of an HM is completely unpredictable! Thank you Wendy and also for your support of Seafarers' Sunday - a church service held on the second Sunday of July each year around the world.
You feel you are driving into a private estate as you gently navigate this waterway....and that is because you are. Owned by the Montagu family for over 400 years, the landscape has been meticulously preserved and it is no surprise that over 8,000 yachts are attracted to visit this harbour every year.
Mary Montagu-Scott, the sister of the current Lord Montagu is both a keen sailor and a talented interior designer, and this shows in the way the harbour and boat yard at Buckler's Hard have been developed. The marina has doubled in size in the last three years, but in a most sympathetic way. For example instead of the normal metal pontoon piles, Green Oak piles have been used above the waterline. This beautifully matches the backdrop of oak trees famously used to build over 50 ships for the Royal Navy, including three which fought in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Overseeing all this development is Harbour Master Wendy Stowe. Born and bred locally, she forged her career in an interesting way. First at University in Southampton reading a degree in Maritime Leisure Management and then during her spell as Deputy HM in the busy Hamble River, she completed her Harbour Master's Certificate of Competence and Harbour Master's Diploma. With fewer ships' Masters retiring from the Merchant Navy, a smaller Royal Navy and a reduced fishing fleet, the pool of potential HMs is declining. Wendy's career shows it is still possible to get the formal training required and for anyone interested, the UK Harbour Master's Association is there is give you all the support you need.
Having said all that, when I asked her what was the most unexpected thing she had been asked to do in her job - it was to turn the river into a backdrop for the filming of a period drama - proof that the job of an HM is completely unpredictable! Thank you Wendy and also for your support of Seafarers' Sunday - a church service held on the second Sunday of July each year around the world.