Wetwheels Solent

Wetwheels Solent Making powerboating accessible to everyone

Birthdays tend to follow a fairly predictable format.There's cake. Possibly candles. Someone attempts to sing. And at le...
24/03/2026

Birthdays tend to follow a fairly predictable format.

There's cake. Possibly candles. Someone attempts to sing. And at least one person pretends to enjoy a novelty card featuring a cartoon animal wearing a party hat.

But there is another option…

You could celebrate it on a Wetwheels powerboat in the Solent.

At Wetwheels Solent we regularly welcome people celebrating birthdays and other special occasions on board. Instead of another dinner reservation, the day involves sea air, high-speed runs across the water, incredible views of Portsmouth Harbour, and the chance to take the helm yourself.

Here’s just a few pictures of a You Trust client from Tamarine celebrating his birthday with a special outing on Wetwheels Solent. A huge thank you to his dedicated staff member Victor, who helped make the day so special. Together they explored the local sights, enjoyed great food and, most importantly, created some fantastic memories out on the water.

It turns out that celebrating a birthday at sea tends to produce far bigger smiles than blowing out candles in a restaurant.

Whether it is a birthday, anniversary, family celebration or simply an excuse to do something different together, a Wetwheels trip makes for a genuinely unforgettable day.

And as a rather nice finale, once you are back on dry land, all Wetwheels guests also receive free entry to the Spinnaker Tower. Just let the Captain know and we will organise it for you.

If you know someone with a birthday coming up who might enjoy celebrating it a little differently, please like and share this post…

or book your celebration today!

07904 997622

office@wetwheelssolent.co.uk

☀️We had a great second day of volunteer Disability Awareness and Boat Training on Saturday with our new and returning c...
23/03/2026

☀️We had a great second day of volunteer Disability Awareness and Boat Training on Saturday with our new and returning crew.☀️

Thank you to everyone who took part in the training!

🌊 Wetwheels Solent boats are looking forward to enabling even more disabled people and their families to enjoy barrier free boating this season. 🌊

Book your experience now!

👉 https://wetwheelsfoundation.org/wetwheels-operator/wetwheels-solent/

On this World Down Syndrome Day, we’re asking something very simple and very radical: Stand. Together. Against lonelines...
21/03/2026

On this World Down Syndrome Day, we’re asking something very simple and very radical: Stand. Together. Against loneliness.

Now, you might reasonably ask - what has the sea got to do with any of this?

Quite a lot, as it turns out.

Because the sea is one of the last places on earth that doesn’t care who you are on paper. It doesn’t ask for qualifications, or labels, or whether you fit neatly into someone else’s idea of “normal.” It simply exists - vast, open, and gloriously indifferent to all the nonsense we usually organise ourselves around.

But - and here’s the crucial bit - access to that freedom is not equal. For many people with disabilities, the coastline might as well be a velvet-rope nightclub guarded by a very judgemental bouncer called “infrastructure.”

That’s where Wetwheels comes in.

At Wetwheels we make it a point to replace “you can’t” with “why not?!” It creates a space where people can share something elemental - wind, water, movement - together.

Connection happens in those moments, the shared experiences that you remeber for years to come and retell tales of how loud you laughed because the sea spray hit you in the face and you weren’t expecting it. The kind where, for once, nobody feels like the odd one out.

So when we say “Stand Together Against Loneliness,” we’re talking about action and about building a world where belonging isn’t conditional.

Sometimes, that starts with something as simple and as profound as making sure everyone can get out on the water which is what Wetwheels is all above.

Loneliness seems to thrive in separation and the sea, when it’s shared, does the exact opposite.

So like and share this message and let’s start a conversation about loneliness and inclusion.
If you want to support our important work, you can do so here

👉https://bit.ly/SupportWetwheelsSolent

As humans we seem to like neat categories, we like boxes and labels and little mental filing cabinets where everything b...
20/03/2026

As humans we seem to like neat categories, we like boxes and labels and little mental filing cabinets where everything behaves itself and fits where it’s told…Unfortunately, actual human brains did not get the memo.

That’s why Neurodiversity Celebration Week was founded in 2018 by Siena Castellon. It exists to point out, quite firmly, that “different” is not a design flaw. Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, Tourettes aren’t deviations from some mythical “normal” but are part of the full operating system of humanity.

The problem isn’t neurodivergence, it’s environments that expect everyone to run the same software which brings us, perhaps unexpectedly, to the sea.

Because the sea is gloriously uninterested in your labels. It doesn’t ask how you process information, whether you prefer words or pictures, structure or spontaneity. It offers something far more radical: a shared experience that cuts through all of that.

When Ruth Levi-Kent AKA “The Dyslexic Poet” came out on the water with her husband David during Cowes Week last year, she translated the experience into a beautiful poem.

That’s what belonging actually looks like. Not awareness posters or well-meaning slogans or keynote speeches at events. It’s about real access, real experiences, those very real moments where people are not defined by what they “struggle with,” but by what they bring.

And there’s so much that they bring!

So this Neurodiversity Celebration Week, the question isn’t “how do we help neurodivergent people fit in?” It’s why are we still building spaces so narrow that so many people have to fight to belong in the first place?

So what can you do?

Celebrate neurodiversity - loudly and unapologetically. You can start by liking this post
Please share Ruth’s beautiful photos and poem - let’s highlight the voices of neurodivergent creators.
Support organisations creating genuinely inclusive experiences on land and at sea. You can support Wetwheels here 👉 https://bit.ly/SupportWetwheelsSolent

When you change the environment, you don’t “fix” people, you finally let them show what they were capable of all along.

There are many things in life that are technically possible but quietly assumed to be “not really for everyone”. Sailing...
19/03/2026

There are many things in life that are technically possible but quietly assumed to be “not really for everyone”. Sailing, for instance - boats have a long tradition of being associated with polished decks, complicated knots and people who seem suspiciously confident about wind direction.

Which is precisely why Wetwheels exists.

This April, Wetwheels Solent will be at Boatfest South in Portsmouth with two of our barrier-free powerboats, Wetwheels Hamble and Wetwheels Portsmouth. And if you have never encountered barrier-free boating before, it is exactly what it sounds like: Proper boating, proper sea air, proper exhilaration…Just without the bit where physical barriers quietly exclude people who would quite like to be out on the water too.

Boatfest South takes place on 25–26 April 2026 at Lakeside North Harbour and Port Solent Marina, right in the middle of the UK’s historic nautical capital.

There will be boats of every conceivable type, watersports, diving kit, on-water displays, vehicles, gadgets, and the sort of marine enthusiasm that usually involves at least one person explaining the difference between a RIB and a sports cruiser.

Amid all that, you will find Wetwheels so come and say hello! We will be talking about the experiences available this season and how barrier-free boating opens the water to people of all abilities. Because the sea, after all, is a fairly democratic thing. It does not care who you are. It simply exists and invites you out onto it.

And the good news is that you can come along for free. Visitor tickets are available now and will save you the £10 on-the-door fee.

Village Hotels are also offering BOATFEST guests 20% off its normal rate! Go to: https://www.village-hotels.co.uk/portsmouth and enter your Unique User Code: BOATF

If you are curious about accessible adventures, inclusive boating, or simply like the idea of a weekend surrounded by boats in Portsmouth, it would be lovely to see you there.

Get your free tickets here and come and discover what Wetwheels is all about…

Wetwheels Solent is delighted to back the bid for to become Operating the only fully disabled accessible powerboat in...
19/03/2026

Wetwheels Solent is delighted to back the bid for to become

Operating the only fully disabled accessible powerboat in Portsmouth, we see the magnificent heritage of our historic harbour and welcome a wide and diverse range of disabled people from all over our wonderful city each year.

Portsmouth City Council Shaping Portsmouth Pompey in the Community

19/03/2026

This year, Wetwheels is aiming to get more people than ever before out on the water, but we need your help!

With your donations, we can continue make a difference 💙

Visit our website: www.wetwheelsfoundation.org

There are some illnesses that everyone seems to know about. You hear the name, people nod gravely, and at least a vague ...
17/03/2026

There are some illnesses that everyone seems to know about. You hear the name, people nod gravely, and at least a vague collective understanding exists.

Brain tumours are not really one of them.

Which is odd, because they affect thousands of families and yet receive a surprisingly small share of research funding. So Brain Tumour Awareness Month, which runs from 1–31 March, exists partly to correct that imbalance.

It encourages people to shine a light on the disease, quite literally through the “Shine A Light” campaign, and also through “Wear Grey” activities that highlight the very real but often hidden impact brain tumours have on patients and their families.

Behind those campaigns are people navigating something extraordinarily difficult and that is where charities like the The Wight Brainy Bunch step in.

The charity was founded by Mark Grimes and his wife Kathryn after Mark was diagnosed with a brain tumour in February 2015. Following surgery just a couple of months later, they began fundraising to support both The Brain Tumour Charity and The Fire Fighters Charity, who had supported Mark, then a serving firefighter, and his family through recovery. Their efforts raised more than £10,000.

But what quickly became clear to them was something rather stark. On the Isle of Wight, there was very little local support for families facing this diagnosis so the Wight Brainy Bunch evolved into something much bigger: a community dedicated to supporting island families navigating a brain tumour diagnosis and its consequences.

They now run a monthly support group at the Wessex Cancer Support Centre in Newport, offering both practical information and emotional support to patients, carers and families. They also provide financial assistance where needed. That might mean help with travel costs to mainland hospitals, specialist equipment, counselling, therapy, or even short breaks and memory-making experiences for families facing the most difficult of circumstances.

They also continue to support vital research through The Brain Tumour Charity and Smile4Wessex, which funds care and equipment at the Wessex Neurological Centre in Southampton. That centre provides specialist neurological care to around three million people across the south coast, including patients from the Isle of Wight.

Last year, thanks to sponsorship from Hill Robinson Recruitment, Wetwheels Solent was able to offer two 90-minute barrier-free boating experiences for families supported by the Wight Brainy Bunch. It was, by all accounts, a rather joyful excursion on the Solent.

As the charity kindly put it:

“A huge thank you to Wetwheels Solent for enabling some of our WBB families to experience the thrill of a high speed trip on the Solent. Leaving Cowes, our budding sailors enjoyed a 90-minute trip visiting Osborne House Bay along the way, with the opportunity to also helm. Everyone had an amazing time and we are truly grateful for the opportunity.”

And perhaps that is the point. We all know awareness matters, research funding matters, support networks matter and so do moments of pure, uncomplicated joy. Even, or perhaps especially, when life has become rather complicated…

If this story resonates with you, please take a moment to like and share this post. It helps shine a light on Brain Tumour Awareness Month and on the incredible work being done by charities like the Wight Brainy Bunch to support families when they need it most.

Great to welcome our new Wetwheels volunteers this week for their Disability Awareness Training!The day started with a c...
17/03/2026

Great to welcome our new Wetwheels volunteers this week for their Disability Awareness Training!

The day started with a classroom session at Gunwharf Quays, learning about accessibility, communication, and how we can make every experience as inclusive and enjoyable as possible. We then headed out onto the boat for the practical session, putting that knowledge into action on the water.

A huge thank you to Cavendish Mobility and Mobility at Sea for their support in helping us deliver this important training.

We’re looking forward to welcoming many more participants out on the water with our fantastic new volunteers! 🌊⚓

👉 Book your exhilarating WWS experience now:

https://wetwheelsfoundation.org/wetwheels-operator/wetwheels-solent/

🌊 We look forward to welcoming you onboard!

Wetwheels Foundation Wetwheels Solent Wetwheels Hamble

Out on the Solent things can get a little lively, and when the wind picks up and the spray starts flying, staying warm a...
13/03/2026

Out on the Solent things can get a little lively, and when the wind picks up and the spray starts flying, staying warm and comfortable suddenly becomes rather important. Which is where our brilliant splash capes come in.

As demonstrated here.

Designed to keep participants protected from the elements while still enjoying every second of the ride, they are a small but very welcome piece of kit when you are travelling at speed across open water.

Because the goal for us is simple: Big smiles,sea air and just enough spray to remind you that you are having a proper adventure.

A huge thank you to Henri Lloyd for supporting Wetwheels and helping make barrier-free boating comfortable for everyone on board.

If this picture made you smile, please like and share the post so more people can discover the joy of getting out on the water.

Address

The Victory, Gunwharf Quays House, Gunwharf Quays
Portsmouth
PO13TZ

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+442392819366

Website

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