Spithead

Spithead is the Naval anchorage off Portsmouth. It is area of the Solent (the streatch of sea between mainland England and the Isle of Wight) and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, and is protected from all winds except those from the south-east. It is named for the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire shore for 5 km (3.1 mi); and overall the anchorage is 22.5 km (14.0 mi) long by about 6.5 km (4.0 mi) in average breadth.