VISITORS to a Hampshire waterside pub could find themselves bumping into some of the most famous faces of the sailing world.

Numerous sailors, including Olympic medallists and record breakers, have made their way to the King & Queen pub over the years, which sits in the heart of sailing haven Hamble.

Landlady Janet Bradley (below) can reel off a list of names, some of them regulars, who have propped up the bar during her seven years in charge.

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And it is its enduring appeal to the sailing community that has seen the venue named Wight Vodka’s World’s Favourite Yachting Bar of the Year 2014.

Known to sailors as The Rum Pub, it beat off tough competition from a long list of worldwide sailor-friendly pubs and bars - from Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands, to Sardinia and the Channel Islands.

“It’s got quite a long history with sailors who come from all over the world – they always tend to go to the King and Queen because there’s always someone they’ll know,” said Janet.

“Its connections in the sailing industry or the sailing world, that’s the beauty of this pub, that it’s got these connections and has had for many years.

“It’s a go to place for sailors coming in at Hamble – very much racing sailors but also cruising sailors feel at home.”

The 55-year-old, who came to the UK from South Africa in 1999, moved back to Hamble having lived in Cheshire for a number of years, and though she had worked in the restaurant industry this was her first pub.

“Because I love sailing it suited me,” she said.

“I walked into it about 15 years ago and said it just felt like home and it was quite uncanny I was offered it when it was up for sale, there were a lot of people trying to buy it, uncanny that the owner at the time offered it to me.”

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The pub, in the centre of the High Street, has a distinctly nautical feel with sanded light wooden flooring and white painted chairs and tables while sailing pictures fill the walls.

Long tables with benches are designed to sit yacht crews and the restaurant area is named the Lower Deck.

The fire crackles and at one end is a small sofa with a throw.

Lighting comes from wall lamps but also candles and fairy lights.

A keen sailor herself, Janet’s son Francois Gerber, 30, is currently sailing in the Key West Regatta in Florida.

And keeping it in the family, her other son Michau Gerber, 27, is the chef.

Famous faces seen in the pub include Ellen MacArthur, Dee Caffari, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, regulars Rob Greenhalgh, Paul Larsen, Brian Thompson and disabled sailor Geoff Holt.

Janet describes the King & Queen as “cosy and warm and welcoming”.

“We sell a lot of rum because rum is a sailor’s drink and most people will be wearing some kind of sailing gear,” she added.

Among its regular events the pub holds a steak night on Thursdays, when only rib-eye steak is on the menu, which has become such an institution it was even done on New Year’s Day.

Then there is the pub’s pizza and pint night on Monday, gourmet burgers on Wednesday and roast dinner on Sunday.

The pub is a mixture of drinking and food, but in recent times the pub has been pushing its food, which has built up considerably.


The cheapest beer is £3.50 a pint and the cheapest wine is £5.50 for a 250ml glass.

  • The King & Queen, High Street, Hamble, SO31 4HA. Tel: 023 8045 4247.