( Overview
/ Two Scilly Bullocks on a Boat
When we’d arrived yesterday, it was very windy, and because of the shallowness of the water and no tide, Avalon had taken a while to turn into wind; initially the bow swung round over the anchor. Using our tent as a sort of mizen sail, she finally settled, and we had a quiet night.
Looking over Poole Harbour. The harbour and water looked so lovely this morning, there’s an extra post because I took too many photos!
A beautiful spot and tempting to stay longer…
…but as what little tide there was (less than half a metre between high and low tide) was falling, and we could see the bottom, we decided to weigh anchor as quickly as possible.
Even in the channel marked by red buoys there was only 2 metre depth.
There are ferries to Brownsea Island, and other places too.
Brownsea Castle, also known as Branksea Castle, was originally a device fort or Henrician castle (artillery fortifications) constructed by Henry VIII in 1547 to protect Poole Harbour. It is a stone blockhouse with hexagonal gun platform.
Sandbanks has some of the most expensive real estate in the world. Imagine paying a lot of money, and still being so close to your neighbours?
Rushing to cross the Bramble Bay chain ferry route, before all the cars had boarded.
The Isle of Wight.
The westerly cardinal near the Needles. It marks the Shingles sandbank, and on the other side of the channel are the Needles rocks.
The Needles rise 98 feet out of the sea and the lighthouse, built in 1859, is on the western tip. During storm Eunice (2022), a wind gust of 122 miles per hour was recorded here. The 4th needle-shaped pillar called Lot’s wife (yet again), which collapsed in 1764 gave the name to the formation.
Alum Bay, known for its multi-coloured sands which are made from three minerals - quartz, felspar and mica coloured by oxidised iron compounds. In the past (I’m sure I did it on a school trip) visitors could collect their own sand to fill shaped glass containers with the layers of different colours.
Hurst Castle is another artillery fort established by Henry VIII in 1544 on Hurst Spit in Hampshire. Vulnerable to coastal erosion, there is a fund raising campaign to mitigate risks of destruction. Hurst Point Lighthouse was built in 1867. The original lighthouse was Hurst Tower lit in 1786.
As we left Poole, Wight Coastguard broadcast on channel 16. Zita, a 27ft motorboat had lost power 7nm west of the Isle of Wight, and was requesting a tow to safety. Almost immediately Scout (yes, that Scout) was also on 16, not to offer assistance, but to say they’d be anchoring east of Yarmouth.
We were flabbergasted, and the Coastguard, although polite, seemed surprised, too; the billionaire ‘philanthropic’ owner of Scout was in an ideal position to help. If Scout didn’t want to change course, one of the powerful ribs could have been there in minutes. Perhaps he’s worried about fuel costs?
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