4 Kidneys and a Wonky Leg

I’m not sure what the temperature was first thing, but it certainly was Brass Monkeys! One objective today was to learn more about the sails and how to set them. This required getting out of the harbour into open sea and sailing on one tack for a good time, allowing time to tweek and see what works best to get the most out of the sail.

As a separate issue I wanted to check on my home mooring in Swanage so, with a loose passage plan off we set. We got to Poole Entrance just as another Gemini 105 was leaving. Quite a coincidence.

An hour so’s sailing and we had the sails sorted and we had arrived in Swanage. Both objectives complete and it was only 12.00. We sailed back to Studland where we hooked up to a bouy and had Lunch. Unfortunately the easterly wind kicking was up a short chop it was not a pleasant place to spend the afternoon.

So on we travelled back to Poole Harbour, this time anchoring at South Deep. with pleasant views of Furzey Island and Green island. Slightly out of place is the “Eye” sculpture on the Green Island shoreline. The island has been owned by Edward lliffe since 2005 and was the scene of a dramatic fire in 2012 which burnt down his newly constructed home.

Furzey Island is owned by the oil company Perenco. It’s almost unbelievable that beneath this tiny island lies 22 oil wells which feed the Wytch Farm oil field. Oil is extracted from under Hampshire and Dorset, stabilised at the site by separating out the oil, gas and water, and then transported via a 91km pipeline to a terminal at Hamble, in Southampton Water.