Weekend sail with some sunshine 32.5nm (annual total 121.2nm)

Down to Poole in the evening after work on Friday. With the traffic I was barely on the water before 7:00. Just motored and sailed to the south side of Brownsea Island to get out of the cold north wind. Lots of boats out, first time this year. The anchorage should have been peaceful, but the peacocks and oyster catchers on the shore made a hell of a din until the sun was well and truly gone.

Next morning I was up at 5:00am hoping to sail to Yarmouth. I had to catch the tide through Hurst Narrows before 11:00. All went well, but out in Poole Harbour I found the cockpit floor kept flooding, which it has never done before. Then I realised that on a port tack, which I was on all the time, this water was pouring into the cockpit locker through the fuel pipe hole. The locker was awash and the fuel tank floating upside down. The engine was on at the time and was running fine, which was surprising. I hove to and bailed out the locker. Couldn't think what was wrong, and the wind had built up to F6, which was nasty and cold, and it had moved into the east. I would have to motor all the way and thought I would probably miss the tidal gate anyway. So I turned for home.


View Non voyage to Yarmouth in a larger map

Then a thought struck me. Was the self drainer in the port sump by the outboard well open? No, it wasn't. I pushed it open, and within a few minutes the water was gone and flooding stopped. I hadn't realised how important they were. But the fuel pipe inlet is too vulnerable. I will have to think of a way of improving it at some stage.

Back in Poole I went back on my mooring and cycled into Poole for lunch and a drink in the RNLI bar. Then I sailed over to Bramblebush Bay, anchored and went for a walk looking for the Little Sea, which is a beautiful lake on Studland peninsula. Beautiful sun, and out of the wind, so it was summery at last. Back at the boat the wind was still cold and strong so I sailed back to Brownsea for another sheltered night.

View from the RNLI. Makes it even more worth being a member

In the morning had a very slow breakfast, rowed ashore and walked over to the National Trust Cafe for a cream tea whilst watching all the ships coming and going.

Daisy Grace at anchor off Brownsea Island

Then just "went for a sail" right round the perimeter of the Harbour, from Sandbanks down to the Wareham channel, where I anchored off the Arne peninsula. This is a beautiful spot, about the only place in the harbour where you can anchor in near the shore. Only downside is it is just by the water skiing area, so a bit bouncy at times. The wind finally slowed down and the sun came out strongly, so it was clearly time to go home. The best weekend so far this year, but I hope there are more, without the cold east wind.


View Sailing round the Harbour, Brownsea to Arne in a larger map