Threading the Needle

While doing the breakfast dishes I suddenly looked up to see a naked Stew jumping into the water. Apparently he’d dropped his sunglasses overboard, and didn’t want to get his wallet wet, so took his trousers off before jumping in! I would have taken the wallet out instead, but each to their own.

By spending the night in the bay we had the unique opportunity to explore before the hordes of bank holiday tourists arrived. Overnight there were only three of us in the bay, but by lunchtime there were about 50 pleasure boats, with giggling children on inflatables, those relaxing with their beverage of choice and even some water-skiers/tubers. It was like being at Rose Island on a Sail Away weekend.

Before the crowds arrived we took the rib out to get a close up of The Needles. The sea was so calm and it being high tide we could go right between the invidivual chalk stacks. An almost unheard of feat as the waves and swells usually churn this section up into raging columns of crashing waves. So much so that one day the lighthouse keeper had his breakfast washed away when a wave crashed through his window 40ft up. Its amazing that the lighthouse, built in 1859 and pictured in almost every postcard of the Isle Of Wight, is still standing.

Heading around the Needles we landed on Stratchells Beach at the foot of 120m chalk and flint cliffs. These were once seabed when the Dinosaurs roamed the Earth and you can see the distinct layers as the chalk and flint were formed.

After a beach clean ( no access from the land, so it has all washed in ) we headed back to Mentor. It wasn’t until we got almost all the way around that we noticed three openings in the base of the cliff, they were gun ports, part of the old battery at the top of the hill used to protect the bay. They were so well hidden we hadn’t noticed them the night before.

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Cool Fact:

The different layers seen in the cliff, although now vertical were formed by sediment laid down on the sea floor. The the vibrant red colours formed as a result of oxidisation at low water. Our biggest surprise on visiting was the fact the that despite the 100m sand cliffs above, the beach below was pebbled.

Cool Fact:

The Needles was the last Trinity House lighthouse powered by 100V DC electricity from its own generators; to enable the automation to be carried out mains power has been supplied via a subsea cable from the Needles Battery, which provides 240V AC power for the new equipment.