Round Brownsea Island

Inspired by the previous week's round Hayling sail, I chose another island as destination for Saturday's training session. Clyde Waite and Gregg Dunnett accompanied me on the route from Southbourne beach up to Poole harbour, around Browsea Island, and back.

With a rolling (roughly) westerley force 2-4 for the long upwind to Poole harbour our competitive instincts couldn't be suppressed and we jostled for the lead, tacking on the shifts up to Studland beach (by the entrance to Poole harbour). Given that we'd just sailed 9 miles upwind there wasn't a lot to seperate us but we landed on the beach to regroup and share a bag of crisps before going through the harbour entrance.

Clyde and Gregg got going again before me and some passers by enquired if the other two were learners??!! I explained that we'd been sailing a while...but still weren't very good.

Sandwiches on Brownsea Island and then a fantastic series of broad reaches, with a now much more stable wind, back to Southboure. The first long reach out of Poole harbour and into the distance was particularly fun. This was also Clyde and Gregg's first experience of decent wind raceboard reaching since discovering / rediscovering these types of board, a point emphasised by their first - sorry boys - frankly appalling attempts at gybing! The learners quickly (re)got the hang of it as they adjusted their technique to carving their battleships round the corners and we made rapid progress back to Southbourne.

• Distance of route: approx. 20 miles / 34km
• Distance windsurfed: approx. 30 miles / 47km
• Time including stops: 3 hours 30 minutes

My phone didn't turn itself off this time so there is a GPS track to share. Note that for the actual expedition YB Tracking are providing a bullet proof tracking device which is set up to go (links to preview).