Gale force beach combing (updated)

Yesterday may have been bracing, but today the wind was actually gale force! It was so strong that you could lean forward into the wind and it would hold you upright. We had to hang on to Little Brother to stop him blowing away!

We headed out to the beach to see if any treasures were washed up and weren't disappointed. Our most exciting find was a starfish, which has always been near the top of BMG's wish list. Unfortunately it was dead, but it was still a great find. We also found another shark egg case and a spine, probably from a fish.

There were lots of bits of edible crab, including this whole one. We also found another crab shell, which we think is the body of a spider crab.

Edible crab

Edible crab

Body of a spider crab

We found a giant fir cone, that we think was washed all the way here from the Caribbean (or more likely the Isle of Wight!)

Where did this come from?



We found lots more shells

Two different types of sponge - the yellow one may be a
breadcrumb sponge and the white one may be a purse sponge

Bug Mad Girl couldn't resist the waves and managed to fill her wellies with water - she didn't seem to care though!

 

After being blown around the beach, we headed to the marina for lunch, then got blown back to the house. Outdoor play has been abandoned for the day, but I think we did quite well getting out there at all. The forecast looks better for tomorrow, so hopefully we can get out and about a bit more easily.

Update: The wind suddenly dropped (slightly) about 4pm and the sun came out, so we had another quick stroll along the beach. We found a second common starfish that looked a bit 'fresher' than the one from this morning. Two in one day! I wonder whether that's just the storm washing them up on the beach, or whether they are always found here?

The sun, at last!

Common starfish