Sailing Zephyr IVvideo
Britain's Strangest Lighthouse Reveals WW1 Secret
February 6, 2026 · 8 min · 24K views · The Solent, Isle of Wight
Nab Tower tilted during towing, flanked by lightship and tugs
What this video covers
Dave sails the Westerly Yachts Ltd. Oceanquest 35 Zephyr IV out of Portsmouth Harbour shortly after Easter to visit the Nab Tower, a lighthouse east of the Isle of Wight marking the Nab Rock — a submerged hazard to ships entering the Solent from the south and east.▶ 0:37 Conditions are fair with a light breeze and a slight swell; Dave tests a homemade booming outpole to hold the Genoa out for wing-on-wing sailing, with the autopilot steering and Bill on watch.▶ 1:29 The passage covers the history of the Nab Tower in detail: it began as one of twelve planned "Mystery Towers," designed by Sir Alexander Gibb and civil engineer Guy Mornsell and built by Royal Engineers and civilians at Shoreham-by-Sea as a secret WWI anti-submarine barrier across the Straits of Dover from Folkestone to Cap Rene, with steel nets and guns planned between towers.▶ 2:44 The first tower cost £1 million (roughly £60 million today); the Armistice made them redundant.▶ 4:14 In 1920, Trinity House floated one out on a high tide, towed it to the Nab Rock site, and sank it by flooding its hollow concrete base — leaving it with a permanent three-degree list.▶ 5:17 The tower was manned until 1983, then automated, and substantially rebuilt in 2013, reducing its height from 27 to 17 metres.▶ 7:10
Boats in this video
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