Last updated at 11:22, Friday, 21 May 2010

THE brightly named Solway Spirit conjures up images of a jaunt in halcyon weather.

But out in the open sea, the boat heels in 30mph-plus winds and seven-foot waves.

If conditions were any worse, our visit to one of the UK’s largest wind farms – Robin Rigg – would have been cancelled.

We are all wearing life jackets and I have just completed a next of kin form but I am assured we are in no real danger.

Sally Shenton, site operations manager, says: “Conditions like this give you respect for the job the team does.

”We are keen that more people understand why Robin Rigg is here, how proud we are and what’s involved in running it.”

When Robin Rigg in the Solway Firth and Gunfleet Sands in the Thames Estuary began producing energy in April, Britain became the largest producer of offshore wind energy in the world.

E.on has invited us here to celebrate this landmark and to show us a day in the life of the wind farm that has put West Cumbria on the map for green energy.

We are heading for a particular turbine but in the midst of 60, all of them identical, how is it possible?

Apparently, the information is programmed into the boat’s navigation system.

It all sounds so hi-tech that when I am told we are actually going to ‘dock’ with the turbine to collect some contractors, I picture an automated process like a space shuttle locking on to the mother ship.

It turns out that the seamless procedure is thanks to the skill of skipper David McConnell.

The boat is shaped to lock into place and is fitted with a rubber bumper that provides a safe platform to step across to the turbine access ladder.

The hypnotic sweep of the blades flickers over the white sheen of the shaft.

Weighing in at 6.5 tonnes each, all together they are heavier than a double decker bus.

Standing on platforms overhead men in orange overalls lower their tools to the boat before climbing down ladders on to the deck.

We then make for the substation to collect more workers. We are miles from land but, believe it or not, they have been installing a security cage, again part of E.on’s comitment to safe operation.

The turbines, visible from as far away as the Lakeland fells, have provoked strong opposition.

“Many people think they are beautiful,” says Sally.

“But I accept that not everyone likes the way they look.

“That’s a personal opinion but I would like that they at least understand why it’s here and what benefits it’s bringing in terms of jobs and climate change and electricity to people’s homes.”

The project has created more than 40 permanent jobs for the 20-year life span of the wind farm and supports many more.

It is estimated that Robin Rigg will save 235,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.

In the course of a year it will generate enough electricity to power half the homes in Cumbria, the company says.

When I set foot back on dry land it is with renewed respect for the ingenuity of those involved.

Given the conditions today and the scale of the project, perhaps the most remarkable thing about Robin Rigg is that it is here at all.

First published at 13:13, Monday, 17 May 2010
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk