Abingdon shallows.

T

Teddy

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 Aug 2001
Messages
171
Location
Thames non tidal
Visit site
Has anybody else run aground downstream of the town moorings, on the opposite side to the marked (green buoy) shoal? The position is just before Red Line, on the town side. I hit something substantial a week ago, possibly causing damage.

This location was mentioned by other boaters last year as being shallow, but is not marked with a red buoy. I had assumed that it had been removed, but apparently not!!

I would be grateful to hear from anybody who has "found" the shoal / obstruction.
 
Teddy said:
Has anybody else run aground downstream of the town moorings, on the opposite side to the marked (green buoy) shoal? The position is just before Red Line, on the town side. I hit something substantial a week ago, possibly causing damage.

This location was mentioned by other boaters last year as being shallow, but is not marked with a red buoy. I had assumed that it had been removed, but apparently not!!

I would be grateful to hear from anybody who has "found" the shoal / obstruction.
Click to expand...

The shallows stretch a good three quarters across the river and have always been marked by a buoy but I seem to remember an earlier thread stating the buoy had disappeared after the floods subsided. Surprised it hasn't been reinstated though.
 
Brayman said:
The shallows stretch a good three quarters across the river and have always been marked by a buoy but I seem to remember an earlier thread stating the buoy had disappeared after the floods subsided. Surprised it hasn't been reinstated though.
Click to expand...

The stbd shoal is clearly marked with several green buoys, but it is the unmarked shoal about 30m before the stbd shoal that is the problem. To my knowledge, I have never seen a red marker in this position. Coming up or downstream you have to move over towards Red Line to avoid the marked shoal. It seems safer to run close to the green buoys. I have spoken to several boaters that have confirmed this.
 
What is your draft? I pass there regularly and can't remember any shallows on that side in that area

My depth alarm does go off by the moorings just below the bridge on that side of the river, but the wilsham road mooring area seems fine
 
prof pat pending said:
What is your draft? I pass there regularly and can't remember any shallows on that side in that area

My depth alarm does go off by the moorings just below the bridge on that side of the river, but the wilsham road mooring area seems fine
Click to expand...

Draft is about 1.05M. I was travelling very slowly, port engine at idle and stbd in neutral, indicating 2.3kts against a stream of about 0.7kts i.e very slowly. When I hit, my boat was turned to port and I had to use bow thruster to prevent turning towards the moored boats. It is quite possible that the levels were low as it was several days after some heavy rain and the weirs were being wound in (up?).

The previous day I ran aground, dinging both props, just upstream of the Benson lock lay-by. Note that there was no lock keeper on duty that day!! This is the shoal that reappears every year and is not marked because you have no option but to go over it. I wonder if the levels were low that day too.
 
prof pat pending said:
I cross that area in Abingdon regularly. I have my depth alarm set to 4' and not noticed it go off by the moorings

You mean here, right?
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...m2!3m1!1s0x4876b5fbc773f093:0x27da7514023f0aa
Click to expand...

Yes, somewhere near there. Difficult to put it exactly as when your props / rudder ground you have other things on your mind at the time, like ££££££,s. As I say, I am not alone in finding this spot. I just wonder how many others have found it.
 
I'm pretty sure there is nothing there...but I can run in a lot less water than you.

If I head that way tomorrow I'll keep a close eye on the depth and let you know if I see anything
 
prof pat pending said:
I'm pretty sure there is nothing there...but I can run in a lot less water than you.

If I head that way tomorrow I'll keep a close eye on the depth and let you know if I see anything
Click to expand...

I vaguely remember I hit something "hard" there a few years back, sounded like a heavy chain, but since we had a steel boat sounds do get magnified, in the end I assumed it was a shopping trolley or similar, never caught it again though and always careful along there.
 
Yep there's something there.....registered 3'5" on my fishfinder (resonably accurate)

Not sure what it is, not sure it's a shoal as the graph on the fishfinder looked like a spike, although it does extend across quite a bit of the channel
 
When I reported it to the EA, the reply was:- "It is on our list and will be removed when we have funding."

I said it should be marked with a red buoy as a matter of urgency to prevent further damage, and so far nothing has happened. How much does it cost to drop a red can in the water?
 
Came upriver to Abingdon yesterday and currently moored just below bridge.
No less than 3 green buoys in stretch by redline and showed at least 3 feet below me - I draw a metre.
This morning a Broom 37 came down and passed us in mid stream without problem - i ran aground there a few years back with my then Pedro.
Also, shoals above and below Benson are well marked - at head end of cut there are both green and red buoys marking the channel - didn't touch bottom but got the feeling it was shallow, sounder showed a foot!
 
Last edited:
If you are on the park, you may want to keep mid stream or to the port side when you head back down.
I regularly see about 2'7" by the boats moored toward the tail of the island (unless there is something there that sends my fishfinder screwy)
 
Definately a shoal just downstream of the green buoys. Level with the first set of steps on Wilshire road. Extends almost half way across the channel.
 
Me too, hit it two weeks ago going downstream slowly. My draught is 1.05 metres (Linssen steel boat). No damage but obviously a concern as not marked. But going upstream the week before I did not touch it, so it's obviously very localised.
 
In my experience, a lot of the groundings that I have had this year come several days after rain when the weirs have been opened up, for obvious reasons, but not returned soon enough. Both my Benson and Abingdon groundings happened this way (Benson Lock was unmanned on ths day!!!)
 
Weirs are opened and closed to keep levels within what is known as 'target levels'.

It is pretty easy to keep within targets in the summer , but more challenging in the winter. I doubt you will find any reach has been out of target over the summer months.

Benson may have been unmanned that day , but it will have been monitored by river control and a keeper from an adjacent site tasked to operate the weirs should the need arise.

Most weir activity has been very small movements , not whole gates , just to trickle off the water that makes it into the river from the occasional storm. The river certainly wouldn't react quickly to the size movements that have been made.
 
Last edited:
teddington_lock said:
Weirs are opened and closed to keep levels within what is known as 'target levels'.

It is pretty easy to keep within targets in the summer , but more challenging in the winter. I doubt you will find any reach has been out of target over the summer months.

Benson may have been unmanned that day , but it will have been monitored by river control and a keeper from an adjacent site tasked to operate the weirs should the need arise.

Most weir activity has been very small movements , not whole gates , just to trickle off the water that makes it into the river from the occasional storm. The river certainly wouldn't react quickly to the size movements that have been made.
Click to expand...

Here what you are saying but it does happen up this end for whatever reason, 6 inches can make all the difference.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

T
Notices to Mariners - Week 3
Replies
0
Views
288
tillergirl
T

Share this page

Top