NigeCh
Well-Known Member
Re: Swellies at ALL states of the tide
Richard Jones is the Menai Strait Pilot. He is the Dockmaster at Victoria Dock. It was him who showed me how to open the tidal gates in the Swellies so that you can go though with both the HW and LW tides. Ralph Morris's 'Cruising Anglesey and Adjoining Waters' 6th Edition conveniently leaves out the good advice that he had in the 3rd edition. Read the following (follow the pages till you get to the Swellies tide acceleration ) :
http://www.petewidders.com/CowayIntroBackground.htm
My rule of thumb is going north at HW slack: Liverpool HW - 5 to -2 and you can carry flood to Trwyn Du if you take it at L'pool -5 to -3. Going south: Anytime between L'pool -2 and 1 and you can carry the ebb to Caernarfon bar.
Low water slack is quite different: Going north: L'pool HW 4 to 6; Going south L'pool HW 2 to 4 ... and you'll have to fight the tides both ways to Trwyn Du or Caernarfon Bar and have to climb the simultaneous tidal difference between Brittania Bridge and Menai Bridge!!!
What's even more fun is going though the NW arch of Britannia Bridge and round the back of Gored Goch (The sign "No English to land here" no longer exists.)
http://www.caernarfon-hbr.demon.co.uk/swellies.jpg
If you take Ralph Morris's Pilot you only have 2 x 30 minutes a day. Yet I'll quite happily sail (or motor) through depending on which way I'm going for upto 14 hours on any day (and night*). The key is watching and maintaining the transits.
*NOTE: The bulbs on the leading lights under Britannia Bridge have popped. The elongated white pyramid just north of Britannia Bridge has fallen in the water.
I think that the only other place around the UK which can be nastier is either Bardsey Sound or the Corryvreckan
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Richard Jones is the Menai Strait Pilot. He is the Dockmaster at Victoria Dock. It was him who showed me how to open the tidal gates in the Swellies so that you can go though with both the HW and LW tides. Ralph Morris's 'Cruising Anglesey and Adjoining Waters' 6th Edition conveniently leaves out the good advice that he had in the 3rd edition. Read the following (follow the pages till you get to the Swellies tide acceleration ) :
http://www.petewidders.com/CowayIntroBackground.htm
My rule of thumb is going north at HW slack: Liverpool HW - 5 to -2 and you can carry flood to Trwyn Du if you take it at L'pool -5 to -3. Going south: Anytime between L'pool -2 and 1 and you can carry the ebb to Caernarfon bar.
Low water slack is quite different: Going north: L'pool HW 4 to 6; Going south L'pool HW 2 to 4 ... and you'll have to fight the tides both ways to Trwyn Du or Caernarfon Bar and have to climb the simultaneous tidal difference between Brittania Bridge and Menai Bridge!!!
What's even more fun is going though the NW arch of Britannia Bridge and round the back of Gored Goch (The sign "No English to land here" no longer exists.)
http://www.caernarfon-hbr.demon.co.uk/swellies.jpg
If you take Ralph Morris's Pilot you only have 2 x 30 minutes a day. Yet I'll quite happily sail (or motor) through depending on which way I'm going for upto 14 hours on any day (and night*). The key is watching and maintaining the transits.
*NOTE: The bulbs on the leading lights under Britannia Bridge have popped. The elongated white pyramid just north of Britannia Bridge has fallen in the water.
I think that the only other place around the UK which can be nastier is either Bardsey Sound or the Corryvreckan
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