Bristol Channel Moorings

M

MrSimonD

New Member
Joined
17 Nov 2009
Messages
3
Visit site
Hi guys,

apologies if this has been addressed before but I searched the forum for a while and couldn't find anything.

I am looking to move my 26ft Twister down from the east coast to somewhere in the Bristol channel, as near to bristol as possible on a mooring not a marina for cost reasons. I probably need somewhere that doesn't dry out as she is a single keel. Any suggestions would be fantastic as I am all but resigned to keeping her on the south coast as people have told me there aren't any that don't dry out.


Thanks
Simon
 
Hi Simon,

have you considered moving a bit further around and into Wales?

Cardiff Bay has two yacht clubs and lots of moorings up river that doesnt dry out.pretty reasonably priced too.

and you have the added advantage of being further west if you want to go anywhere.
 
Last edited:
Simon

With up to 14 metres rise and fall when you get close to Bristol not drying out is not really feasible if you are not behind lock gates for obvious reasons. However there are drying mud moorings at various clubs in the area where there are plenty of keel boats that live quite happily on mud berths - many larger than a Twister.
The closest to Bristol would be Portishead Cruising Club which is about a mile into the Avon from Avonmouth towards Bristol.

http://www.portisheadcruisingclub.org.uk/

I guess you need to ask yourself why you don't want a drying mooring - if it's because you want access at all times you won't find it but if it's just because you are a single keel then it's not really a problem.
 
Swansea, other than being my birth place, recommends itself as a venue. Better access and less extreme tidal influence than further up the Channel. In places like my 'spiritual sailing home, Portishead - where you can be trapped inside or outside the gates for a minor mathematical miscalculation
 
I was talking with Portishead marina just a couple of days ago and I was told it is possible to dry out a fin keel boat in the delightfully-named Portishead Hole, smack outside the marina. Provided you don't have a big bulb or wing on the end, the keel will just squidge down into the mud leaving the boat resting gently on the hull. Presumably this means the propellor will also be immersed in mud, along with any low down through-hulls, the log impellor and of course the rudder. Possibly not ideal. It goes without saying that you won't be able to walk to or from the boat when she's taking the ground. :rolleyes:
 
Some mud berths are alongside so you may walk to them whatever the tide and the boat will sit level and firm but you have a tidal window in which you can enter or leave your berth try Cardiff Bay the marinas are cheaper in some cases than the south Coast.
 
I live in Bristol and keep my boat at Cardiff Yacht club. Before I put my boat there I looked at Bristol, the river Avon, Portishead and most places in Cardiff. Having Chausey at CYC means I can sail pretty much whenever I wish, be it for a quick trip around the bay or a longer passage down the Bristol channel. Nowhere is perfect but, if you are happy to pay £5-40 to the French, I think I have the best deal. PM if you require more details.
Allan
 
Last edited:
If you are after really low costs, try Chepstow and Districr Yacht club. Membership is something like £30, moorings are about £1 per foot per annum ie £26 a year for you. They have well protected moorings in a pill where your keel will sink into deep soft mud with the boat upright - in effect its floating in the mud. Access to sea is maybe 3 hours either side. Access on land is mostly by foot however. Contact "quimby" by pm

On your side of the river try Portishead Cruising Club with very similar moorings.
 
thanks

Wow thanks guy. Such a wealth of knowledge on here. I will certainly have a good look at all those suggestions. I have my concerns about sitting her on the mud, hopefully the pressure of the mud on the rudder, prop etc won't cause damage over time and there is no chance of her toppling over. If plenty of people do it then I expect these aren't really issues. Thanks again and I'm open to further suggestions.

Cheers
Simon
 
MrSimonD said:
Wow thanks guy. Such a wealth of knowledge on here. I will certainly have a good look at all those suggestions. I have my concerns about sitting her on the mud, hopefully the pressure of the mud on the rudder, prop etc won't cause damage over time and there is no chance of her toppling over. If plenty of people do it then I expect these aren't really issues. Thanks again and I'm open to further suggestions.

Cheers
Simon
Click to expand...

Sitting in soft mud on a sheltered mooring is a very gentle process. Its only on exposed moorings where the boats can be thrown around by waves as the boat settles that damage can occur.There must be thousands of boats in the Bristol Channel East Coast of England and worldwide that dry out twice a day no problems.

To be honest I think it more likely for your boat to be damaged in a marina by someone else losing control and bumping you accidently or by you not coming on to the pontoon as gently as you would have preferred :-).
 
I suppose I would say this, but another vote for Cardiff Bay. The moorings are reasonable, and pontoons are available at both clubs if you want to 'upgrade'. We have a 28ft fin keel, and it is very rare that we can't lock out due to depths. If it's blowing a gale or we're short of time, we can quickly get out and sail in the bay.

I also have to say that all the folk I've met there have been very friendly indeed, apart from that guy from Choosey?




:D
 
MrSimonD said:
I have my concerns about sitting her on the mud, hopefully the pressure of the mud on the rudder, prop etc won't cause damage over time
Click to expand...

It will have no effect whatsoever because there is no extra pressure - the weight of your boat is the same and so the upward pressure from the muddy water will be too. Archimedes you see!

In effect the boat would be floating in a thin gruel of mud and sea water.

And unless you land on a hidden shopping trolley, the boat wont fall over either. It cant when its floating.
 
For the sake of an hours drive i would base it in Cardiff bay. At least you can sail whenever and its secure. Also good amenities, pubs, restaurants etc.
Even the rail link is good.
 
I don't know how old your Twister is, but I'd be concerned about keeping it in freshwater (Cardiff Bay) from an osmosis perspective. I'd personally rather keep a boat like that in sea water and the best place for that is to stump up the cash and put it in Portishead marina. Anyway, that's my view.

Cardiff is a nice place to sail from. It's quite a hassle to get there from Bristol though (especially with the 15 mile 50mph average speed check [3 miles of which is road works and the other 12 miles is for revenue generation by the looks of it] and I reckon you'd get more sailing done if you were based in Portishead).
 
zlod said:
Cardiff is a nice place to sail from. It's quite a hassle to get there from Bristol though (especially with the 15 mile 50mph average speed check [3 miles of which is road works and the other 12 miles is for revenue generation by the looks of it] and I reckon you'd get more sailing done if you were based in Portishead).
Click to expand...
A lot depends on where you live. I live in central Bristol and take less than an hour to get to my boat. Portishead takes a little under half an hour. Much as I object to paying £5-40 everytime, as I save approximatly £1500 a year, that is covered. There are a few low tides a year which make me nervous leaving Cardiff with my 1.5m draught. Portishead is restricted to ~4hrs each side of high tide.
Allan
 
You must shift. With the 50 limit it takes me as much as an hour from the Welsh side of the bridge.

Dont worry about the draught. We have 1.8 m and havent had much of a problem this winter, just the odd touch and wait at LW springs.
 
Son of a workmate got caught speeding in the 50mph zone leading upto the tolls,doing 81mph,
yesterday he was up in court,he got a £325 fine and was banned for 14 days,but no points on his licence.
Helen got caught there about 2 years ago she was doing 60,£60 fine and 3 points,told her to slow down.
 
Last edited:
As I have almost enough points on my license to get me a toaster, I now drive exactly on the speed limit. If I go via junction 33 it takes an hour, via junction 29 it takes less.
That is now five or six people I heard about getting caught approaching the tolls. I have seen the van sat on the bridge but I am very carefull to slow down. I am always surprised at how many people who speed in the average camera area.
Allan
 
Last edited:
I wrote my previous post after 2.5 pints of Leffe!

If the top of my priority list was a mooring that doesn't dry in the BC, Cardiff would be the place I'd aim for.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top