zlod
Well-Known Member
As part of my goal to circumnavigate every island in the Bristol Channel, we're motoring towards Portishead lock from our berth (in order to catch the last lock on the ebb tide). Talking to marina control:
- "We want to lock out at 6:30m please"
- "There's 1.6m depth over the sill, what's your draft?"
- "1.4m"
- "OK, lock is prepared: starboard side too".
Eh? Why do marina control care which side we moor up on? The lock can't be full.
The lock is empty: we're the only ones in. The water drains from the lock. We see the marina-side sill appear. We keep going down. The top of the mast disappears below pavement level. There's 6ft of sill showing as we bottom out. The port side pontoons ground out on the mud. From marina control:
- "there's 1.5m depth over the sill. Are you OK?"
- "Yes, we're going out on the starboard side into The Hole, then steering into the pier at the second yellow saltire"
- "OK, good luck"
The gates open oh so slowly. Inexorably slowly. We want to get out, the water is ebbing away all the time. The depth sounder reads 0.1m.
We motor out, we clear the sill. 0.2m on the depth sounder. Motor straight ahead. 10m after the outer edge of the lock we steer towards The Hole. 0.3, 0.2m. We're in The Hole. There's a nervous air on the boat. We're closing on a steep-to mudbank appearing out of the north side of The Hole. We turn for the second yellow saltire on the pier. 0.3m, 0.2m, 0.1m, 0.0m.
We grind to a halt in the sludge. Not good. Turn on more power in reverse. I try steering from side to side to loosen us up from the mud. The crew are leaning out on the boom on the port side of the boat. Full steam ahead. We udge forwards, we pick up speed. 0.1m, 0.2m, 0.3m. We're clear. Keeping close to the pier, we shoot out of the end of the pier. The depth readings increase. 1.0, 2.0m. We head straight towards Firefly buoy. When we're there, we're in deep water: phew!
**********************
What followed was just a totally amazing sail. Once we'd reached Welsh Hook or thereabouts, the wind kicked in, the sails went up and we just started tanking along. The log was reading 6.5 to 7 knots on a beam reach. Cervisia was just loving having the power in her sails. She totally ignored the sea and just ploughed through the chop: just like a good Contessa 26 should. Near the Holm Islands, the (neap) tide turned, but we didn't care. With this much power in the sails, we were still doing 5 knots over the ground against the tide. By now we were in the ocean swell (well long wavelength waves seem like the ocean swell after you've been in the chop for so long).
We gave Steep Holm a wide berth in case we got set onto it. It was an amazing wild battleship of an island: such a wild place so close to the urban calm of Bristol (well the bit I live in is pretty calm: most of the time). The seas were now behind us and we were surfing down waves at up to 8 knots, again on a beam reach (don't you just love 'em?).
It's great sailing beyond the Holms: the waves seem bigger and of longer wavelength. The scenery is just beautiful with the headland of Brean Down, the Mendips and the lines of the Exmoor Hills in the distance. On the Welsh side, the hills rise up towards the Brecon Beacons and the Wye Valley. And then there are those Holm Islands: two totally different little islands that totally define the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel.
Somewhere around Tail Patch, we had an involuntary tack as the wind veered 90 degrees from NW to NE: bizarre. The wind then died and the engine came on.
As luck would have it, an ecosquall appeared from somewhere Welsh (where else does rain come from?). We had power in our sails again and were tanking along at 6.5 to 7 knots once more: Darren helming as I was controlling the mainsheet. We were heeling nicely and Cervisia was just lapping it all up again. The squall passed somewhere near East Mid Grounds and we then motored back to Portishead marina after what was a truly excellent sail. Who cares about the cold when the sailing is this good?
Tanking it down towards Steep Holm. Can I enter this wake into the wake comparison competition? It's a nice long keel wake like Damo's (who I vote has the best wake from a previous thread).
Robin is still smiling after one of those Contessa 26 drenchings that happen from time to time (he was asleep one moment and had late November brown BC water down his neck the next)
Steep Holm in the distance through the slot
Locked in after a stupendous sail: there's a bit more water now! Note how Portishead marina have their lock pontoons set at the correct height which is more than can be said for the Cardiff barrage lock.
************************
I spoke to Damo afterwards who had watched us navigating round The Hole from marina control (at change of shift I guess). Apparently there was 1.0m less water than predicted.
I might give the last lock a wide berth in future if there is only 1.6m of water over the sill.
The depth sounder calibration is correct!
I went back to Portishead Pier at low tide today to check the pilotage into Portishead marina. There was a furrow across a low mudbank (the lowest) that was only 10ft away from "deep" water. I then spent half an hour in the rain checking out the leading lines in case we get into this situation again.
Note: there is generally no problem getting into Portishead marina, but if you're going in or out on the last lock in a boat with a draft, then you need to be careful.
- "We want to lock out at 6:30m please"
- "There's 1.6m depth over the sill, what's your draft?"
- "1.4m"
- "OK, lock is prepared: starboard side too".
Eh? Why do marina control care which side we moor up on? The lock can't be full.
The lock is empty: we're the only ones in. The water drains from the lock. We see the marina-side sill appear. We keep going down. The top of the mast disappears below pavement level. There's 6ft of sill showing as we bottom out. The port side pontoons ground out on the mud. From marina control:
- "there's 1.5m depth over the sill. Are you OK?"
- "Yes, we're going out on the starboard side into The Hole, then steering into the pier at the second yellow saltire"
- "OK, good luck"
The gates open oh so slowly. Inexorably slowly. We want to get out, the water is ebbing away all the time. The depth sounder reads 0.1m.
We motor out, we clear the sill. 0.2m on the depth sounder. Motor straight ahead. 10m after the outer edge of the lock we steer towards The Hole. 0.3, 0.2m. We're in The Hole. There's a nervous air on the boat. We're closing on a steep-to mudbank appearing out of the north side of The Hole. We turn for the second yellow saltire on the pier. 0.3m, 0.2m, 0.1m, 0.0m.
We grind to a halt in the sludge. Not good. Turn on more power in reverse. I try steering from side to side to loosen us up from the mud. The crew are leaning out on the boom on the port side of the boat. Full steam ahead. We udge forwards, we pick up speed. 0.1m, 0.2m, 0.3m. We're clear. Keeping close to the pier, we shoot out of the end of the pier. The depth readings increase. 1.0, 2.0m. We head straight towards Firefly buoy. When we're there, we're in deep water: phew!
**********************
What followed was just a totally amazing sail. Once we'd reached Welsh Hook or thereabouts, the wind kicked in, the sails went up and we just started tanking along. The log was reading 6.5 to 7 knots on a beam reach. Cervisia was just loving having the power in her sails. She totally ignored the sea and just ploughed through the chop: just like a good Contessa 26 should. Near the Holm Islands, the (neap) tide turned, but we didn't care. With this much power in the sails, we were still doing 5 knots over the ground against the tide. By now we were in the ocean swell (well long wavelength waves seem like the ocean swell after you've been in the chop for so long).
We gave Steep Holm a wide berth in case we got set onto it. It was an amazing wild battleship of an island: such a wild place so close to the urban calm of Bristol (well the bit I live in is pretty calm: most of the time). The seas were now behind us and we were surfing down waves at up to 8 knots, again on a beam reach (don't you just love 'em?).
It's great sailing beyond the Holms: the waves seem bigger and of longer wavelength. The scenery is just beautiful with the headland of Brean Down, the Mendips and the lines of the Exmoor Hills in the distance. On the Welsh side, the hills rise up towards the Brecon Beacons and the Wye Valley. And then there are those Holm Islands: two totally different little islands that totally define the upper reaches of the Bristol Channel.
Somewhere around Tail Patch, we had an involuntary tack as the wind veered 90 degrees from NW to NE: bizarre. The wind then died and the engine came on.
As luck would have it, an ecosquall appeared from somewhere Welsh (where else does rain come from?). We had power in our sails again and were tanking along at 6.5 to 7 knots once more: Darren helming as I was controlling the mainsheet. We were heeling nicely and Cervisia was just lapping it all up again. The squall passed somewhere near East Mid Grounds and we then motored back to Portishead marina after what was a truly excellent sail. Who cares about the cold when the sailing is this good?
Tanking it down towards Steep Holm. Can I enter this wake into the wake comparison competition? It's a nice long keel wake like Damo's (who I vote has the best wake from a previous thread).
Robin is still smiling after one of those Contessa 26 drenchings that happen from time to time (he was asleep one moment and had late November brown BC water down his neck the next)
Steep Holm in the distance through the slot
Locked in after a stupendous sail: there's a bit more water now! Note how Portishead marina have their lock pontoons set at the correct height which is more than can be said for the Cardiff barrage lock.
************************
I spoke to Damo afterwards who had watched us navigating round The Hole from marina control (at change of shift I guess). Apparently there was 1.0m less water than predicted.
I might give the last lock a wide berth in future if there is only 1.6m of water over the sill.
The depth sounder calibration is correct!
I went back to Portishead Pier at low tide today to check the pilotage into Portishead marina. There was a furrow across a low mudbank (the lowest) that was only 10ft away from "deep" water. I then spent half an hour in the rain checking out the leading lines in case we get into this situation again.
Note: there is generally no problem getting into Portishead marina, but if you're going in or out on the last lock in a boat with a draft, then you need to be careful.
