Entering Watchet

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Rob Rover

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No doubt this has been done to death (though I have searched) BUT... Thinking about going to Watchet this weekend, doing some passage planning considering locking out of Cardiff at 10:00,motoring against the tide to Lavernock then dependent on the wind reaching across the Channel to Watchet. Pretty confident we can get there at least an hour before the gates shut - 16:56 - BUT I've seen suggestions that you the harbour is best entered on a rising tide... Is it sensible to consider approach that late on the ebb? The boat is a Bavaria 30 with 1.8 draught.
 
Easier to get in on a falling tide, but get your sails down a mile off as it gets like a roller coaster near the harbour entrance. Saying this as someone who visits once or twice a year, I'm sure the locals would poo poo the notion. Getting in on a rising tide is ok but visitors should wait until an hour after the cill drops. The set from right to left, especially on springs, can be quite scary.
 
Probably already known, but contacted Watchet last week, to ask if it dries out (as our sterndrive is jammed down). If does dry out currently, but they're aiming to get the parts needed to fix the dredging machine in a month.
 
coming in half an hour before it shut wasnt an issue for me.

The 'mud' is so soft its more like a milkshake. most oats sit a few inches different to their natural water level in the 'mud'. There are several boats with their outdrives down in the harbour - and outboards
 
Update - went very happily to Watchet last weekend and sat in the silt overnight ... had a bit of a struggle escaping the clutches of mud on the way out, but escape we did. Put me off the idea of a folding prop though!
 
There is always good water in the outer harbour about 2 hours after their HW, and you can at a pinch moor against the far wall. If you need to get out early from the inner harbour moor nearer the hammerheads as they barely dry. I have no trouble dropping down tide from Uphill ,leaving the end of Brean about half hour after local HW and getting there in time, but must use engine if wind slight or in wrong quarter. Quite frankly the tidal set is no worse than Barry and unless you are trying to sail in you will barely notice it
 
wotayottie said:
Careful, A sailor from CYC went in at the last minute and got caught as the gate came up.
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There are red green lights to indicate status, so how did the CYC boat hit rising sill? There was a failure 2 years ago but that got fixed PDQ.

Moral of the story is don't go against red light and if it fails ring the marina office before proceeding, or just moor in outer harbour
 
wotayottie said:
Careful, A sailor from CYC went in at the last minute and got caught as the gate came up.
Click to expand...

I think this info is incorrect the time the boat hit the cill was over two years ago and it was the gate at fault the boat had green light but the cill did not lower so that is why the boat hit the cill no fault of the skipper
 
pondfish said:
I think this info is incorrect the time the boat hit the cill was over two years ago and it was the gate at fault the boat had green light but the cill did not lower so that is why the boat hit the cill no fault of the skipper
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If it's the time I was there, the CYC boat, Lesanne possibly, was touched by the gate. It was the following boat, I believe a large Moody with a Scottish name, that bounced off the gate. I heard the bang and looked up at the lights which were green.
It was after this the gate failed.
Allan
 
Allan said:
If it's the time I was there, the CYC boat, Lesanne possibly, was touched by the gate. It was the following boat, I believe a large Moody with a Scottish name, that bounced off the gate. I heard the bang and looked up at the lights which were green. It was after this the gate failed. Allan
Click to expand...

The lights had failed or rather the gate had failed to respond at the same time as the lights. The scottish boat - and I cant remember the name - shot out like a wippet, recklessly in my opinion, without apparently noticing the earlier touching just ahead of them and ran straight into the cill. After then it took several months to fix things and its not a normal situation
 
oldmanofthehills said:
The lights had failed or rather the gate had failed to respond at the same time as the lights. The scottish boat - and I cant remember the name - shot out like a wippet, recklessly in my opinion, without apparently noticing the earlier touching just ahead of them and ran straight into the cill. After then it took several months to fix things and its not a normal situation
Click to expand...

The boat had a Scottish name, it was from Portishead. Martin, the skipper whose keel was touched by the gate didn't know, at the time, what had happened. There was no indication the gate had lifted. Due to the amount of water coming in, many people recommend having a bit way on in the entrance.
Allan
 
oldmanofthehills said:
There are red green lights to indicate status, so how did the CYC boat hit rising sill? There was a failure 2 years ago but that got fixed PDQ.

Moral of the story is don't go against red light and if it fails ring the marina office before proceeding, or just moor in outer harbour
Click to expand...

He was late on the tide and as I remember what he told me, he went in just as the light turned from green to red. He though it was pretty safe since boats had been leaving. He was wrong.
 
wotayottie said:
He was late on the tide and as I remember what he told me, he went in just as the light turned from green to red. He though it was pretty safe since boats had been leaving. He was wrong.
Click to expand...

That must be a different event to the one I spoke about earlier. That was outgoing boats and was the situation that started the disasters with the gates.
Allan
 
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