bdh198
Well-Known Member
Black Sheep makes some good points. I'm not familiar with a Bradwell 18, but I did the same passage in my Sailfish 18 back in 2008.
I first of all sailed from Gillingham to Limehouse and spent the night in the marina basin. The next morning I 'sailed' with the help of my 5hp outboard all the way up to Chiswick - as others have said, the Thames isn't the most accommodating place to sail for a boat of that size, particularly when you only want to sail in one direction. The air draft of my sailfish is 7.8 meters and I had the mast up the whole way. I set off 40 minutes before low water at London Bridge and over the course of 3 hours and 20 minutes slowly motored up the river. The tidal range on that day was 5.6 meters. The only bridge that presented a potential squeeze was Hammersmith. I actually passed under Hammersmith bridge at 2 hours and 30 minutes after low water at London Bridge and although it looked close (it always looks tighter than it is sailing under something) I was told by someone on top of the bridge as I sailed under that I had at least a foot of clearance.
I spent the night moored up at Chiswick pier and a few days later continued up the Thames as far as Windsor. I was able to keep the mast in place until Richmond lock. After that the bridges at Richmond are too low and by there the Thames is semi-tidal so you don't get the full benefit of extra air draft at low water.
My sailfish has a mast that I am able to step and unstep single handed using an A-frame on the bow. Although I am able to do this sitting inside the cockpit 'at sea', it is quite a bit easier when moored up. My plan was to continue to Windsor dropping the mast between bridges as I went, but unfortunately it wasn't quite that simple. Firstly, there are a lot of bridges and secondly, the sailing in between really wasn't worth it. If you can leave your mast in a local rowing or sailing club then that will probably be the best way forward. I didn't and instead kept it strapped to the A-frame and pulpit at a height that gave me some space in the cockpit while allowing me to get under the bridges.
If you haven't already done it, I would strongly encourage you to sail up the Thames. I've only explored as far as Windsor and I would love to go further. On my trip I found there was no shortage of places to moor up (although it is probably sensible to check where you might moor in advance), lots of pubs with riverside access, and sailing through the capital presents an interesting perspective on the city.
Good luck
I first of all sailed from Gillingham to Limehouse and spent the night in the marina basin. The next morning I 'sailed' with the help of my 5hp outboard all the way up to Chiswick - as others have said, the Thames isn't the most accommodating place to sail for a boat of that size, particularly when you only want to sail in one direction. The air draft of my sailfish is 7.8 meters and I had the mast up the whole way. I set off 40 minutes before low water at London Bridge and over the course of 3 hours and 20 minutes slowly motored up the river. The tidal range on that day was 5.6 meters. The only bridge that presented a potential squeeze was Hammersmith. I actually passed under Hammersmith bridge at 2 hours and 30 minutes after low water at London Bridge and although it looked close (it always looks tighter than it is sailing under something) I was told by someone on top of the bridge as I sailed under that I had at least a foot of clearance.
I spent the night moored up at Chiswick pier and a few days later continued up the Thames as far as Windsor. I was able to keep the mast in place until Richmond lock. After that the bridges at Richmond are too low and by there the Thames is semi-tidal so you don't get the full benefit of extra air draft at low water.
My sailfish has a mast that I am able to step and unstep single handed using an A-frame on the bow. Although I am able to do this sitting inside the cockpit 'at sea', it is quite a bit easier when moored up. My plan was to continue to Windsor dropping the mast between bridges as I went, but unfortunately it wasn't quite that simple. Firstly, there are a lot of bridges and secondly, the sailing in between really wasn't worth it. If you can leave your mast in a local rowing or sailing club then that will probably be the best way forward. I didn't and instead kept it strapped to the A-frame and pulpit at a height that gave me some space in the cockpit while allowing me to get under the bridges.
If you haven't already done it, I would strongly encourage you to sail up the Thames. I've only explored as far as Windsor and I would love to go further. On my trip I found there was no shortage of places to moor up (although it is probably sensible to check where you might moor in advance), lots of pubs with riverside access, and sailing through the capital presents an interesting perspective on the city.
Good luck