Minehead

[tatali0n]

Is Minehead worth a spring weekend visit, sailing from Cardiff?

I only know what I've read about the harbour on the visitmyharbour site, the Blue Book and the Peter Cumberlidge Cruising Guide, not having been there myself except by land for a drink sodden weekend in Butlins many, many years ago. Note there does appear to be a pub by the harbour side?

Was originally planning to visit Cardiff for the first weekend of April, but now Dad's decided we're moving from Portishead to Penarth, it turns out we'll already be there if all goes to plan this weekend (though looking at the forecast, it may not) so I need to think of somewhere else to sail to now.

Of course, we could always sail back to Portishead for the weekend. But we've kind of done Portishead by definition. A lot

 

[sarabande]

Twin keels ? Quite sheltered but can be rolly in N through to E.

There was a new HM a couple of years ago; place is much tidier, though onlookers can be a bit tedious at times.

Best eating in back streets/pubs of town, as main drag is usually flooded with hairy visitors.

Town is worth a walk round and up to North Hill; views of Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station. Best of all, it's the home base for the West Somerset railway - yippee !

 

[bitbaltic]

but now Dad's decided we're moving from Portishead to Penarth

Are you? See, I should read your blog more.

Looks like we are moving out of Penarth around the last weekend of April or maybe early May, so the opportunity for beer presents itself.

Doubt we will bring Karisma back east this year- so if you need crew/help moving the boat for the Holms race, just shout.

 

[bitbaltic]

Are you? See, I should read your blog more.

Looks like we are moving out of Penarth around the last weekend of April or maybe early May, so the opportunity for beer presents itself.

Doubt we will bring Karisma back east this year- so if you need crew/help moving the boat for the Holms race, just shout.

There might have been a thread about minehead here several years ago with a pic of someone's boat dried out there.... not the most helpful info i know....

 

[guyd]

The 'ship aground' pub is pretty good, as local pubs go, it's right by the harbour. Porlock has a few pubs too, and a nice artisan type pizza restaurant.

 

[Gwylan]

Would Watchet be a better alternative? Have they resolved their water issues?

Been to both and know what I'd choose.

 

[Sneds]

Watchet, love it but need to stay afloat
Will check out their website to check on the water situation

 

[Sneds]

Information from the Watchet Boat Owners Association states that despite the dredging there has been no change to the mud levels at low tide

 

[bitbaltic]

Visited Watchet by land a year ago and spoke with the marina manager. At that time they said they had achieved 2m depth around A pontoon and between A and B pontoons (so berths on the east side of B leg) it was still drying out between B and C and around C. This looked about right looking into the basin and you could see where there was standing water and where there was not (we were there at low tide). Hopefully the situation will only have improved since.

If the advice quoted by WBOA above is up to date then the marina must have silted up again or they have a different view to the marina management (as I say it was quite obvious that there was a lot more standing water at low tide, the depth of it of course I couldn't say).

I see they have a revamped website and imagine that reflects increased effort there nowadays. If we were staying in Cardiff Bay this season I would definitely be visiting but we are moving to Milford Haven.

 

[solitaire11]

I spent 5 days at watchet last August with several other cruisers and none of us had a problem, why don't people just ring them and tell them they're needs and I'm sure they would accommodate.. simples ��

 

[tatali0n]

Are you? See, I should read your blog more.

But of course

Doubt we will bring Karisma back east this year- so if you need crew/help moving the boat for the Holms race, just shout.

You're very welcome aboard any time Huw. But will indeed shout a little closer to the time and I've worked out exactly how it is we're going to do it this year.

 

[tatali0n]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Definitely have thought of Watchet, stopped there two or three times last year. Haven't found anywhere decent to eat there yet however, and as it's my birthday this coming weekend, wanted somewhere nice for supper after sailing, which is why I thought of Minehead as an alternative.

May still head to Watchet as a default however. Or even trot back up to Portishead for the weekend. It always struck me as a nice place to visit for a night, an opportunity we never really had when based there! And there's the comfort of the familiar.

Now we're a bit closer to tamer waters (comparative to just off Portishead, anyway!) I'm hoping to explore a few of the smaller places in reach of Cardiff this year, and put the fact that we have twin keels to sit on between tides to fair use.

I'm not sure I completely understand the charm,I prefer a boat that's floating, but Dad seems to get a bit of a kick at seeing the Westerly dried out on the sand, so I ought to humour him as it's technically his boat

 

[Allan]

A bit further away but worth a visit is Watermouth. It's easy on one spring tide from Cardiff. There are buoys near the entrance that dry out. Beware that at certain neap tides they can just leave you banging the bottom for ages. The buoys are like the ones at Ilfracombe, pick up the buoy, put the loop on the bow, unclip extra line and put it on the stern.
Allan

 

[tatali0n]

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions.

Cheated and took the train from Watchet to Minehead in the end. Tides were such that I wasn't sure I'd be able to get into the latter before we lost the light and didn't fancy trying to enter a new harbour first time in the dark.

I think that's our third time in Watchet. Wasn't so impressed with the town on our first visit, unexpectedly running into friends made impressions irrelevant on the second. But this time around the place is definitely growing on me. Supper at The Spice Merchant, and a couple of pints and a band at The Esplanade; two very friendly places and a very good night.

Didn't lift from the mud until about half an hour after the gate dropped the next morning though, which is worse than I remember last year. Still made it back to Lavernock Point before the tide turned, but had to use the engine for the second half of the trip as the wind, lovely at first, gave up on us.

Pretty much as forecast. Was an excellent sail for the first hour though