Mud in Watchet

My tub draws 6 feet and I'll be looking to exit in a couple of weeks as soon as the gates open.

Ditto all that has been said about the staff at Watchet, they couldn't have been more helpful - despite having to cope with a clueless newbie.
 
We have been out of the BC for a while now but we loved Watchet as a visitors destination from Cardiff. Yes we did settle in the mud once and it was a strange feeling waking in the night and the boat not moving!
If we ever bring the boat back to Cardiff we look forward to visiting again
 
Anyway, time to plan my journey to the south coast. With 1.8m draft, will I be able to get into Watchet and onto a hammerhead within 2 hours of HW?
 
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had a great weekend at Watchet arrived Sat 2.30 25 30kts wind on the way Left Monday 30 min after gate open due to mud but still worth a visit will go again.
 
We must have been there with you! Left just as the gate opened on Monday. Our first trip to Watchet in six years (left the BC for waters less brown, but now back). Nothing much has changed, but that mud is posing a real problem now it seems. I wonder if the marina management is just not overwhelmed with the whole issue. So long as they keep the hammerheads and deeper berths for visitors, then it's not a problem for us, but I'm not sure I'd be too happy as a local if that were the case. I really hope they sort this out - we really enjoy our Watchet trips.
 
bluedragon said:
that mud is posing a real problem now it seems. I wonder if the marina management is just not overwhelmed with the whole issue. So long as they keep the hammerheads and deeper berths for visitors, then it's not a problem for us, but I'm not sure I'd be too happy as a local if that were the case. I really hope they sort this out - we really enjoy our Watchet trips.
Click to expand...

Haven't been to Watchet for over 12 months (and not with my own boat), when the situation with the mud was diabolical. After that they bought the dredger, and I assumed were getting on with it. This sounds as though 12 months later progress is close to zero- the hammerheads were always OK for boats of 1.5 m or so. Can anybody comment on what, if any, progress the dredger has made? Watchet is a short hop for us but with a wing keel I am not keen to settle into mud, however soft, given the suction on the wing when refloating. It is a pity as it is a proper ale pie and shanty sort of cove, exactly what you go sailing for.

Cheers
 
It'll be interesting to see if Porthcawl suffers from the same build up . .

It looks as if the only way that Watchet will get on top of the mud issue is with contract dredging reducing the marina to 'as built depths and then maintaining with its in-house dredger? Its an awfully large area to dig into with the dredger they in my eyes . . .

Be interesting to know the area of the harbour and depth of mud to be removed coupled with the dredger's pump capacity . . .
 
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I was told by one of the marine workers that each tide deposit 40 ton of silt but there seems to be no regular work being carried out by the dredger
 
Good point I hadn't thought of that. You are probably right, I am likely over cautious. Still, trying to rise up against a mud which wants to suck you down is fighting against a vacuum, so I am still not completely assured. The wing is lead, so not all that strong either.
 
zebedee41 and channel, it sounds as though what you are saying is either that the dredger is not being used as often as possible, or is not as effective as possible, or both. This is really sad for Watchet.

WRT the amounts of sediment being deposited, the figures quoted to you (perhaps by the marina) which are similar to other numbers I have read on the Forum over the years, are probably exaggerated (I speak as a professional sedimentologist). It is conceivable that the tide moves a particulate load of this mass (as clay, and not silt- silt is a bigger particle than clay, and ironically easier to remove) through the marina with every cycle, but the sediment only stands a chance of being deposited at slack water, and then only so much sediment can accumulate as will be permitted by its settling coefficient (clays take a long time to settle out from even stagnant water). It seems to have been suggested that the failure to divert the stream through the marina was a bad decision, and I would agree with that, as very little turbulent flow is required to keep clays in suspension. But the problem for yotties right now seem to be that whatever has happened in the past, not enough is being done to remedy it right now.

Cheers
 
I understand the sustained level of water in the marina to be 7.0m above CD. Plotting the area this morning I estimate the marina area to be in the region of 20,000 m3. Mud is visible at the sustained level in many areas so it would be a good assumption that 1 to 1.5m of silt needs to be dredged out of the marina to return to the original specification. With the dredger they have on paper it appears they have the capacity . . .

Typically cutter suction dredgers will pump 1 third mud 2 thirds water so often the pump capacity is not what it appears and results can appear dissappointing. It appears they were making headway but stopped on cost grounds. Perhaps the dredger being used whilst clearly capable and cost effective to maintain the dredged depth is not cost effective to return the marina to an operational depth that does not deter boat owners from visiting.

I read recently on the Watchet Boat Owners Association in a report the following which gives a good insight to the problem.

''During the Autumn there was a long period of sustained dredging which has cleared some areas but the are still many berths where boats sit on mud a full foot above the retained depth. Dredging was suspended before Christmas on cost grounds. Ray Ventura invited Mr Tim Tailor (Marina Owner) to our January meeting and he explained that the dredger appeared to be performing considerably below specification and with the high cost of running they had decided to suspend dredging until a solution could be found. Tim reiterated his commitment to making Watchet Harbour Marina a success however mud levels remain a major concern.''
 
I spoke to a retired Watchet harbour employee about 3 weeks ago; he told me the dredger was currently in Cardiff.

He also told me the retained water depth should be 2.6 meters.

bitbaltics comments about the stream are absolutely correct. That stream was used for over 100 years to help keep the harbour navigable. However, the "experts" deemed it was no longer necessary - it would have been relatively simple to duct it into the marina during construction but would be a completely different ball-game now - although not impossible.

Paul
(Watchet Boat Owners Association's first Hon. Sec.)
 
If in Watchet this weekend keep an eye open for 'Sapphire' she has just come across the Atlantic with three old guys from Ilfracombe, and is going to be based in Watchet this summer. they had a horrendous trip, being blown over three hundred miles of course completely missing the Azores, eventually making land at Cork, where they dried out for a couple of days. The sting in the tail was a longer than expected rough trip from Cork to Ilfracombe with a strong easterly. So if you see them give John, Mike and Guss a cheer
 
I assume you mean the depth of water should be 2.6m with the gate closed. I understand the gate opens at 7m above CD so assume the water level is retained at 7m above CD? The depth of the marina bottom is therefore 4.4m above CD so therefore it is reasonable to assume there are 2 metres of mud to be removed to return to the 2.6m of water there should be?

It’s a real shame and puts me off going across – we have a Brunton Autoprop which doesn’t take kindly to sitting in mud and therefore would not visit until the situation improves.



paul.norton said:
I spoke to a retired Watchet harbour employee about 3 weeks ago; he told me the dredger was currently in Cardiff.

He also told me the retained water depth should be 2.6 meters.

bitbaltics comments about the stream are absolutely correct. That stream was used for over 100 years to help keep the harbour navigable. However, the "experts" deemed it was no longer necessary - it would have been relatively simple to duct it into the marina during construction but would be a completely different ball-game now - although not impossible.

Paul
(Watchet Boat Owners Association's first Hon. Sec.)
Click to expand...
 
The dredger is back in Watchet, but wasn't in use on Monday. I would say most boats now have no water around them at all after gate close, so it's reasonable to assume they need to take out on average around 2m or more mud to make all berths viable. I was told that some local boats now have to wait up an hour after gate open to float (but probably less on springs). Our keel (1.4m shallow fin with bulb) didn't seem to dig-in at all on the hammerhead, but one or two berths further in were partially dry. Where the fingers on pontoon A had been removed, a few boats alongside seemed to be OK as well, so the dredger has has some effect. Is it fighting a losing battle? I don't know. The point is that the sailing season is upon us, and it doesn't feel like Watchet is ready for an influx of visitors. Having said that CBYC had a fleet go over a few weeks back, and so did Swansea YC I'm told, so are we perhaps all over-stating the problem? It would be interesting to hear from some who have gone over as a group.
 
As a berth holder here (and yes it is frustrating!) it's quite interesting seeing the whole thing evolve - if that is the word.

It seems - don't quote me on this - that the issue is setting up a full scale dredging operation but on a small scale initially. They seem to have endless issues with the disposal pipework and associated equipment - bits breaking etc. That's what happened last week/this week...the work boat they use nearly sank as whilst pushing the dredger around it got a split in it just above the waterline. Nobody noticed as there were no visible leaks, but then we had that night of really heavy rain. Cue lots of pumping and repairs the following morning. I spoke to the manager and he was cheesed off because they had just fitted a new starter motor just prior to this...and had to fit another to get everything running - and he was struggling to get one that day so it was an overnight job. He said they daren't use the dredger without the work boat as it's needed to push the pipework etc around and keep it away from boats.

Its struck me that's it a bit of a catch 22 here...they can't take all of the boats out of the water and just get on with it - because where would they put them. So they have to work around them and that pipe is enormous. But apparently the dredging in Wales (earning income) went very well and did a good job - albeit with no pontoons and no boats in the water.

They are reckoning on anywhere up to 36 thousand cubic meters of silt!! They have just taken on extra manpower to try and nail it...they're getting complaints from the locals over noise as well. I would hate to be the owner/manager!

Yes CBYC and Swansea did come over and all seemed good - lots of 'merry' people!
 
bluedragon said:
Our keel (1.4m shallow fin with bulb) didn't seem to dig-in at all on the hammerhead, but one or two berths further in were partially dry.
Click to expand...

This is the problem. We draw a definitely modest 1.08m but I would only visit Watchet if they guaranteed our 30 footer a hammerhead. And if things didn't work out that way (not many marinas blithely put 30 footers on the hammerheads) I'd probably sail straight back to Cardiff unless conditions were strongly against the return passage. It seems a bit silly so I can't really see us visiting.

Wrt the dredger, if they have discovered that they can't afford to do the job properly and dredge out the marina to design depth, what was the point of buying it in the first place? 'stopped on the grounds of cost' is stopped on the grounds of bad planning IMHO.

Cheers
 
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I think as already said it was a case of machine not performing to design specs. But then after much work with the manufacturers they have got it running as required (although I imagine the quoted capabilities are 'possibles', not promises). They did buy it used (have you seen the cost of a new one!) so I think it was bound to take a while to get sorted. Maybe not as long as it has :( but seems better now. I was at the meeting where the marina owner attended and I think he was wise to say that they had stopped serious dredging until they got the matter sorted.. otherwise pouring money down the drain (like all boats :) :))
 
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