Overnighting up the Mersey!!

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Petercatterall

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I'm planing to leave my mooring at Conwy and winter up at Fidlers Ferry.
I have been looking at tides/daylight etc. Apparently I need the top of a spring tide at Fidlers Ferry. Overnighting at Lpool marina may be a problem given the time I can lock out of there and get up river.
Are there any places to anchor, tie up etc further up the mersey say past Eastham?
32 foot MS 5 foot draught.

Grateful for any ideas (as ever)
 
Try the club at Rock Ferry. There are some swingng moorings there, which I, and two others used on a visit to the Albert Dock in 2003. They were then very substantial (they have to be!!) but we were locked into the dock at midnight on a big tide, so we didnt overnight. I wouldnt hesitate to use tham again, and more will be empty at this time of year, but maybe an ask would be curteous.
 
Hi Peter
The only decent moorings are off Rock Ferry with less substantial, and uncomfortable moorings off New Brighton. There is no anchorage at springs higher up the river outside the channels. The Rock Ferry moorings are mainy owned by Royal Mersey YC who, I believe, are rather possesive. A friend of mine, waiting for the Marina lock, was contacted by the coastguard and informed the mooring owner had seen him from the shore and wanted him to leave immediately. The options are an early start, a night in the marina or anchor in the Dee estuary, SW of Hilbre off HE4 SHM in settled conditions with some south in the wind. Have emailed you ref Rock channel / gps route.
Andy
 
There are some LYC moorings at Tranmere, I've never known any problems with temporary use of any of the moorings. Suggest you check with the club or the Marina which ones are the LYC ones as you want a good one, the tide rips through there
 
Hi

Firstly the top of a big spring thing may be untrue depending on what you draw, a couple of days before is a good idea so they are still getting bigger. Check out the channel from the top of Runcorn Hill (Hale Head to Garston) and the top of the Catalyst Museum from Widnes up river.

We have anchored in deep water of Pickerings Pasture on the way out, less useful on the way in unless you can make it around Hale Head with a bit of flood under you. Very useful but get the anchor WELL dug in and dont let the anchor go too early or you will be skipping over sand at 5 knots! This saves a couple of hours from further down river an can give an easier passage to Warrington, certainly less fraught although the inshore lifeboat is none to keen (look at Pickerings pasture channel by driving to it on Ditton side of Widnes).

Finally have a look at SPike Island at Widnes, they will lock you in with notice later than Liverpool (and a bit cheaper, although be nice to the keeper), either way worth a chat with the fishermen down here, they know the river like the back of their hands.

The sticky bits are; Garston Channel to Hale Head (can see channel from Runcorn Hill), then easy fromHale HEad to Runcorn Bridge, then tough around Randalls Sluice.

Good luck,
 
I would not like to rely on a stop over at Hilbre Swash at this time of year, if it does pick up you really limit your options. Is fine in summer.

When we went into Fiddlers Ferry we stopped over in Spike Island, from what I remember, 1992, it was a simple entrance, but, I would not leave the boat unattended for any period, bad vibes.

When are you planning, I might pop along with my camera as FF is now about 15 mins from the house, if you are sailing I might be able to get some nice shots, I will bring the hh.

Acsully, if you think it might be useful I could wander down to the river at LW and take some shots to give you a possible idea of the channel. I can't help any more as things have changed a lot since 92, but, do put extra clothes and food aboard in case you hit the putty. Yes, we got the channel wrong on the way out and spent the night (me and my dad) shivering and hungry, she had been stripped for winter so we basically had only what we were stood in. Classic, a 20 minute trip to Spike Island affair!
 
Addition to my last,

One of the lads at mailspeed marine in Warrington keeps his boat in FF, he sails her from there!

I am sure a quick call to them, or into the shop and he will give you plenty of up to date advice. I can not remember his name, sorry.
 
You have been given several possibilities but none are easy or completely safe.

There should not be any problem about leaving the marina and arriving at FF at HW. You can lock out at HW -2 Lpool and HW Warrington is HW Liverpool plus one hour. You will be going up with the tide at a speed which will surprise you. You will probably arrive at FF before HW and then have to stooge around (there's no moorings) until you can get over the hump of mud at the entrance to the lock.
 
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we stopped over in Spike Island, from what I remember, 1992, it was a simple entrance, but, I would not leave the boat unattended for any period, bad vibes.

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'Squse my ignorance, but I thought Spike Island was within the canal at the junction with the Weaver. Isn't this thread about the Mersey?

As I would like to this trip next year, I am reading everything avidly, but am getting confused, which is not difficult.
 
I'm afraid your memory has let you down but you did say that it was 1992, more than 13 years ago. Spike island is by Widnes on the Mersey. The last time I took a boat downriver I wanted to get to Beaumaris by dark. The trouble leaving FF is that by the time you can leave the FF lock it is already well past HW Lpool and the water is disappearing FAST. I left FF on the Fri evening and locked into the canal at Spike Island overnight. I then had plenty of water the following day to leave the Mersey via the Rock Channel and arrived in the Straits in plenty of time.
 
Thanks for that, it was not my memeory, I was quoting ShipsWoofy and dogs have very long memories.

So, where does the lock at Spike Island go to. I thought you had to have your boat surveyed to sample ship canal water. Would love to go up the Dee, it doesn't seem worth the hassle.

Sorry to hijack thread!
 
Yes, I did get the reference wrong, must read slower.

The canal at Spike Island merely joins the St Helens canal at FF. Unforetunately it is not navigable except for canoes. The canal is part of the Sankey Valley Country Park and is part of the Trans Pennine walk from Liverpoll to Hull. The site http://www.scars.org.uk/ gives the history of the canal and its restoration.
 
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Speke

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No, that is the airport and they don't allow boats there.:) On Tsunami 99 it shows Spike Island at 53.18.762 N 2.45.564 W in between the Weaver Bend and the Saltport Bend within the MS canal, not in the R Mersey.

I am trying to follow this thread, even though I have a very shallow draft boat, so that I can do this trip in the spring. Would love to get as near to Warrington as possible....just for the fun of it.

I notice that the charted channel in the Mersey off Weston Docks passes close to 'Seldom Seen Rocks'. Am hoping that on my planned trip, they remain unseen!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
On Tsunami 99 it shows Spike Island at 53.18.762 N 2.45.564 W in between the Weaver Bend and the Saltport Bend within the MS canal, not in the R Mersey.

[/ QUOTE ]

Er, then were did Roy and me go into? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Spike Island is a sea lock which joins onto the canal. It is where the NW boat jumble is held, near the Widnes end of the Runcorn Bridge, take a clothes peg for your nose!

Try a google search.....

Dsc07626.jpg


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It is quite possible that there are 2 Spike Islands. You seem keen to go up the Ship Canal. Jules and I use the River Mersey and lock into the Sankey/St Helens canal. Time to resort to other methods of navigation. Try inputting Widnes into Multimap and zooming into the area to the east of the bridge. Spike Island is clearly shown. The address for me was (use cut and paste) http://uk.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?cl....x=5&in.y=5
 
Definitely two - one as you described where the summer boat jumble takes place at end of Sankey/St Helens Canal and one on the Ship Canal at Weaver Sluices - though the one on the ship canal is no longer an Island but a very drunken looking beacon!
 
Thanks. I am clear now that there are two Spike Islands. I will stick to the one with the lock and I will use the pictures or the narrow boat trip to help navigate!
 
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