Passage from Portishead Marina to Holyhead

[ERICH]

Dear Forumites

I am looking to help a friend sail his newly acquired 40' yacht from Portishead Marina (near Avonmouth Docks) back to our home port of Holyhead' departure around mid April ( tide timing important given the strength of flow !)

Has anyone undertaken a similar trip and any tips & advice; including stopping points etc. would be gratefully received ?

ERICH

 

[Richard10002]

Not done this particular trip, but you could anchor overnight at Dale and Port Dinllaen to wait for favourable tides, or just do it all in one hop, if you are both capable of standing a night watch while the other sleeps.

 

[ghostlymoron]

You could have a break at Milford Haven then through Jack Sound and Ramsey sound before crossing Cardigan Bay to Pwllheli. Fishguard is also a good place to stop on the way. From Pwllheli pass through Bardsey sound and across to Anglesey. Watch out for ferries coming into Holyhead - they can appear very suddenly but you'll hear them calling Holyhead harbour while they are a good way off. There's a lot of commercial traffic up the Bristol Channel and there may be some fog at that time of year. So a radar set is useful and AIS.
Depends whether you are happy overnighting and whether you are crewed up for it.
The relatively short hop to Milford will give you a chance to see if everything works.

 

[Wunja]

For the first part of this trip, you may want to repost this on the Bristol Channel forum.

I only know Jack Sound by its reputation as a very fast and dangerous drift dive, so you may want to get your tides right!

 

[ghostlymoron]

For the first part of this trip, you may want to repost this on the Bristol Channel forum.

I only know Jack Sound by its reputation as a very fast and dangerous drift dive, so you may want to get your tides right!

It's a good short cut at slack water. Going north you can reach Ramsey on the same tide if you don't hang about.

 

[graham]

Leaving Portishead about an hour before HW stay close inshore until the tide turns .On a good day you will be down near swansea by Low tide,

in a Westerly you can anchor at Mumbles or go into Swansea Marina,If pushing on against the tide try and get past Worms head before the tide strength picks up then the streams are weaker as you cross Carmarthen Bay.