Porthcawl

[steveej]

Blue book doesn't mention the marina and the website hasn't updated the news since 2015, it's a shame there's nothing about berthing fees as that may indicate depths.

This looks a pretty average AWB taken from their website.

Yeah, wouldn't trust the blue book in its entirety either. It;s just another source of info to help form a judgment.

The AWB looks like a 30ish foot Jeanneau sun odyssey, could very likely be shallow draft or lifting keel.

Whats the draft on your Albin then?

 

[steveej]

Just re-read this entire thread.....

Every possible source of information on the pilotage into Porthcawl is INCORRECT! from the Marina website to the bible. Not exactly encouraging visitors is it which is a shame. I won't mention all of the sources as you can look through the thread, or even my call to the harbour master cough cough......

This is my assessment.....

The approximately 5 metre wide lock gate cill is at 4.95m chart datum which means you need at least this much water plus your draft to be able to get in. Depths on the approach outside are irrelevent because if you havent the water for the approach you certainly haven't for lock gate cill.

Consideration needs to be given to depth inside the Marina at low water! as it is NOT the same as the chart datum of the cill!!!!

Least depths of the marina confirmed by the harbour master and a 'local' some where between 1.4 - 1.5 metres / 1.5 -2 metres opinions respectively.

Would not be surprised if there is some silting up and I have no idea of any dredging regime.

Bit disappointed with the harbour master as he should know his patch and the website is wrong and hasnt been updated since 2015.

A visitor on the hammerhead at HW could check their depth guage then do the calculations and work out the minimum depths accurately which would be nice.

Or a survey by the harbour master with a lead line..

Any willing volunteers......probably not

 

[Yellow Ballad]

The Ballad has a draft of 1.55m (athough I've not actually measured my boat) but I work on the principle of I want 2m underneath me or an escape plan.

I'm unsure where you have the cill hight at 4.95m? That's the height they open the gate according to the website. The cill is 3.45m so when they open the gate you have 1.5m of water above the cill. What you need to know is the drying height of the marina (if the 1.5m depth the harbour master said would put it at around 1.95m above cd) but as you say a leadline and a dinghy would answer that.

You need 3.45m plus your draft to get in but if your draft is 0.5m you have to wait for another meter of water before they open the gate for you if we're talking about getting in. If we're talking about once you're in there then that's a different story.

As I mentioned I would be surprised if there was less then 2m in any marina but it's perfectly possible if they decided to put a lower cill in to increase access times or cater for fishing/mobos rather then yachts but even a decent size mobo would want 1.5m minimum.

The way I read it is the main gate holds in whatever the drying height of the marina (1.95m?) minus 4.95m so 3m of water (they close the sluce gate to hold the water in). The cill will hold in whatever is below the cill hight if the gate is left open. If the water inside was at cill hight and they didn't open the gate untill 4.95 they would have to let 1.5m of water in, they might as well leave the gate open and just leave the red traffic light on.

We need to be careful we don't put out miss information. I can only go by what the marina is saying (on their website).

 

[bitbaltic]

I've always understood it to be a shallow marina in the 1.5-2m order. The only biggish yacht I know of that has definitely visited is a 37ft lifting keel. The numbers for gate/cill, opening and retained depths seem perfectly in line to me.

I think the base of it is very close to/is bedrock, as it was completely re-excavated when the old harbour basin was converted, and I seem to remember pictures which looked like they had completely removed its fill.

It is ultimately a small marina put in as much as anything to improve the area and service local boat owners which are mostly sport fishing types. There are only a handful of mostly bilge-keel looking yachts in there.

If you are buying a biggish AWB capable of eating the miles down to Pembrokeshire or the S Coast then Porthcawl is a funny destination to get hung up on getting into.

 

[steveej]

The Ballad has a draft of 1.55m (athough I've not actually measured my boat) but I work on the principle of I want 2m underneath me or an escape plan.

I'm unsure where you have the cill hight at 4.95m? That's the height they open the gate according to the website. The cill is 3.45m so when they open the gate you have 1.5m of water above the cill. What you need to know is the drying height of the marina (if the 1.5m depth the harbour master said would put it at around 1.95m above cd) but as you say a leadline and a dinghy would answer that.

You need 3.45m plus your draft to get in but if your draft is 0.5m you have to wait for another meter of water before they open the gate for you if we're talking about getting in. If we're talking about once you're in there then that's a different story.

As I mentioned I would be surprised if there was less then 2m in any marina but it's perfectly possible if they decided to put a lower cill in to increase access times or cater for fishing/mobos rather then yachts but even a decent size mobo would want 1.5m minimum.

The way I read it is the main gate holds in whatever the drying height of the marina (1.95m?) minus 4.95m so 3m of water (they close the sluce gate to hold the water in). The cill will hold in whatever is below the cill hight if the gate is left open. If the water inside was at cill hight and they didn't open the gate untill 4.95 they would have to let 1.5m of water in, they might as well leave the gate open and just leave the red traffic light on.

We need to be careful we don't put out miss information. I can only go by what the marina is saying (on their website).

Sorry for the delay, just back from our annual bareboat holiday to the med.

From the website ......''The lock gate cill is at 3.45m chart datum but the access to the marina is 4.95m chart datum. This is so we can retain enough water to accommodate vessels with a deeper keel''.

Doesn't make any sense to a commercially endorsed YM, as I said before, when I first read this I thought they had got the numbers the wrong way around and that the depth inside the cill was greater than the depth immediately outside the cill in order to accommodate deeper draft vessels. Access on the way to the gate is irellevent.

What it should say is......''chart datum of the cill is 3.45M but we don't open the gate until there is at least 1.5m of water clerance over the cill'', which makes much more sense given least depth at low water is around 1.5M. This doesn't stop a 2m draft vessel going in closer to HW and then grounding at LW.

All we need is CD of the cill and least depths at LW and people can do their own calculations. Which appears to be aroun 3.45m and 1.5m respectively.

The most important thing is the least depths when the water goes out so you don't ground at LW. Getting in should never pose to many problems around HW as there will be plenty of that.

Seems to me there is lots of misinformation out there and this actually needs some clarity.

Sailing out of Cardiff you need your weekend destinations if like me you work full time. I would want to be able to take the boat to Porthcawl as it is a good weekend destination from cardiff. It is also my home town so perhaps I have more incentive to visit there.