Portishead Cruising club

Think you have the right link - sorry about that. I presume they're rebuilding their website.

Whereabouts are you coming our from - Bristol/Avonmouth? In what vessel?
 
I don't think they're the people you want, but I could be wrong, and they may be able to put you in touch with pilots. I presume you need an 'official' pilot to satisfy insurance requirements (as well, of course, for your peace of mind)?

I'd give the Bristol Harbour Office a ring and see who they suggest..?
 
Wither regards to your question about the state of the tides:

I'm not a pilot - lol - but I've been banging up and down the upper reaches of the channel for the past couple of years and haven't hit anything or sunk anything yet...

I think your pilot is likely to say that the state of the tide is not as significant as the effect the weather has on both the sea state and the handling of your barge, and my guess is a calm day is preferable to worrying about the state of the tide.

You have two choices - one is to leave Bristol on the earliest lock out, grind against the tide down the Avon, turn the corner, and go like a cork out of a bottle up the Severn. This is lovely except making headway against the tide is a pain, and often (given the fixed timings of the lockouts leaving Bristol) you find you haven't got a whole hell of a lot of tide left to get up to Sharpness.

The other is to descend the Avon at leisure on the latest tide (15m before high tide), poodle round the corner to Portishead marina, lock in there (£20, thank you very much), wait for the tide to turn, then leave on the earliest lockout from portishead and blast up the Severn at 7 knots plus engine speed. You'd probably make it to Sharpness in a bath tub with oars...

I don't know how well you know the Severn, but I'd want to reassure you that on a benign day, though there's an awful lot of water around you, it's a remarkably calm experience. On a fierce day, of course, and there are plenty of those, it's a whole other kettle of fish, but I'm sure your pilot will choose carefully to ensure its a pleasant and hugely memorable trip!
 
Is there really 7 knots of tide all the way from Portishead to Sharpness, sounds unlikely.

I would leave Portishead later as you want to get to sharpness around HW. The first lockout at Portishead is around HW-4
 
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Stevev2 said:
Is there really 7 knots of tide all the way from Portishead to Sharpness, sounds unlikely.

I would leave Portishead later as you want to get to sharpness around HW. The first lockout at Portishead is around HW-4
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No, not all the way - didn't say that it was all the away, was just making the point that that it would be at a fair lick of speed. You're quite right about leaving portishead too early, but the pilot will be giving very detailed advice on what time he wants to leave...
 
barge17 said:
anyone here know about Portishead Cruising club please?
The link I have for their website is dead:
http://portisheadcruisingclub.org.uk/
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Not dead, but it's looking pretty wounded at the moment. The website is indeed under major revision and it appears to have been put up before being completed. I really hope it will be fixed quickly as it doesn't look good.

As it happens PCC has a cruise in company to Lydney next weekend (Sat 9 Nov). A flotilla will be leaving Portishead marina at about 0830. Anyone wishing to join in would be welcome, I'm sure.

You'd probably make it to Sharpness in a bath tub with oars...
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....and fly straight past!

There definitely aren't 7 knot tides up there. The chart shows 8 knots on spring and 5 knots on neaps in the Shoots, but I think that occurs fairly close to LW when the rocks either side are uncovered. I've never seen more than 4 knots there.

It can get up to about 6 knots between the bridges and is a bit swirly, but it's really nothing to bother about. After Beachley it's quite benign (follow the leading marks though) all the way to Sharpness. Actually entering Sharpness gets a bit more interesting as you have the tide whizzing across the entrance. There's a back-eddy there, so you start with the stream running from stbd-to-port and then it reverses just before you go through the gate.

I think the question of neaps or springs is largely irrelevant. Springs will throw up bigger waves in the Shoots if the wind is NE. Neaps will give you less water depth, so a little extra care must be taken up at the top end. Follow the leading marks and go OVER Black Rock: there have been far more incidents caused by trying to go around and then running aground on the sands.
 
The key isnt state of the tide oir even weather within reason. The key issue is timing ' you dont want to arrive too early and get flushed past sharpness lock entrance like a turd down a drainpipe. Conversely, leave it too late and the tide up at sharpness does flow fast and changes like a light switch so you might not make it. Work out the journey time with a bit of care using good tide data. Otherwise the channel is well marked and easy to follow.

Whenever I have seen barges doing that trip they have stopped over the tide at portishead. They have all been narrow boats so of doubtful seaworthyness.

Probably the best source of local advice is Lydney yacht club ' after all they sail from the harbour directly opposite sharpness. helpful lot.
 
I think the key point in all of this is - by my understanding of the situation - David isn't asking for advice on getting up there. He's asking for advice on how to find a pilot, and so whether you agree or disagree with me trying to paint a picture of tides that are fairly pacey or ability to get to Sharpness or not is not really the matter at hand. David needs to get a pilot for his insurance to cover him on the estuary trip, and, as with most inland waterways boats making the trip, he's sensibly taking care of this, and presumably his pilot will advise him what time is best to leave, etc.

FWIW, I didn't at any stage say (or, I think, imply?) that tides flow at 7 knots all the way. I said that, at some stage, one might be doing seven knots on the tide, and I don't think this is that misleading? but anyway - good luck in finding a pilot, David - the Gloucester Harbour Trustees website is the one you want, which will direct you to here which shows the cost of a pilot is £180. Blimey. But there you are...
 
Read the original post - he's asking for pilotage advice not a pilot :)

Best follow the PCC lot up to Lydney and instead of crossing to Lydney just hang in there on the Sharpness side of the river and aim straight at the starboard pier whilst thinking "I'm gonna get swept past, I'm gonna get swept past" then as soon as your within the piers all calms down and you panic trying to correct for the over correction caused by crabbing across the entrance :)
 
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