Salcombe warning of weed

[NPMR]

We were in Salcombe in late June and it was its usual busy but bustling space.

We were offered a resident's mooring as The Bag was pretty full with a rally. It turned out to be a pleasant place to be but the amount of weed floating past (and lots that accumulated nearby) was immense.

When we left, the inevitable happened and the engine water intake blocked. We couldn't blow it clear and had no capable swimmer on the crew who could go in the water. It was cleared by a very capable marine engineer who had to dismantle part of the seacock and make a tool to clear the weed successfully.

However, we lost a day, whilst new bits were sourced and fitted.

We found out that 5 boats that day had suffered the same fate as us (including an HM boat). Apparently, signs have now been put up warning of the possibility of weed.

Climate change? Unfortunate neap tide going to spring tide washing the stuff off the banks?

Be aware if visiting.

 

[deeb]

I overnighted on the pontoon upstream from Snapes Point about three weeks ago (so probably around the same time), and in the morning my coolant was blocked - on a saildrive. That's never happened before. I sailed off, and on to Plymouth by which time it had (unsurprisingly) cleared. I assume it was weed.

With a conventional inlet its easy to clear only getting your hands wet, with a saildrive you dive, or sail and hope it dislodges.

Dangerous place, Salcombe....

 

[LittleSister]

. . . Climate change? Unfortunate neap tide going to spring tide washing the stuff off the banks?

Be aware if visiting.

Dry spring and hot June (whether climate change related or not), plus tide approaching springs?

 

[penfold]

An endorsement for having a strainer/seacock arrangement that can be rodded without dismantling beyond taking the cover off.

 

[NPMR]

Engineer advised having no external strainer and a 'straight' seacock arrangement (I.e. no bends) so it can all be dealt with from inside the boat.

OK on a shaft drive but harder with saildrive.

 

[Habebty]

Engineer advised having no external strainer and a 'straight' seacock arrangement (I.e. no bends) so it can all be dealt with from inside the boat.

OK on a shaft drive but harder with saildrive.

Not quite true. My saildrive was blocked off from new and a separate seacock fitted (with straight hose from skin fitting to internal strainer). Easy to retrofit as well.

 

[LittleSister]

Engineer advised having no external strainer and a 'straight' seacock arrangement (I.e. no bends) so it can all be dealt with from inside the boat.

I think that's exactly what Penfold was suggesting.

You can have either an internal strainer directly mounted on the seacock (as in my current boat), or a remote strainer connected to the seacock by a hose. Either way, it avoids the need for an external strainer, and means in the less likely event of the clear through hull becoming blocked (which does happen - e.g. plastic bag or big bit of weed blocking it, you've no problem just rodding it out. (In my current boat, by just removing the strainer lid and the strainer 'basket', in my previous boat just removing the hose from the seacock.)

 

[johnalison]

I heard about this a couple of weeks ago from the HR group and the photos looked pretty gruesome. It also happened to us last time we were there some years ago. I couldn’t clear the saildrive by using the dinghy pump trick but someone from a nearby boat kindly swam down for me, which only cost me a bottle of wine.

 

[Resolution]

Climate change?

Be aware if visiting.

If it's climate change then it started a wee while ago. Last time I visited Salcombe, in 2012, we also had a blockage , the only one in twenty years with that yacht.