Solo in The Swellies

It's my favourite passage, I love the deep green of the water, watching the herons on the banks & in the trees, the feeling of being almost in a "jungle" environment with the stillness & the closeness on he cliff on the mianland side.

Now, after many many years of "following the rules" I have started going round the Island side, just for the fun of it at slack water & tackling the main channel outside of slack water. As Kwacker says, I am a yottie with only 6-7kts max speed so I have to go with the flow, but that doesn't make it less exciting when you can have another 6-7kts of tide with you & all the eddies & swirls you get from a very uneven seabed.

Just remember that some nutters even "drift dive" the strait - image that - it's zero vis, pitch black, & you are bowled along bouncing off the bottom past all the rocks & debris as you go. Now that is a terrifying concept to me.

It's a fabulous & awe-inspiring bit of water, respect it, but do not be frightened, you will come to love the passage after a couple of trips.
 
Searush said:
It's my favourite passage, I love the deep green of the water, watching the herons on the banks & in the trees, the feeling of being almost in a "jungle" environment with the stillness & the closeness on he cliff on the mianland side.

Now, after many many years of "following the rules" I have started going round the Island side, just for the fun of it at slack water & tackling the main channel outside of slack water. As Kwacker says, I am a yottie with only 6-7kts max speed so I have to go with the flow, but that doesn't make it less exciting when you can have another 6-7kts of tide with you & all the eddies & swirls you get from a very uneven seabed.

Just remember that some nutters even "drift dive" the strait - image that - it's zero vis, pitch black, & you are bowled along bouncing off the bottom past all the rocks & debris as you go. Now that is a terrifying concept to me.

It's a fabulous & awe-inspiring bit of water, respect it, but do not be frightened, you will come to love the passage after a couple of trips.
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree with Rushy. Been through it many times on many boats. Motor, sailing and speedboats. And on different rafts. Awe inspiring every time. Want to pluck up the courage to play in the Eddie's and whirlpools in a kayak!
Divers! Got to be nuts!
 
I am always amazed how everybody sticks rigidly to the recommended track at HW.

Yesterday we arrived a little early abot 1/4 mile behind 8 other boats attempting to go towards Caernarfon following the book.

Thay all went out into the tide and struggled to make more than 2 knots over the tide up to the first bridge.

We snuck in inside the beacon on the island by the Menai Bridge slipway and used the back eddy to take us up to the pier of the suspension bridge.

Steered out into the tide then aimed directly for swelly rock cardinal.

In the tidal lee of swelly rock was making a good 5 knots over ground.

Swung across to close in to Prices point with our sounder showing over 6 metres under our keel.

Kept close in to mainland side all the way to PD.

Never saw less than 4 metres under our keel and we draw 1.7m including directly over the top of Swelly rock.

I reckon anything drawing aroound 1m could virually go anywhere they liked at HW in the Swellies.

Low water spring is different.

Oh we only have 9 hp :)

It still makes my bum twitch :) every time we go through.
 
Following the mainland close in past the Vaynol Estate can be iffy, there is a stonking great rock (possibly a wreck) somewhere before you reach the little boathouse & dock.

Probably OK at HW, but I have clobbered it hard after a Swellies passage once (& I draw around 4') but it could have been a LW slack passage.
 
no one goes close in, due to the fact that the historic wreck is in that area and you need to keep clear of it.

Went thru on lw neaps last week whilst we were off, very close to the platters on the way thru. have some pics if anyone interested
 
Last edited:
colvic987 said:
no one goes close in, due to the fact that the historic wreck is in that area and you need to keep clear of it.

Went thru on lw neaps last week whilst we were off, very close to the platters on the way thru. have some pics if anyone interested
Click to expand...

I am sorry if you think I was interfering with a historic wreck by travelling over it with at least 15 metres clearance:rolleyes:

I will continue to run close in as long as the tide is against me and it is high tide:)

You were probably closer to a historic wreck at the platters at lw neaps!

Steve
 
Last edited:
The wreck is about 1/4 mile south of the Swellies and is no danger to passing boats. It is an old slate boat and well down. The charts say no anchoring due to historic wreck.

The rock that Searush mentioned is opposite Vynol Estate and will catch you out at LW. It is clearly marked on the charts but I have to admit that I have never seen (or hit) it :)

The only other obstacle is the foul ground below Vynol Estate. That’s where the chains are laid that the Conwy was moored on, again…. no anchoring. If you go passed at LW Springs you can still see the great lumps of anchors that are on the waters edge. I’m told that the mooring point in the middle of the Straits is bronze, if its still there. :)

Tom
 
The wreck is about 1/4 mile south of the Swellies and is no danger to passing boats. It is an old slate boat and well down. The charts say no anchoring due to historic wreck.
Click to expand...

Is it not HMS Conway hence why historic. Reason I go over towards the Anglesey side going south is its the outside of the bend and faster going with the tide.

Once went to a lecturer by a Professor of Marine Biology from Bangor about whats underwater between the bridges. Absolutely amazing photographs of different varieties of fish, coral etc , a perfectly circular sink hole approx 4 foot diameter cut into the rock of the seabed by the "swirls" and a clear joint between the rock from which Anglesey is made and that of the mainland. I've also explored what I believe is the largest medieval fish trap in Europe located in the north west corner.An amazing place and quite beautiful to go through in the middle of the night, particularly if you can time to then be going over Caernarfon bar as the sun comes up over Snowdonia
 
HMS Conwy floundered on April 12 1953 when she was being moved from the Straits to Liverpool, she was stuck on the Platters in between the bridges and when the tide went out her back was broken.

The Historic wreck is south of the bridges and is as TSB stated well below the surface. It is marked on the charts.

Tom
 
I was always told as a lad that the remains of HMS Conway following the fire after her grounding on the Platters were deposited in the deep water just below Britannia Bridge opposite HMS Indegefatible and assumed that was what was marked. Never to old to learn:)
 
LittleShip said:
HMS Conwy floundered

Tom
Click to expand...
No it didn't it 'Founderd'
A Flounder is a Flat Fish, which hactually starts life as a 'round fish' then becomes a flat fish
An its eye moves as well, which if the Tug Guys had, had there eye on the ball, the Conwy might not have foundered
BUT
Really wasn't their fault
The Tug Guys requested three Tugs
But
The Admiralty said
'It Got There With Two, So Bring It Back With Two--Innit'
Cos they Spoke like that then innit
I think!!!
Bit don't get Me thinkin
Hurts Me Brain!:rolleyes:
HMS Conwy (Formely HMS Nile) got terwatted on the Platters
A Place I have visited on numerous occasions
Sometimes willingly and sometimes unwillingly
As per various rocks and sticky up bits in the Swellies
If you check a chart out of the Menai Strait
Kinda just opposite of Plas Newydd (Anglesey Shore) it shows a drying Height of about .5 of a metre
Buggered if I've seen the 'lump' in the last 35 years!:confused:
An I've been there at LWS a few times!
Straits is an amazing place
Been on it 5 days solid, after today
Learning all the time
Today was Magic
Warm (not forecast) wind strong (not forecast) loads of peeps out there (in me way):D
Teaching a 11 year old, Her Brother (20 year Old) and the Mum (Didn't ask the Age);)
Lovely Lovely stuff
Just coming off Springs so the Swellies were performing well
Lots of 'stuff' going on!
Really good tuition today
Especially
As they want to Boat on an Italian Lake eventually:D
Well
It does get a blowy on Lakes
Ask 'Lake Sailor':p
Oh yeh
We reckon we did see a Mermaid today
But
That's another Story;)
 
We reckon we did see a Mermaid today
Click to expand...

Course you did but she's disguised as a house these days rather than the cosy pub which was a good reason for overnighting in Foel Ferry; that and the shell fish from the cottages:)
 
Kwacker,
I heard that they'd have moved the Conway with 2 tugs if they hadn't been too late & not willing to lose another tide. Apparently, the pilot told 'em so too & they thought he was being overdramatic & self-important so they ignored him - only to find he was simply telling them the truth. :D
 
Searush said:
I heard that they'd have moved the Conway with 2 tugs .....
Click to expand...

Captain of the Conway made mistakes with his tidal calcs, too.

Read all about it....

The senior pilot involved was (I think) the great grandfather of the current Caernarfon Harbour Master & Pilot (Richard Jones). His grandfather was (I think) the assistant / junior pilot. I'm sure I've seen an account of the incident somewhere that was written by Richard Jones, but I can't remember where.

'Tis fascinating stuff.

(Still, I guess you & Kwacker were there at the time :p)

Andy
 
Kawasaki said:
No it didn't it 'Founderd'
A Flounder is a Flat Fish, which hactually starts life as a 'round fish' then becomes a flat fish
An its eye moves as well, which if the Tug Guys had, had there eye on the ball, the Conwy might not have foundered
BUT
Really wasn't their fault
The Tug Guys requested three Tugs
But
The Admiralty said
'It Got There With Two, So Bring It Back With Two--Innit'
Cos they Spoke like that then innit
I think!!!
Bit don't get Me thinkin
Hurts Me Brain!:rolleyes:
HMS Conwy (Formely HMS Nile) got terwatted on the Platters
A Place I have visited on numerous occasions
Sometimes willingly and sometimes unwillingly
As per various rocks and sticky up bits in the Swellies
If you check a chart out of the Menai Strait
Kinda just opposite of Plas Newydd (Anglesey Shore) it shows a drying Height of about .5 of a metre
Buggered if I've seen the 'lump' in the last 35 years!:confused:
An I've been there at LWS a few times!
Straits is an amazing place
Been on it 5 days solid, after today
Learning all the time
Today was Magic
Warm (not forecast) wind strong (not forecast) loads of peeps out there (in me way):D
Teaching a 11 year old, Her Brother (20 year Old) and the Mum (Didn't ask the Age);)
Lovely Lovely stuff
Just coming off Springs so the Swellies were performing well
Lots of 'stuff' going on!
Really good tuition today
Especially
As they want to Boat on an Italian Lake eventually:D
Well
It does get a blowy on Lakes
Ask 'Lake Sailor':p
Oh yeh
We reckon we did see a Mermaid today
But
That's another Story;)
Click to expand...

You're in fine form skipper :D
 
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