Watchet Marina Update...

When the new gate system is in will it be linked directly with the lights? We were there when the gate lifted and was hit by a big Moody. At that time the lights stayed green, despite the gate being up.
Allan
 
Yes the lights are connected to the gate system, and with LED bulbs so they can now been seen in bright sunlight.

The lights always were connected to the gate system but previously in a different way. There is now an electronic transducer inside the ram which links everything together.
There will also be an improved version of the manual signal (raises and lowers according to what gate is doing).

2 Stop logs are staying in for a few days whilst the gate is monitored and run under both manual and automatic regimes. On some days the gate will be left down but with the 2 stop logs in. Testing and monitoring is very time consuming and drawn out as it can only be 'real life' tested when the tide goes in or out.
 
Just a question as last week was our first visit to watchet and we were sat in the mud for about 19 hours out of 24,
Has the gate ever been more than 2mt high because I noticed on entering there are 3 gaps to the port side of the gates where the water was going through so have these ever been infilled or have they always been open,
By the way we had a great time dispite the mud.
 
I think they are there to allow the flood & ebb to enter and exit the marina otherwise all the water would flow through the barrel of the lock, if they weren't there then the speed of the water through the lock would be about 3.5 knots (my calculation)... :)
 
The gate has always been at that height and tony is correct - the gaps are there to ease the flow. It's recommended that incoming craft wait for 15 mins or so after gate opening, especially on springs as the gateway flow is strong and unpredictable.
The gate is not higher as it would severely restrict access times, and even not open at all on low neaps.
The marina was also not excavated to the original design depth by some margin, meaning the mud builds up very quickly. It varies between 1m and 3.5m (at low tide....to the bedrock) meaning it doesn't take that much
Mud before it becomes visible.
 
This has gone quiet for a while. Does that mean that all is OK now? It would be good to have an update as Watchet is a great winter destination from Cardiff.
Allan
 
We paid Watchet a visit back in late September. The automatic sill was all fixed and working, but they had considerable silting. We were moored on the end of the first hammer-head and grounded on our humble 0.9m draft shortly after the sill went up.

There were other visitors, bigger yachts than ours, probably single keel affairs with greater draft. They all settled comfortably into the silt and lifted off again without any mishap.

I'm sure the guys in the harbour office said plans were afoot to start dredging again. Great little town, very friendly marina, looking forward to going back.

http://www.scapegoatsanon.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/watchet-belated-report.html
 
I heard they were in the middle of a dredging program so it might be worth ringing to see if there is access

I got caught out once, turned up after dark to find the dredger pipe floating around near the hammerheads. Not a great experience at 3am trying to work out how to pass it to get to the hammerheads
 
'Progress' means deep water for yachts so they need not take the ground, which is what marinas are assumed, at a minimum, to supply. As soon as they have that we will be there like a shot but they've kept us waiting for the four years of ownership so far.....
 
I've been going since 2004 and there was a time when you could leave, at least, half the berths as soon as the gate opened. There is no reason that could not happen in the future. Hopefully the plan mentioned above will achieve exactly that.
Allan
 
Allan said:
I've been going since 2004 and there was a time when you could leave, at least, half the berths as soon as the gate opened. There is no reason that could not happen in the future. Hopefully the plan mentioned above will achieve exactly that.
Allan
Click to expand...

It was fine, at least on the outer berths of the pontoons, up until even early 2012, when I was last there with a 2m draft sailing school boat, which admittedly was on a hammerhead but didn't ground. The silting seems to have got out of control since. Can't wait to go back so fingers crossed for the dredging plan this winter.
 
I remember the marina shortly after it opened. Deep water everywhere and no banks of mud all round the walls. It gradually deteriorated over the years getting worse much faster as the problem developed. It was fantastic in the early years. I used to go down and practise mooring when the gate was closed with access to all areas of the marina and a 1.3 metre draft. If they can get it back to that level I think the place will blossom, now that it is so well known.
 
I just spoke to them as I am out sailing this week. He reckons they are 50% done and about to move a load of fingers around to start on the next section.

He reckons they are ok to take boats near the hammerheads at gate opening times, I was a bit concerned about how much dredging gear would be floating around.
 
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