Bristol Channel

[Phil C]

Just planning my next trip and thought about going down the K&A to bristol then up Bristol Channel to the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. I know I will need to employ a pilot to get me up the Bristol Channel, but looking for advice on the following:

 

My boat is 57 foot Narrow Boat with a good Isuzu engine and in reasonably good condition. Planning mid May for the Bristol Channel bit

 

Mooring at Bristol floating harbour, any problems, procedure etc

 

Pilot, what is the procedure, does he come on my boat? what sort of cost? Procedure for booking, any general advice

 

Any other hints tips or advice.

 

Thanks

 

Phil

[deletedaccount]

Bristol harbour is easy. You turn up, tell them how long you expect to stay and pay for it.

 

Visitor moorings are in the centre, outside the Arnolfini or opposite the SS Great Britain. They've got electric (you need to buy cards) and there's a pump out near by.

[mykaskin]

The pilot will come on your boat. You need to find one, and arrange the passage with them. I've never done it, so have no details, but the TNC have:

 

http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/tour_00/BCNplus20.html

 

Mike

[Naughty Cal]

Make sure your fuel and tank are clean. If it gets choppy it will slosh the crud around and potentially block your fuel filters. Also it goes without saying check over your engine before setting off.

[cotswoldsman]

I did it last year the pilot will meet you at Portishead so you have to make your own way to Portishead the cost from memory was £140 but as we were 2 boats doing the trip we shared the cost. The Pilot came on my boat and the other followed. If you want you can get a Pilot from Bristol to Portishead but not necessary just go up the Avon and turn left onto the severn. Bristol Harbour Master will advise on tides and the best time to leave Bristol.

[nigel carton]

Check your insurance policy covers that stretch, I paid a £20 top up to navigate the Humber.

As above, engine service, filters, clean fuel. If you haven't got a cratch and cover, seal fwd doors (tank tape).

Supply of Tea and Coffee, as you can make the Pilot a cuppa, they like to have a go on the tiller! Camera.

Seviceable bildge pump, sound a bit like Granny sucking eggs but the boat I'm in the middle of delivering (with tidal Trent leg to do) hasn't got one.

Pilot will have VHF so not a massive issue.

Life jacket

The most important thing, enjoy! its a great run.

[Secret Garden]

Just planning my next trip and thought about going down the K&A to bristol then up Bristol Channel to the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. I know I will need to employ a pilot to get me up the Bristol Channel, but looking for advice on the following:

 

My boat is 57 foot Narrow Boat with a good Isuzu engine and in reasonably good condition. Planning mid May for the Bristol Channel bit

 

Mooring at Bristol floating harbour, any problems, procedure etc

 

Pilot, what is the procedure, does he come on my boat? what sort of cost? Procedure for booking, any general advice

 

Any other hints tips or advice.

 

Thanks

 

Phil

We did it summer 2007 & it was fantastic. Took pilot from Sharpness lock at 04:30 to match the tide, he steered & had the VHF which I don't

We were fog bound for a good couple of hours, quite scary to the uninitiated, it came out of no where but the pilot kept us within eyesight of a buoy for the entire duration, best £150 I've ever spent. Mind you a couple of plastic fantastics hung on to us too but they didn't spend a penny, so to speak.

Pilot got us permission to wait on the Avonmouth pier till the tide turned as we too late to make Bristol.

Bristol harbour itself I thought was great, really great but £10/night as I recall.

[NB Willawaw]

We did the trip a few years ago and also used Portishead Marina. Tide and weather are paramount. We took a pilot (insurance requirement I recall), but we also used GPS and electronic charts. Pilots are advisory and not legally responsible for the safety of your boat.

 

We had good visibility, but I wonder did the pilot ask you to sound your horn when the visibility was poor.

 

Many canal boats are totally unprepared for this type of journey with unserviceable equipment.

[Tim Lewis]

Lots of useful info:

 

http://www.gloucesterharbourtrustees.org.uk/

 

Tim

[nigel carton]

 

Oh bugger, bit small, I did post some pictures on here when I did the trip, but haven't got a clue how to find them. I must have reduced this one at some stage

Edited March 16, 2011 by nigel carton

[Tim]

I'm doing Sharpness to Bristol in June, spoke to the pilots last week, just said to give them a call a week or so beforehand. Ok to go up to force 3, above that they'll have a think, commercial shipping takes priority, check their website for recommendations / requirements for equipment, engine etc.

[Keeping Up]

Beware that you have to wait for good weather because both Bristol and Portishead charge quite steeply per night; that's a good reason for doing the trip in the opposite direction; I have known people wait for up to a month.

 

As Tim says, up to force 3 is OK, maybe more if the wind is with the tide and maybe less if it's against it. When we went it was force 3 forecast to drop to force 2, in fact it did the opposite and went up to a 4 gusting 5, which was definitely a bit marginal.

[NB Willawaw]

There are four or five main tidal transits for narrowboats in England and this is the only one where a pilot is almost mandated.

 

The Severn is particularly tricky because of the tide and obstacles, so I suspect this is why a pilot is required.

 

The guys do a good job and they are well worth the money, but I never like to blindly trust another with my boat.

 

There's no harm in doing your own passage planning and homework, so you understand why he is doing what he does

on the day.

 

If he was taken ill when you are out, what would you do ??

[brian1042]

Does anyone have an update on pilot costs for Portishead to Sharpness please? I have looked at the websites and cannot seem to find it. I fully accept that may be operator error. Thank you.

Edited November 26, 2012 by brian1042

[Rebotco]

Does anyone have an update on pilot costs for Portishead to Sharpness please? I have looked at the websites and cannot seem to find it. I fully accept that may be operator error. Thank syou.

 

Not currently, but it was £160 2 years ago.

[Ace 01]

Hi

 

We did this in August this year from Sharpness to Portishead in our 57ft NB with a pilot (insurance stipulation) then on to Bristol without a pilot on the next tide. Cost was £160 (I think). We had to wait a few days at Sharpness for a suitable weather forecast then left in company with another NB who also had a pilot. A pilot is ONLY responsible for the boat he is on, if you are accompanying a piloted boat when you do not have a pilot then your insurance may be void.

 

The weather was fine (maximum Force 3) and we left Sharpness just before high water and were against the tide for a short time before it turned and were travelling at 10.2 knots at one time. It was fascinating travelling under the M48 then the M4 bridges before arriving at Portishead Marina to await the next tide. Our pilot left at Portishead after giving tips about our ongoing journey leaving Portishead with the landmarks to aim for and then to turn at on the short bit of the Severn we had to travel on before turning onto the Avon towards Bristol. We were lucky that the tides and weather were good with only a short wait at Portishead who charge a flat rate for in/out on the next tide but will charge individually depending on boat length and length of (extended) stay.

 

We travelled up the Avon under the M5 and Clifton suspension bridges to arrive in Bristol floating harbour who also charge dependant on boat length and anticipated length of stay.

 

Equipment required include life jackets for each crew member and a full(ish) tank of fuel with a recent engine service/fuel filter change. A useful addition is long bow and stern ropes as the entrance lock at Sharpness and Bristol use your ropes from the boat up around the bollard/ring and back to your boat with you controlling the boat as it rises/falls.

 

We had to do it as we brought our boat from Lymm to Devizes for mooring over winter until we start our travels next year and thoroughly enjoyed our trip.

 

HTH

 

Cheers

 

David and Ann

 

ETA There is no pumpout or elsan disposal at Sharpness (we had an old Nicholsons which showed it was there) so took the boat back to Shepherds Patch to leave it for the few days we were delayed awaiting the right weather so had to bring the boat back to Sharpness the day before as the early morning departure time for the entrance lock was before the opening time of the swing bridges en route on the G and S canal.

Edited November 27, 2012 by Ace 01

[brian1042]

Thanks for the very helpful replies.

 

I would be going Bristol => Portishead => Sharpness. I seem to recall reading something about waiting somewhere near (or at) Bristol till conditions are right (including tide) and then going to Portishead to meet the pilot - but of course I cannot find that information now :<(

[Chris Pink]

Bristol portishead on the tidal Avon is a difficult passage for an inexperienced single hander in a boat you're not familiar with.

 

I would suggest you go the long way round.

[brian1042]

I would suggest you go the long way round.

 

I should have explained, apologies. It is a 9.5ft beam. I don't think there is a long way round available, but would be happy to learn. Cheers.

 

I think your adavice about sigle-handed efforts there vis obviously very sensible. I guess I could ask for help for that section on here. People seem to be very generous here in that regard.

Edited November 27, 2012 by brian1042

[Chris Pink]

Ok. Sorry. If you don't have a fair amount of experience consider getting help from Bristol to Portishead.

[brian1042]

Ok. Sorry. If you don't have a fair amount of experience consider getting help from Bristol to Portishead.

 

Not at all, my fault for not explaining properly. Yes, help would be very useful.

 

Out of interest, I am looking at two boats. The second one could go through the small locks as it is a 6'10" beam, but the boat is on the Medway - so then I have the same kind of issue at the east side: Medway => Thames.

 

I am now thinking road transport might be best either way round - at least for part of the trip. Maybe my idea of a water trip back was unrealistic.

Edited November 27, 2012 by brian1042

[Rob-M]

This has been covered in the magazines recently, November Waterways World had a feature on navigating the Severn estuary. Living in Portishead we see a few narrowboats throughout the year moored up in the marina.

[brian1042]

This has been covered in the magazines recently, November Waterways World had a feature on navigating the Severn estuary. Living in Portishead we see a few narrowboats throughout the year moored up in the marina.

 

Thank you. That is such a useful article. It is £3 for a download of the issue, in case anyone is interested. Read online and each article can be downloaded as a PDF.

 

The article seems to cover every aspect pof the trip, including current pilot prices and what the costs may be if a stoppover of a few days is required.

 

As the source has been acknowledged, I do not think I am breaching copyright to reveal the following.

Gloucester Pilots: £170.

Portishead Marina: £40/night (for a 60ft narrowboat). Electrical hook up extra (but at normal rates).

Bristol Harbour: Mooring rates are shown on their website. "Our two-week stay cost £200 despite us pleading we had been ‘locked in’!"

 

The author called Gloucester pilots in February to discuss plans for a trip scheduled for May! The conversation covered everything needed and a warning that adverse weather could mean being stuck in Sharpness (the trip was north-south, west-east). It seems that no one at the pilot's office was at all phased by the discussions being a few months ahead.

 

The author recommends hiring a pilot, but he states: 'I am sure those who have taken their RYA Yachtmaster certificate would be well placed to do a solo trip'.

 

There are all sorts of tips in the article, including cleaning (polishing) the diesel, what to do about the cratch, and so on. You need to read the article to get the full information.

 

The following really useful list of contacts is provided.

 

Canal & River Trust (small boat passage guide) via the Waterscape website

Gloucester Harbour Trustees (www.gloucesterharbourtrustees.org.uk)

Gloucester Pilots site (www.gloucesterpilots.co.uk)

Sharpness Pier head: 01453 511968

Portishead Marina: 01275 841941 VHF Channel 80 – call sign 'Portishead Quays Marina’

Bristol VTS: 0117 982 2257. Bristol VTS can also contacted on VHF Channel 12 – call sign ‘Bristol VTS’

Bristol City Docks (for locking up/down): 0117 927 3633. VHF Channel 73 – call sign ‘Bristol floating harbour’.

Bristol Harbourmaster (for moorings and advice on the Avon to Hanham Lock): 0117 903 1484

Grand Union Diesel Services Mobile diesel ‘polishing’: 07852 101254, (www.guds.co.uk)

 

I hope that helps. If it does, maybe appreciation could be shown by paying to download the issue or subscribing to the magazine? I have no connection to the magazine or to the author.

 

Thanks again to Rob-M for linking to this. If I go ahead with the trip it will be about the best value £3 I have ever spent!

 

Now I am going to add some thoughts that I am sure will be controversial and will maybe create a lot of debate :>)

 

If one is travelling SW, towards the sea, from Sharpness to Portishead, the thought of what could happen if things went wrong scares me! I would use a pilot without hesitation. If one is travelling from Portishead to Sharpness on an incoming tide, it occurs to me that the potential for disaster is far less and you would be 'funnelled' towards Sharpness (I guess you could go straight by). OK, I am now waiting for the tongue-lashings ... :>)

Edited November 27, 2012 by brian1042

[Chris Pink]

No, tongue lashing, just a gentle shaking of the head.

 

Bless.

 

Google 'Severn railway bridge disaster'

 

Then consider the potential consequences of being swept at 7 knots ( they have knots out there not mph) towards things you can't see and are just wiggly lines on a map.

 

Do you have your yachmasters?

[Keeping Up]

If you're swept out to sea there's nothing to hit or get stuck on, you just need to come back on the next tide.

 

If you're swept upriver it becomes un-navigable and when the tide goes down you're on dry land so can't get back again.

 

(OK not all strictly accurate but you get the idea)