Bristol to Sharpness in a widebeam?

[Chickadee]

Bristol to Sharpness in a widebeam? (over 57ft) Anyone done it? In my mind I'd have thought it would be more stable than in a narrowboat. Would this be true?

[mrsmelly]

Bristol to Sharpness in a widebeam? (over 57ft) Anyone done it? In my mind I'd have thought it would be more stable than in a narrowboat. Would this be true?

 

Do you mean a pig ugly fat narrowboat ?

[Chickadee]

Do you mean a pig ugly fat narrowboat ?

 

Yep one of them

[Dominic M]

Yep one of them

It will be more stable than a narrow boat, and perfectly doable. I've done that trip in both directions a half dozen times. Pick the right weather and you'll be fine. If you don't know the Severn Estuary, take a pilot down to Avonmouth - it is not a straightforward run and you need to follow a channel defined by some buoys and land markers that take you over to the Welsh side (actually still Gloucestershire, but that's what they call it) until you clear the first (M48) Severn Crossing - then it is open water for you. You don't need any pilot from Avonmouth to Bristol.

[Chickadee]

Thats very helpful thanks dominic. Watched a few videos on you tube of narrowboats doing it but not widebeams. Is it just a pilot that you have to pay for? After a rather horrible experience coming down on a high tide on the Severn to Gloucester I wouldn't even think about going out the other end without a pilot. If only to have someone with me to say everythings ok when i'm starting to think we might die.

[Dominic M]

Thats very helpful thanks dominic. Watched a few videos on you tube of narrowboats doing it but not widebeams. Is it just a pilot that you have to pay for? After a rather horrible experience coming down on a high tide on the Severn to Gloucester I wouldn't even think about going out the other end without a pilot. If only to have someone with me to say everythings ok when i'm starting to think we might die.

It used to be just the pilot. When I was doing it there was no marina at Portishead (you went alongside the wall there and sat out the rest of the tide on the mud), but I believe they now insist on taking you into the marina so that is a charge as well. (Obviously the pilots are on commission)! Then you will have to pay for a licence to enter Bristol Harbour. Not sure what that costs - once again, in the 1990s it existed but no one seemed to bother to ask for the payment

[Chickadee]

Ah cool, I guess that wouldn't be to much. Just trying to price it all up for if/when we do get to do it. We're still looking at buying a bigger boat sometime in the not to distant future (ie when I get another job, will be unemployed as of valentines day which is nice) and keep seeing a few possibilitys down that way. I guess it will be simpler and alot cheaper to bring a widebeam back up on the water than on a lorry.

[Rebotco]

Thats very helpful thanks dominic. Watched a few videos on you tube of narrowboats doing it but not widebeams. Is it just a pilot that you have to pay for? After a rather horrible experience coming down on a high tide on the Severn to Gloucester I wouldn't even think about going out the other end without a pilot. If only to have someone with me to say everythings ok when i'm starting to think we might die.

 

 

Don't want to worry you - but that wasn't even a high tide! The river is non-tidal north of Gloucester. But it can be

 

hairy enough just as a flowing river. In flood, it can be lethal.

 

 

I have done the tidal trip Sharpness to Bristol in a 60 ft narrowboat. Pilot cost £160 to Portishead, although I had a

 

friendly seaman who helped me for a bottle of Johnny Walker instead. Pilot's not compulsory, but for a first timer pretty

 

near essential. You already know the Severn won't be mucked about with. The harbourmaster won't let you go if the wind is

 

above force 4.

 

But its a unique experience, and you'll be glad you did it.

 

 

Brian

[Dominic M]

Don't want to worry you - but that wasn't even a high tide! The river is non-tidal north of Gloucester. But it can be

 

hairy enough just as a flowing river. In flood, it can be lethal.

 

 

I have done the tidal trip Sharpness to Bristol in a 60 ft narrowboat. Pilot cost £160 to Portishead, although I had a

 

friendly seaman who helped me for a bottle of Johnny Walker instead. Pilot's not compulsory, but for a first timer pretty

 

near essential. You already know the Severn won't be mucked about with. The harbourmaster won't let you go if the wind is

 

above force 4.

 

But its a unique experience, and you'll be glad you did it.

 

 

Brian

Errm, the Severn up to Tewkesbury is tidal at certain states of tide - on full springs. I know this, because I have ridden that tide. On a really good spring you can bypass Upper Lode lock near Tewkesbury and clear the weir. Don't try this at home!

[Chickadee]

Dominic beat me to it. I'm fairly certain this is what happened to us. The guy at upper lode told us to moor up for a bit but we only managed to moor up for a hour before we had to get going otherwise we'd run out of time to get in at Gloucester. We were watching the water level drop on the bridges as we went down but it was taking us so quick we were catching up with it! It was interesting!

[Dominic M]

Dominic beat me to it. I'm fairly certain this is what happened to us. The guy at upper lode told us to moor up for a bit but we only managed to moor up for a hour before we had to get going otherwise we'd run out of time to get in at Gloucester. We were watching the water level drop on the bridges as we went down but it was taking us so quick we were catching up with it! It was interesting!

I imagine the entrance to the lock at Gloucester was the most interesting. The water runs across the mouth of that on an outgoing tide at a fair old rate, and you need a lot of power to counter it. First time I did that we went bang into the lockside wall. Amazingly we retained a full set of crockery and glasses!

Edited January 16, 2012 by Dominic M

[Chickadee]

We had to wait for quite a while (I think we had to wait for a boat coming out) which was probably the scariest bit. I think as soon as the doors opened and it was clear I just got in there as quick as I could once we got off the wall. We always double and triple check the tides now. I'm not doing that again. Although it was the fastest i've ever been in our boat which was quite fun when the river was clear. I think this was also my first trip down the river without my Dad and only the second or third time i'd been on the river. I think Dad thought i was over reacting. Its never been that bad when we've been out on it since.

[Dominic M]

We had to wait for quite a while (I think we had to wait for a boat coming out) which was probably the scariest bit. I think as soon as the doors opened and it was clear I just got in there as quick as I could once we got off the wall. We always double and triple check the tides now. I'm not doing that again. Although it was the fastest i've ever been in our boat which was quite fun when the river was clear. I think this was also my first trip down the river without my Dad and only the second or third time i'd been on the river. I think Dad thought i was over reacting. Its never been that bad when we've been out on it since.

When I first went into Gloucester lock we came out from Diglis at Worcester, and were made to sign disclaimers as there was a lot of "fresh" in the river. There were no traffic lights then and no mobile phones either. I was used to the Thames on fresh water, so I wasn't so fussed - in fact I love riding a fast flowing river under power. But the entrance to Gloucester lock was something else, I must say.

 

I used to love being out on the Thames when it was flagged as "strong stream." Going through the bridges backwards to have maximum control was a great experience - in other words, you turn the boat against the flow and head forwards, but the stream is stronger so against land you travel backwards, leaving you with the maximum amount of steerage in such conditions. But we were all young once!

[Rebotco]

Errm, the Severn up to Tewkesbury is tidal at certain states of tide - on full springs. I know this, because I have ridden that tide. On a really good spring you can bypass Upper Lode lock near Tewkesbury and clear the weir. Don't try this at home!

 

 

 

Yes, thats true on rare occasions on a spring tide. The "Tidal Wave" bore can overtop the weirs as far as Lower Lode, just

 

South of Tewkesbury. I would not entertain being on the river in those conditions personally. Fortunately though, that is

 

not the norm.

 

Brian

[Dominic M]

Yes, thats true on rare occasions on a spring tide. The "Tidal Wave" bore can overtop the weirs as far as Lower Lode, just

 

South of Tewkesbury. I would not entertain being on the river in those conditions personally. Fortunately though, that is

 

not the norm.

 

Brian

About every two weeks actually - at or around new and full moon.

[Rebotco]

About every two weeks actually - at or around new and full moon.

 

The tides are - the overtopping of the weirs is not.

 

Brian

[Dominic M]

The tides are - the overtopping of the weirs is not.

 

Brian

For clarity, the overtopping of Upper Lode Weir is not frequent. The overtopping of the weirs at Gloucester is frequent. I quote from the Severn Motor Boat Club's web site: "The River Severn is tidal to Upper Lode Lock at Tewkesbury on spring tides." Which is every fortnight.

[Dalesman]

Do you mean a pig ugly fat narrowboat ?

Not all wide beams are pig ugly, butI know some narrow boats are though..

[leeco]

Errm, the Severn up to Tewkesbury is tidal at certain states of tide - on full springs. I know this, because I have ridden that tide. On a really good spring you can bypass Upper Lode lock near Tewkesbury and clear the weir. Don't try this at home!

Yes the Severn is tidal all the way to upperload lock and we were told it's every two weeks or so.

 

1st ever go at navigating a NB was doing the Severn from Gloucester to Stourport, lost a few fingernails all the way to upperload locks then it wasn't so bad.

Edited January 17, 2012 by leeco

[paddy r]

Not all wide beams are pig ugly, butI know some narrow boats are though..

just the one's with pump out.

sorry .............coat

[bottle]

Chickadee

 

All good advice given above just one other thing, check your insurance, the policy usually will cover the Sharpness to Bristol but you never know and one clause that will almost certainly be there is that you must be accompanied by a pilot.

[Tam & Di]

It will be more stable than a narrow boat, and perfectly doable. I've done that trip in both directions a half dozen times. Pick the right weather and you'll be fine. If you don't know the Severn Estuary, take a pilot down to Avonmouth - it is not a straightforward run and you need to follow a channel defined by some buoys and land markers that take you over to the Welsh side (actually still Gloucestershire, but that's what they call it) until you clear the first (M48) Severn Crossing - then it is open water for you. You don't need any pilot from Avonmouth to Bristol.

 

We went to Bath and back with Towcester before the K&A had been restored, to deliver some stuff to the alternative Bath festival. On the way down we were in company with BWB's tug Severn Progress. He'd booked into Avonmouth overnight, and we spent the night on the Royal Yacht's berth before our run up the Avon next day. On the return trip we went down to Portishead to wait for the next tide, and were told where to anchor so we'd stay in a puddle at low water. Luckily I had several coal weights on board that served the purpose OK. I had a map with a dotted line that seemed to be the route we'd taken with Severn Progress and I followed that. I realised later that it was the county boundary!

 

As you say, we were all young and foolish once.

[mrsmelly]

Not all wide beams are pig ugly, butI know some narrow boats are though..

 

Yes they are !! Mine aint as pig ugly as some ......but its still pig ugly.The ugliest ones have ( Horror of horrors ) the dreaded pram hoods on the back should be a criminal offence.

[The Bagdad Boatman (waits)]

If you decide to go up the Severn to Sharpness clean out the bottom of your fuel tank. I use a thin plastic pipe and a wet vacuum cleaner to suck up any crud that may be stirred up and block the fuel filters. Fill up your fuel tank and let your water tank get low, that way the prop is in deep and the bow rides better. otherwise you dig a big hole in the water. Wait for a neap tide and a quiet weather window. The pilot will be quite happy to wait for a suitable window. It goes without saying that oil and water are checked, filters are changed, spare fan belts are at hand.

[PaulG]

Yes the Severn is tidal all the way to upperload lock and we were told it's every two weeks or so.

 

1st ever go at navigating a NB was doing the Severn from Gloucester to Stourport, lost a few fingernails all the way to upperload locks then it wasn't so bad.

Spring tides are every two weeks or so, but not all of them are high enough to have much of an effect.

The general "rule of thumb" is that any tide that is more than about 7.8 metres at Sharpness will overtop the weirs at Llanthony and Maisemoor.

Tidal predictions for Sharpness can be found below:-

 

Click

and also you can see the current tide guage here:-

 

Click

In my experience, the problem is not necessarily just the rate of flow. The flood tide can bring large amounts of debris with it; some debris is large enough to cause damage, foul props, etc.

The lockie at Upper Lode usually gives sound advice and is worth heeding!