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18
Tim Parkinson
Tony Ryan
565
08/10/2013
10:43:00
Dry, Clear at first then misty
3rd Bullo attempt
Tuesday, October 8, 2013– Third attempt to reach Bullo Pill
Avocet with Tim and Tony Weather: Dry and clear for upstream leg. For second half of return leg visibility was reduced by mist rolling up from the SW High tide at sharpness 1043 8.7 m. I'd calculated that the deadline for getting back on the mooring would be 1345. Tim encouraged Tony to be ready by 7 o'clock to get aboard Avocet. However there was no sign of the tide then and we eventually after a cup of coffee managed to paddle out to Avocet after sliding down the MUD and paddling hard against the surging tide to board her at 745. 801 we left the Pill under sail and made rapid progress in the SW 3 force wind to Sharpness which we reached 55 minutes later after navigating inshore towards Berkeley power station to avoid the first set of standing waves. By this time the wind had backed towards the South and was force 3. We followed the main current flow up as far as Brims Pilland then crossed diagonally towards Slimbridge thus missing the second and larger set of standing waves. But as we neared Frampton pill there was no avoiding a very steep set of waves which brought us to a stop almost and as the wind was fairly light it required paddling with the rudder to avoid being broadside on which could have been disastrous! As soon as we looked at the shore after leaving the standing waves we saw Frampton Pill but too late to cross the strong tidal flow and reach the pill itself. We could not manage to recover our position with regard to Frampton pill because the wind was fairly light and even next to the bank the current was flowing too fast so we decided to press on. And press on was the word because now that the current was so strong that we were moving faster than a man could run along the shore! It had taken us an hour and 35 minutes to reach Frampton Pill. Using the strong current flow along Hawk Beach and benefiting from the SSW 3 to 4 wind we passed under the pylons at 10 o'clock. We now crossed towards Bullo side and found that we were now in the very strong floodtide. Given that the wind was lessening now that the banks were higher Tim had to do a rapid calculation as to whether it was prudent to press on to Bullo. He decided rather to Tony's disappointment to abandon the final half mile and we tacked over to the Arlingham side and slowly began to reach downstream against the modest current close inshore. By 1018 we had passed under the pylons again and continued for another quarter mile and then decided to cross to the other side where it looked as if the current was less. However on reaching the bank we were sheltered from the modest wind and had difficulty in making much progress downstream. However after a short boost with Tim rowing the wind picked up a little and we continue to make steady progress so that we finally reached the Noose bend Beach at 11 o'clock. The wind was now a steady South South West 3 to 4 and the tide was beginning to turn inshore so we began to make good progress downstream. As the tide picked up the apparent wind was nearer force five and making long tacks over to the smooth water near the canal and under the fine red cliffs on the other side we were abreast of the line from Lydney to Sharpness at 1155. We followed the ship channel downstream as far as Hill flats and then took a long tack over the Sheperdine Sands until we tacked towards Counts. (Noted that the height indicator at Counts was 7 m). The final reach towards Oldbury Pill was fast resulting in our arrival at 1252. There was plenty of water in the pill and after we had moored packed Avocet up I noted from the bank that at 1345 I had predicted as the last-ditch arrival we could still have accessed the stern mooring. Two conclusions worked out in the Anchor, where Tony bought us a good lunch are that 1) if high tide at Sharpness is later than 1043 it is unlikely that we'll be able to get any food in the Anchor pub and 2) the strategy for reaching Bullo and getting back is given a good 8 1/2 m tide and a steady wind hopefully with some northerly in it is to proceed without any interruptions along the path we adopted today and then after reaching Bullo to cross to the Arlington side and is start sailing downstream near to the bank. Continue for another half mile or so along the bank and then cross to the Noose beach side. Timings Oldbury to Pylons – 2hrs Pylons to Oldbury – 2hrs 35m |