The chance to join the summer cruise with Lydney Yacht Club was an opportunity I wasn’t going to miss. For a couple of years I had wanted to do this but circumstances hadn’t been favourable. This year however, things fell into place and I also had a willing crew. Although the cruise was to start on Saturday 27th July, we were to launch two days later on the Monday as Phil, my crew was unavailable until then. This meant playing catch up with the fleet, which we were uncertain, as to how it would work out.

The fleet comprised mainly of yachts, about 11 in total as well as two Wayfarer dinghies, a Drascombe Lugger and Green Bean, my sailing canoe. Due to the diverse nature of the fleet it was agreed before-hand that the fleet would split into small flotillas early on, but with the intention of meeting up as one again somewhere Somerset (hopefully Ilfracombe) before returning home via Cardiff.

A few days before we were to launch the weather began to look rather threatening. There were significant south-westerly winds forecast and a rough sea. I kept an eye on the forecast until we left, but although the gust speeds dropped things still looked a bit tricky with wind over tide forecast of around 30 mph (force 6) and some lumpy conditions.

We launched from Phil’s narrow boat mooring at Castle Guest House on the Gloucester to Sharpness canal and lazily motored the 10 miles to Sharpness dock where we were to lock out into the Severn. Conditions on the canal were very calm to start with but as we got nearer to sharpness the wind came down the canal with quite some force leading us into a discussion about our options should the river be too rough to head down channel. We agreed not to make a decision until we had actually left the lock, but once past Lydney we’d be somewhat committed to carrying on.

Once in the Dock the dock staff told us that a fleet of motor cruisers that had also booked the same lock out as we had but had all phoned to cancel due to the rough conditions. Having said that they were still happy to lock us down into the outer basin, but not without some kindly words about taking care and rather you than me! The outer basin was our first taste of action, which was something we hadn’t expected. Whilst moored to the floating pontoon waiting for high tide, waves rolled in from the river, rocking the pontoon wildly around and bucking Green Bean up and down to the extent that I was feeling slightly sick and also greatly concerned about the bashing the boat was taking against the side of the pontoon. At the same time Phil managed to prepare some food and drink but I wasn’t feeling at all good about things and had to force myself to eat as I just wanted to get afloat and get started. I find that nerves always settle once the action has really begun.

The trip down river to the Bristol Channel proved to be more manageable than we had expected and with the mast and boom tied down to the outrigger poles we gently motored into the wind and waves. At first, due to the conditions, it looked as though our progress would be too slow to make the trip to Portishead in time for the last lock in on the ebb tide.
At times our trip got quite exciting. Phil, sitting up front took the tiller and guided us through the waves. Sometimes it almost became calm but most of the time it was pretty rough. Slime road always cuts up rough with wind over tide and today was not disappointing. Phil did a fine job of steering us diagonally over the steep waves and through the deep troughs and only a few times did we slam down or bury the bow. It was a real pleasure to see how Green Bean coped so well with these steep waves.

Once safely into the marina I noticed a Wayfarer from Lydney club moored to a pontoon. I made calls to a couple of members of the fleet and discovered that three club members and two boats were in Bristol the other boats (with the exception of the Wayfarer) and everyone else was at Cardiff Yacht Club. Later that evening Kirsty and Sue, the Wayfarer crew arrived to collect their boat and we agreed to sail up the Avon the following morning to meet the boats in Bristol.

Heading towards the Severn bridge

Second Severn Crossing

Portishead Marina

Tuesday 30th July – Portishead to Bristol City Docks – Distance 10 miles

Tuesday turned out to be a beautiful day, the early threat of showers giving away to a clearer sky and sunshine. The wind was light and unpredictable but we enjoyed sailing, drifting and paddling our way up river as trip boats from the city came down river towards us with their passengers waving and taking photographs. The tide was small and the river was moving very slowly allowing us all the time in the world to admire the impressive Avon Gorge and the suspension bridge that towered above us. As we neared the city dock I made radio contact with the dock master to announce our arrival and he proved very helpful, waiting patiently as we slowly paddled our way beneath the bridge and on towards the lock.

Arriving at the lock we were greeted by the three of our club members who’d arrived there the day before. They pointed us in the direction of their moorings where we gathered for a sociable drink in the sunshine amongst the busy goings on of the city docks. It was most agreeable! Phil and I opted for a stay in the youth hostel that night and we were able to move to a mooring right outside the front door of the hostel. It now looked like things were turning out quite well indeed.

Bristol City Docks

What it says on the sign!

Following Kirsty and Sue in ‘Nelly’

The Mathew

Moored outside the Youth Hostel

The female touch!

Wednesday 31st July, Bristol to Portishead – Distance 10 miles

We enjoyed a brisk breeze on our return sail down the Avon to Portishead. The wind was predominately head on which made for some interesting tacking from one side of the river to the other. Approaching Avonmouth, our companions on Alma, the cruiser, contacted Bristol VTS to notify them of our intention to cross the mouth of the commercial docks so that we could continue our passage to Portishead. We were given the all clear and we left the Avon and joined the Severn once more before locking in at the marina.

Later that evening after pitching our tent, Phil and I enjoyed a meal in the pub and then joined our companions for a chat about the following day and our options for attempting to join the main fleet. Although still in Cardiff the fleet were planning to leave and head towards one of the ports on the Somerset coast.
What was suggested was not at all what I was expecting! – Steve, how do you feel about sailing tonight to see if we can make up some lost time and catch up with the other boats? was the question put to me.
I had some reservations to start with but the idea had a huge amount of appeal and a real sense of adventure. However, a little voice in the back of my mind reminded me that we would actually be in the Bristol Channel in the dark, in a shipping lane and possibly 6 or 7 miles from shore. To add to that we would be not in a yacht but in a tiny little canoe with only a 14 foot mast and just a ring of battery powered LED lights to show our position.
The idea was mad – Yes I said, I’d love to!

Al, aboard the good ship Alma

Life is good!

That’s me and the Avon suspension bridge

John and Muckle Flugga

A relaxing sail down the Avon

Leaving the Avon and entering the Severn

Locking in at Portishead

Thursday 1st August, Portishead to Weston, then Watchet – Distance 41 miles

‘Be in the lock for quarter past two, we lock out at half past’. That was our instruction and we hastened to pack up the tent and get dressed in our drysuits and boots to join the others for our first night sail. We locked out on time and by about quarter to three we were paddling out into the Severn and hoisting our sail. Al contacted Bristol VTS and was told that a ship was leaving Avonmouth ten minutes after we were so we had to be on the look out and keep out of the way.

Heading towards Portishead Point and our first buoy I started to get a bit nervous of the ship that we were expecting to see. I let the others know my concerns but they assured me we would be ok and said I should stay with them. As it happened everything was fine, just as Al said it would be but hey, it was a big ship and I was in the smallest boat and glad to be well out of the way. The ship effortlessly passes us on our starboard side and we could hear and almost feel the deep slow throb of its engines. To Port were the lights of Portishead town, but between us, the town and the ship, the Severn looked inky black and it sucked us along on the ebb tide towards the many confusing lights of the buoys, blinking, flashing, guiding us through the hazards of the estuary into the Bristol Channel. I poured a cup of tea from my flask and passed it to Phil, “this is fantastic” we agreed, “who ever would want to be in bed?”

When we were between Cardiff and Weston our three boats came together again and we had a chat about our options of ports to make for. It was decided that we would head for Weston before the tide turned against us, have a rest and then think about our next move. By now Phil had become quite sea sick because the wind had dropped, the temperature had risen and we were wallowing around in a gentle but uncomfortable manner. At one point Phil was in such a state that he dozed off and fell backwards over the side. Luckily I managed to catch hold of him just in time to stop him plunging head first into the water. To give him a rest from this at the first opportunity I started the outboard and took off for Weston. It took a while to get there as we were still in the middle of a 10 mile wide channel. Eventually we ran aground in the mouth of the river axe where I cut the motor and Phil fell sound asleep on his knees in the bottom of the canoe. I opened the flask and enjoyed another cup of tea and then I too enjoyed a well earned sleep.

Later that day it was agreed with Kirsty and Sue that we’d punch the tide and press on to Watchet to join the rest of the fleet, whilst Al with his yacht would leave us and head towards South Wales. Phil and I were feeling somewhat refreshed after our rest and Phil had just about recovered from his seasickness. We refilled the flask, replenished our supply of snacks from the stern storage tank and paddled out of the Axe to join or friends who were anchored in the lee of Brean Down.

Phil and I set off first and paddled out to the head of Brean Down where we encountered a tidal race that threw up some large fast moving waves. Digging deep with our paddles Green Bean entered the race and we enjoyed the thrill of waves coming at us from all angles. It took some effort to get through but just as we thought we’d succeeded we realised that we hadn’t the power from our paddles to get away from it and we were in fact being draw back in in reverse. Quickly I started the outboard and relaxed as Green Bean lunged forward and clear of the exciting stuff. Once away from the tidal race our sail was hoisted and a force 3 wind blew us along nicely whilst we started to think about taking our bearings to the harbour town of Watchet.

It was at this point that it dawned on me that I had done nothing about plotting my route from Weston to Watchet. I had rather stupidly assumed I’d follow the other two boats all the way and I’d done nothing other than take a cursory glance at the charts just to look for any hazards. Now however, the Wayfarer was still behind and quite clearly on a completely different heading to ourselves and almost a mile away from us. Phil and I tried to take bearings of fixed objects ashore in order to fix our position but we found that the standard map reading compass I had brought along was quite unreliable to it not coping with the rocking motion of the boat. It needed to stay flat to work properly! We weren’t worried at this stage because we’d also been told how to spot Watchet from the sea, so we assumed that if we sailed parallel to the coast for a while we’d pick sight of things marked on the charts or on the OS maps I also had on board.

As the miles passed by the wind died completely so we used the outboard to speed up and to head to our companion boat to chat about progress and plans for finding Watchet. We needed to catch them as we had no response from the on the VHF (mine was the problem). Phil was dozing in the boat at this stage, letting the outboard take care of our worries when I heard a loud crack from the outboard bracket. I shut off the engine and saw exactly what I had feared – the torsion brace had separated from the outboard bracket rendering it too weak to use. I was too knackered at the time to see the obvious solution so I didn’t take action to repair it but returned to paddling in the uncomfortable heat.

When we finally closed in on the others I was feeling quite hot and seasick. To add to our little adventure what we had been able to see of land had disappeared into a dense mist. We discovered that Kirsty and Sue also were struggling to decide in which direction we should be heading and this made me all the more cross with myself for not properly preparing my navigation. Here we were, 5 miles out to sea in an open sailing canoe, becalmed, too hot, me seasick and on top of that not knowing where we actually were or where we needed to go – Just Great!

Setting off on what we thought and hoped was the right bearing we paddled along whilst the slight hint of a breeze just about pushed the Wayfarer along a little too fast for us to keep up. Both of us were so tired from the long day and the seasickness that our thoughts returned to the outboard. Suddenly it struck me how easy it was to make a temporary repair using the stern painter so I sprang into action and lashed the shaft of the outboard to the stern of the canoe. With our problem solved we lowered the mast and enjoyed a cup of tea and some snacks as we followed the Wayfarer.

Only minutes later a strong breeze raced towards us, we could see it coming across the water from almost dead ahead. Immediately it reached us the temperature dropped significantly and the Wayfarer came alive and raced away from us rapidly. It was a shame but feeling so tired we opted to stick with the outboard and just get into port as soon as we could. For the next hour and a half the seas rose and the wayfarer gradually got smaller and smaller in the distance whilst our little 2.5 hp motor gently pushed us on through the increasing waves. Later we came across some target buoys that enabled us to pinpoint where we were and from then on we knew where to head for. At this point we realised it would be a race against time to make it into port before the tide got too low for us to enter the harbour.

Finally after what seemed like hours later we spotted the harbour wall and motored into shelter. It was just before we arrived we discovered that our friendly yacht crew had in fact got news of our outboard bracket problem and had changed course to follow us until they were sure we were safely home. What fantastic spirit and kindness from our fellow sailors!

Sailing at night

At first light

Early morning on the way to Weston

Phil sleeps off his seasickness

Making our way out towards the end of Brean Down

Our boats in Watchet Harbour

Green Bean in the mud at Watchet

Watchet Harbour entrance

Friday 2nd August, Watchet to Cardiff – Somerset to South Wales, across the Bristol Channel; Distance – 20 miles

The trip to Cardiff would be about 20 miles as the crow flies and it seemed that we would have a fair wind all the way. I wanted to allow plenty of time for the trip to keep things relaxed and to allow for any change in the weather or wind, and decided we needed to launch until around 11 am. That seemed like bliss after the previous day’s trip.

Realising that I had left Green Bean too far from the harbour entrance the day before and that the water would not reach her until nearly midday I considered the fact that she was sat there on the deep mud, well out of reach from the harbour wall. There was only one thing for it, a wade through the mud to retrieve our faithful steed and that meant I’d be filthy and wet through before we’d even set off. How I now wished I’d tied a trip line to the anchor and tied off the end somewhere within reach. I managed to make the distance through the thigh-deep mud and bring Green Bean back to the harbour steps where we were able to load our belongings and prepare to set sail. I had a quick dunk in the sea in my clothes to wash off the awful mud and thanked myself for wearing fast drying cycling clothing. Once I’d climbed aboard we paddled out through the waves that rolled into the harbour entrance and once safely clear from the harbour wall unreefed our sail and headed out to sea.

Navigation was easy and our visual target was the island of Steep Holm, which could be seen poking out of the sea some 14 miles away in the distance. Our plan was then to sail between Steep Holm and Flat Holm and then to head to the welsh shore and into Cardiff Bay where we would lock in through Cardiff Barrage.

The trip to Cardiff was largely uneventful, though shortly after setting sail the wind direction changed considerable and the almost the whole trip was spent close-hauled. The sea wasn’t flat by any means but the waves were small and the journey comfortable, certainly by the comparison to the previous afternoon. The sky looked very threatening on several occasions and some significant storms could be seen but thankfully none of them effected us that day. However, in case of visibility being hampered by the passing storms we regularly took bearings of our target island – a lesson well learned from the day before. Even in these conditions I was struggling to take accurate bearings with my compass due to the sticking needle and it was really obvious that a proper hand-bearing compass needed to be purchased.

It was a real thrill to sail our small canoe between the islands of Flat Holm and Steep Holm and it made us feel rather insignificant as we passed near Steep Holm’s vertical cliff on our starboard side and watched the swells break against the rock. High up on this island, on the cliff we spotted what looked like an small concrete building built into the rock. We couldn’t imagine how anyone manage to build in such a precarious position and we could only conclude that it must have been one of the gun batteries built to defend the Bristol Channel from a possible French invasion in the days of the old sailing ships. Flat Holm was also really interesting from the sea, as it hosts a magnificent lighthouse that we had been able to use as a heading on our journey Watchet. A few weeks previously I had landed Green Bean on a very small pebble beach on Flat Holm and taken a walk onto the top of the island. We would like to have landed on this trip but the current state of tide left us no where suitable to go ashore.

Arriving at the entrance Cardiff Barrage at exactly the same time as us was Annabel and James in Annabel’s Wayfarer. They had left Watchet about half an hour behind us and had taken a different route, sailing straight across the channel and then back up the welsh shoreline. Both our boats then shared the same lock (after I had managed to upset the lock operator by paddling in instead of motoring!) and once through the massive locks of the barrage we paddled across Cardiff Bay to the yacht club. Here, our entire fleet gathered together through the course of the afternoon and evening in preparation for a night of beer and celebration.

Leaving Watchet behind

Steep Holm in the distance

Close to Steep Holm

Flat Holm island

Eyes peeled for ships

Approaching Cardiff Barrage

Camping at Cardiff Yacht Club

Cardiff to Sharpness (and back up the canal) – Homeward Bound, Distance – 36 miles (+10 miles)

The final day of our trip turned out to be fantastic. We locked out late morning with a full lock of yachts and we only just managed to squeeze in at the back of the queue, only just clear of the sill beneath the huge lock gates. Once clear of the lock we followed the other yachts out to the cardinal mark, un-reefed the sail and set off at a fair rate of knots in the general direction of Portishead and Avonmouth. Very faintly, in the distance we could make out the wind turbines at Avonmouth on the English side of the estuary and this proved to be a useful heading that kept us pointing in the right direction.

The wind had really picked up quite a bit and at times we felt we were carrying a bit to much sail. The wind was from behind and as we left land behind and made our way further out into estuary I wondered if I should have already reefed. Each time a gust caught us from behind it made us lunge forwards quite alarmingly. The waves also started to build up and were coming at us from behind at a rate I’d not had to deal with before. The waves started to steepen as well as get bigger and from time to time Green Bean would wallow and feel less sure footed as a wave passed underneath us and then left us behind.

I remembered reading about Captain John Voss who sailed across the world’s major oceans in a converted Indian war canoe at the end of the eighteenth century and how he kept his little vessel under control when following seas threatened to overpower her. He used to trail a sea anchor behind to slow her down and sometimes he’d add on any other items available that would add resistance when towed through the water. I knew that our trip and our waves were no comparison the Captain Voss’s but I did feel the need to see if following his advice would make our ride more comfortable. I tied one end of our throw line to the rear thwart and threw the bag end overboard. Fifty foot of rope shot out behind us and as it pulled tight we slowed down to about two thirds our initial speed and with that Green Bean became so much more stable and felt all the more safer for it. I was really pleased it worked so well and we smiled at the thought of what we’d learned from a book written well over a hundred years ago.

The journey back to Avonmouth flew by and we enjoyed great weather with it. I got into good practice with the throw line, throwing it overboard when things got lively and pulling it back aboard when the wave died down again. By the time we passed Avonmouth the water conditions flattened out and the sail back to Sharpness was superb. Only one other boat was heading up river with us and that was a yacht that motored up behind and then passed us as we sailed up river of the second Severn crossing.

The yacht that passed us was already in the outer basin at Sharpness Docks when we arrived and was waiting for a ship to be positioned in the lock in first place for locking in. We joined the yacht on the floating pontoon and were soon offered a mug of tea from the friendly crew. They commented on the fact that they’d seen us at the Severn crossing and they had been curious as to where we’d been in such a tiny craft. When Phil said we’d sailed up from Cardiff we were treated to a torrent of jovial obscenities and a repeat of the question as to where we’d set out from. They soon realised Phil was being quite serious and we enjoyed spending the next hour or so on the pontoon chatting about sailing adventures whilst waiting for the lock to fill so we could access the canal.

Ten miles later and shattered after a day out afloat we arrived back where we started at Phil’s narrow boat at Castle Guest House. We had set out from here six days ago and visited Sharpness, Portishead, Bristol, Weston, Watchet and Cardiff. We had covered almost 160 miles, 117 of which were on the exposed Severn estuary and Bristol Channel and we’d arrived home safely. As far as both Phil and I were concerned, we had a great trip and it had been a huge success. Much of the fun was also due to us being able to sail with other more experienced sailors and to be able to learn from them and from building on our own experience. We both felt extremely grateful to the members of Lydney Yacht Club for accepting Green Bean into the fleet and for the encouragement and advice given to us over the six days afloat.

In the lock at Cardiff Barrage

Leaving the Barrage

Out in the Channel

The waves start to build

The waves start to build

Denny Island

Second Severn Crossing

A passing Yacht

Almost back at Sharpness

Ready to enter Sharpness Docks

Back in the Docks

Here comes the ship

You can see the size of it now

It was too long for the inner lock gates to close so the whole out basin had to fill up for us all to lock in.

Sharing the lock as we sneaked past!

Back on the canal at last

Phil and I had decided to launch from Framilode around the turn of the tide and have a lazy drift down river, for about 13 miles to Purton. Here would leave the river and paddle the short distance along the canal to Upper Purton bridge, where we had left my van. Open canoes can be a bit of a handful (Green Bean is really heavy), when having to carry them over the soft sand and mud which we expected to have to do at Purton when leaving the river. Therefore we chose to take sit-on kayaks because they were the most practical boats, both lightweight and easy to jump on and off as needed.

Framilode is such a perfect place to launch a canoe, for either up-river or down-river exploration. Parking is easy, alongside the church and access to the river is just a few metres away down a grass bank. Often we deliberately get here early so that we can brew up a cup of tea and spend some time just watching the river. There is a kind of peace in waiting for the tide to either arrive from the sea if we are going up-river or slow down, stop and finally reverse its flow if we are going back with it down the estuary. Every trip is different and every trip’s beginning just as exciting.

Framilode, the ideal canoe launch. Plenty of space to get ready easy access to the Severn.

Phil and myself at Framilode, ready for the Severn on New Year’s Day

The view from my kayak, looking back towards Familode

About two and a half miles down river of Framilode is Pimlico Sands. This sandbank appears in the river as the tide falls and forces the water into a channel flowing diagonally across the river towards the lower end of Garden Cliff on the opposite side. We like to stop on the sands when we get the chance but today there was a lot of flood water coming down the river and we were too early to do so. Instead we stopped on a mud flat near the left bank and enjoyed a cup of tea and a snack whilst soaking up the sun. In the short time we were stopped the river level dropped noticeably and even the mud flat we stood on looked quite colourful in the sunshine.

This is the mud flat we stopped on near to Pimlico Sands

In the short time we were stopped the river level dropped noticeably and even the mud flat we stood on looked quite colourful in the sunshine.

The river level drops fast. This was taken just few minutes after the previous photo was taken

Phil was enjoying the sunshine and the view towards the Forest of Dean

Close up view of the mud banks as the tide drops away

We launched once more and paddled gently towards Newnham on Severn and Arlingham. Newnham looks very tranquil viewed from the river and what’s more, it always seems to be sunny when we go past! As we arrived at Newnham we paddled right up against the cliff beneath the church, where the colours of the rock were quite something and really stood out in the sun. A tiny gravel beach was a convenient stopping place and both of us took a few minutes to bask in the warm sunshine, which was such a contrast to the weather conditions of the previous week. Usually our trips on the river are longer than this one so it was extremely pleasant to take it steady and relax. Furthermore, we wanted the water to drop off some more to enable us to explore the sands as we ventured through ‘The Noose’.

Newnham looks very tranquil viewed from the river and what’s more, it always seems to be sunny when we go past!

As we arrived at Newnham we paddled right up against the cliff beneath the church, where the colours of the rock were quite something and really stood out in the sun.

Just remember, next time someone tells you the Severn Estuary is just grey, bleak and boring – you know different!

Some interesting boats at Bullo and a bungalow with a view. The best view is almost certainly from their angle though!

The stretch of river between Newnham on Severn and ‘The Noose’ is really quite special. Once down-river of Newnham, and past Bullo the view up-river is truly stunning. Newhnam church stands majestically on its hill top with a panorama of the Forest of Dean in the background and boasts a waterscape worthy of any artists canvas. Down-river the wooded Hock Cliff rises on the left hand side and provides ample opportunity for fossil hunting and bird watching (and cooking sausages over a fire of course!). In anything other than a canoe, the navigation down this section requires sound local knowledge. The river level falls fast and the deep water is restricted first to the right bank whilst above the pylons and then almost immediately afterwards to the opposite side until the top end of Hock Cliff. Anywhere out of this area gets so shallow it’s often possible to paddle around in a just foot or so of water.

Is this not the Severn Riviera?

Phil drifting slowly past Hock Cliff

I couldn’t resist stopping for this photo as we entered ‘The Noose’. This was full of water a couple of hours before-hand.

Yep, that’s me folks !

Much to our surprise the usual channel through ‘The Noose’ has disappeared. It’s quite difficult to locate at the best of times but it really had gone. The main flow was now tight to the outside of the bend (where it used to be several years ago) making navigation so much simpler, until it moves again! Just to be sure we hadn’t missed something obvious we stopped and walked through ‘The Noose’ back across the river, almost to the opposite bank and sure enough, the channel that we were looking for had all but gone. The only trace of it being a slight depression with about 10 inches of water in it. It used to be a really deep channel !

What great scenery!

Just to be sure we hadn’t missed something obvious we stopped and walked through ‘The Noose’

At this point in the day the air temperature started to noticeably drop and we wanted to press on to keep warm. We launched from the sandbank into the last of the outgoing tide and headed towards Purton. The light was starting to go but for a while the sky looked fantastic as the final rays of the sun filtered through the thin cloud. We were treated to a further magnificent sight as several hundred ducks took to the sky as we approached them. Not being very good with bird identification we were unable to tell exactly what sort of ducks they were but the huge flock twisted and turned whilst their numbers grew before they disappeared into the distance. It’s quite amazing what this estuary provides for entertainment, never a dull moment and always something different and we reflected on this whilst dragging our kayaks across the sand back towards the ships graveyard.

We launched from the sandbank into the last of the outgoing tide and headed towards Purton

Just some of the hundreds of ducks that took exception to sharing the river with us!

It’s quite amazing what this estuary provides for entertainment, never a dull moment and always something different and we reflected on this whilst dragging our kayaks across the sand back towards the ships graveyard

Just before reaching the bank we came to a small channel that we could just float across on the kayaks. It had a reasonable flow as it was the concentration of the remaining water that was fast draining off the sandbanks. It took us conveniently to the foot of the bank below the concrete hulks of the ships graveyard. A short climb across the muddy rock and a scramble through the grass and we were stood looking back at the estuary which was now much more sand and mud than it was water.

It took us conveniently to the foot of the bank below the concrete hulks of the ships graveyard

We were stood looking back at the estuary which was now much more sand and mud than it was water.

Happy Paddlers

This was a relaxing place for a final cup of tea and a snack and just watching the estuary at the end of the day. If it wasn’t for Phil having to get back to let his dogs out for some exercise, we’d have stay a while longer rather than tearing ourselves away. A very short drag to the canal with the boats and a 5 minute paddle back to the car park brought our first canoe trip of 2013 to a close.

It was a both brilliant start to the year and another enjoyable outing on the Severn estuary. One thing is or sure though – we’ll be back for more!

Steve C

We planned to depart from Purton on Friday for a midday lock-out at Sharpness to take the out going tide to Portishead and lock-in at 3.15pm (the latest lock-in available on the ebb tide). Saturday’s plan was to lock-out of Portishead at 11.30am, cross the channel on the last of the incoming tide before making passage to Cardiff by following the Welsh shore line down channel and arriving for a late afternoon lock-in through the barrage into Cardiff Bay. Sunday was to be a 6am lock-out at Cardiff, a 12 mile channel crossing with a 40 mile sail back to Sharpness in time for a lock-in at high tide at 13.40.

Leaving Purton

The old Severn railway bridge (remains of) with scale model

Entering Sharpness Docks

Approaching Sharpness Lock

In the lock and the level drops

Leaving the lock to enter the outer basin

Sadly, due to the weather that materialised on Sunday (it’s a good job we checked the forecast and changed our plan at the last minute) Cardiff had to be dropped from our little adventure. Strong North Easterly winds, heavy rain and rough seas meant we would have not made it back to Sharpness in the one day and would have had the inconvenience of being stranded down channel and given real shake up awful conditions. Instead our trip was limited to Portishead and Back and a walk to Clevedon on Saturday, the best day of the three.

After assembling Green Bean on the canal side at Purton and loading our provisions (less than last year due to learning from experience!) we motored along the canal towards Sharpness. Following a call to the Pierhead on the VHF to confirm our arrival we were allowed straight into the lock. After paying our lock fee to the harbourmaster we were locked into the outer basin where we tied up on the pontoon and took an early lunch of lamb stew with noodles as we waited for high tide. Ian’s job as my crew was to also be quartermaster and chef and to be fair, considering the tight confines of our canoe he did a splendid job. There wasn’t a moment on our trip where there wasn’t food and drink available upon request!

Preparing to cook up a meal on the pontoon

On the pontoon preparing lunch

Leaving Sharpness, bound for Portishead

Passing the ‘Keep North’ mark as we head towards the bridges and into ‘Slime Road’

Unfortunately, due to the fact that the wind was 5 mph from the south west I had no choice but to motor to Portishead in order to ensure arriving by 15.15 for the last lock-in on the ebbing tide. As requested we reported our progress and ETA to Portishead Marina once we were south of the Second Severn Crossing and into ‘The Shoots’. Arriving at Portishead was a relief as motoring in choppy conditions always gives us a good soaking and we were ready to get dried out and have another warm drink. We locked in with a fishing boat and then bought a pastry and a hot chocolate from the quay side kiosk, where we talked boats and fishing with one of the locals.

Arriving at Portishead

Green Bean in the Lock at Portishead

Green Bean in the Lock at Portishead

Well earned refreshments!

We got ourselves dried out and set up the boat tent, stowing all the kit in place on the cargo nets. The only thing with no proper place to go was the outboard motor, which I locked to a large cleat on the pontoon. This wasn’t too much of a concern as the pontoons are protected by security gates and patrolled by staff. Later in the evening we wandered up the hill to the local pub (overlooking the estuary) and settled down for some beers and a hot meal. What bliss!

Did we really bring all this stuff ?!!

Finally settled in and everything in its place

Sunday was a day of glorious sunshine, decisions and weather checks. As beautiful as the weather was a sail to Cardiff was looking doubtful. The day was just so perfect with a force 3 blowing down channel (a tail wind all the way in bright sunshine) yet all the time the forecast for Sunday was looking grim. On Friday night I had re-arranged our Saturday lock-out for midday (as late as I dare leave it) to give us a maximum chance of catching any last minute change in forecast. We actually sacrificed any chance of sailing to Bristol as an alternative by hanging on in the hope of some improvement. As it turned out the forecast got worse and we had to accept that we were going nowhere today and would be having a rough day of it tomorrow. Therefore we spent the afternoon on a very agreeable walk along the coastal path to Clevedon and took afternoon tea on the Pier, later walking back for another meal and some beers in the pub.

Saturday was beautiful yet we didn’t sail

Fellow estuary users, but bigger than Green Bean!

Sunshine on Cleevedon Pier where we stopped for afternoon tea on a fantastic walk

As we got back to the marina after Saturday’s walk we smiled at the site of Green Bean moored up with all the yachts and gin palaces!

Mr Jones having a bit of a doze

Sunday dawned and we woke to an overcast morning and a threatening looking sky. We had a lock-out booked for 09.30, as early as was allowed and we’d have to make it 20 mile back to Sharpness by 13.40 (high tide). A chat with the harbourmaster revealed that yesterday a whole fleet of yachts had cancelled their plans to sail to Cardiff due to today’s forecast and there would only be two boats out today, us in Green Bean and a fishing boat. The rest were safely tucked up in the marina and going nowhere!

By 08.30 the rain started but luckily we were packed up and just stowing the last of the gear aboard. We cast off from the pontoon, but in my state of apprehension I forgot to drop the rudder down and promptly collided with the side of a yacht. Fortunately we were going very slowly and the yacht was made of steel. A good job it was too as I hit it with the end of my mast, which was tied to the outrigger poles like a lance! We made it into the lock for 09.35 and at 09.45 we thanked the marina staff (on the VHF) for their hospitality and Green Bean poked her nose out of the safety of the lock into the channel alongside the breakwater and out into the grey and windy Severn.

Back in the lock ready to leave for home

Looking up from the lock at ‘Mission Control’

As soon as we were clear of the breakwater we cut the motor and set sail. Playing safe we stayed reefed and sailed out into the flow of the incoming tide. The wind was strong and blowing from the North East, straight down the channel and wind over tide gave us some exciting conditions to say the least. The rain was in our faces as we began a four-hour journey back home in foul conditions. Out in the channel in a small sailing canoe, 2.5 miles from the nearest shore on a day when most sailors were drinking tea down below in the marina we were flogging our way back home into the wind and rain with the spay flying. Terrific!

The spray started to fly

Even sailing with a reefed rig things still became quite exciting!

Trusty Green Bean feels at home in these conditions

The bridges now not far away

We made good progress for the first half of the voyage but eventually the tide slowed and we were forced to drop sail and motor in order to make it back in time to lock in. We sailed 15 miles into the wind and then motored the last 5. A cruiser coming up channel from Bristol slowly overhauled us it also headed for Sharpness docks.

I was enjoying the sail home despite the weather (but I had the drysuit!)

Whereas Ian was wet through (but he had the hot coffee!)

Before we got back the VHF radio brought to us one half of a conversation between Sharpness Docks and someone we couldn’t hear. “I’ve got two boats booked in” came the voice “ a cruiser and a canoe by the name of Green Bean. But we’ve not heard a thing from Green Bean at all” I realised that we may be the cause of some concern in these conditions so I immediately reported our presence to the Docks and said that we would be with them soon. I must admit they did sound relived!

Finally back at Sharpness. This was the only boat we saw after leaving Portishead. I wonder why?

We made our lock-in at Sharpness 15 minutes late but at least we had taken it steady, stuck to a plan and made it back safely in what was pretty rough and foul conditions. The experience had proved to us that if not pushed too hard Green Bean sails well in this testing environment and although only an open canoe, she’s capable of a lot more than we have yet to put her through.

Happy sailing!

Did this little video for a bit of fun, sailed on the spring tide to Gloucester. The waves were not that big but fun all the same.

Steve C

It had been a while since Ian and I had ventured out in the canoe together, family commitments and the bustle of daily life had seen to that. So once we had finally secured a date in our diaries to ‘go out to play’ we wanted to make this one count. We had two nights and two days to push the boat out – well sail actually, and no plans to waste any of it.

We fancied the idea of going ‘down channel’ again but this time further down, to Brean Down, by Weston Super Mare and up the river Axe to Uphill. I’d been searching around using Google Earth for somewhere new to explore and stumbled across Uphill Boat Centre, tucked away up a small creek off the tidal river Axe. It had floating pontoons, hot showers and a small café, all nestling in a nature reserve alongside a salt water lake. Added to that it’s also only a short walk to two local pubs – perfect!

To get to Uphill in one day would mean having to use the tide of the Severn to it’s full advantage. From our point of departure to our destination we would have to cover 40 Miles before the tide turned. An all up round trip of 80 miles, of which 74 miles would be on the exposed Severn estuary and Bristol channel. In an open sailing canoe less that 16 feet in length, we would need the weather on our side and a back up plan in case it wasn’t.

Friday 23rd September

We drove to Purton on Friday afternoon. A convenient wooden landing stage on the canal side enabled us to load the boat whilst it was on the water. Bathed in sunshine I leisurely lashed on the outriggers and attached all the sailing gear whilst Ian loaded up the stores. Ian’s part of the bargain was that he’d supply us with food for the trip – a week long trip judging by the amount he brought, some of which we couldn’t fit into the canoe! It pained us both to leave some of our goodies in the van! – We needn’t have worried though as we still had plenty for the trip.

After leaving Purton we happily pottered along the canal in the last of the afternoon sun to Sharpness Dock where I’d booked a lock-out into the Severn. Unfortunately, when I booked I left it too late to contact the pier head for a Friday evening lock-out. That meant we had to start our trip later than planned and we wouldn’t be on the estuary until 6 am Saturday morning. Worse still, the harbour master wanted us into the lock at 3.30am so we’d be in ahead of a cargo ship, which was bound for Liverpool.

By about 6pm ‘Green Bean’ was moored up alongside the harbour master’s office. We then set off on foot the 2 miles to the nearest pub for a meal and a beer. What else could we do?

On our return to the Dock we strung up the boat tent over a rope, alongside a timber stack to make a sort of bivi. This way the boat’s contents wouldn’t have to re-arranged for sleeping and we could be ready to move when summoned at 3.30am! Both of us managed some sleep but woefully too little for what we were about to do in a few hours time.

Saturday 24th September

We awoke at 3 am and prepared to go into the lock. 3.30 sharp we were paddling our way and were instructed to tie up to the floating pontoon. This worked out very well in the end as we had a perfect platform on which to cook ourselves some breakfast and watch the goings on with the cargo ship ‘Kossau’. This ship was carrying a cargo of scrap metal and about to depart for Liverpool. I’m not sure what the crew must have thought as they waited there in the dark for their entry into the Severn estuary, looking down on two bleary eyed canoe sailors in a vessel that may as well be made of match sticks. I was really glad we were safely out of their way!

5.30am, half an hour before high tide ‘Kossau’ crept forward and lit up light in the dark like some huge floating building she carefully avoided the piers either side of the lock and slipped quietly out into the estuary and disappeared from our site.

Still in the empty lock waiting for high tide Ian and I packed away the various pieces of cooking equipment and prepared for our 6am departure. The wind was coming directly from the south so under sail we would have to cover more miles than just the 40 between our destination and us. We both agreed that with so many miles to cover before the tide would once again turn, we ought to start off under power, at least until we had passed Portishead. An assessment of progress at this point would determine whether or not we would continue with the outboard or under sail. With a plan made we left the lights of the dock behind and headed out into the Severn under the first hint of a grey sky as the dark slowly lost it’s hold over us. It turned out however that we would need to motor all the way, but at least I’d get to finish running in the engine.

The outboard, a newly acquired 4 stroke Suzuki 2.5 hp pushed us along effortlessly. I was very impressed at how quiet this little engine is. With the throttle set to no more than a quarter ‘Green Bean’ made good progress and conversation was easy with non of the noise problem associated with a 2 stroke engine. I had recently managed to make a wooden bracket to mount the outboard and this was secured to the canoe with lashings. It takes bit longer to attach than a bolt on bracket but I didn’t need to modify the canoe in any way and there was no risk of anything vibrating undone. Later in the trip we were able to calculate that as long as the canoe isn’t pushed too hard the outboard gives us a range of well over 50 miles on a gallon of fuel. That’s plenty to get out of trouble if the wind were ever to fail when out in the channel.

Only a few minutes after leaving Sharpness my faithful crew fell sound asleep, leaving me to worry about navigating us safely down river. It was at this point I realised what was missing from our kit – we had no thermos flask!. Thoughts of lighting up the gas stove rapidly started to spring to mind. One of the biggest pleasures when afloat on the Severn is keeping warm with a mug of steaming hot tea and on this dark grey cold morning I really needed one. Ian soon awoke (I reckon he heard my grumbling) and we discussed the feasibility of a brew on the move. We soon put the idea out of our minds as the river started to throw up quite a chop and therefore a high risk of spilling the boiling water.

Just before ‘Slime Road’ I took us ashore so we could put on more layers of clothing. We’d been covered in spray on the way down river and although still dry underneath we had started to get uncomfortably cool. Once layered up we headed down ‘Slime Road’ and for about a mile got caught up in some really rough water. A series of confused looking standing waves, many of which were breaking stood in our way. Ian commented that he was “bloody glad we’ve got he outriggers on” as the bow of the canoe became completely airborne. Time after time ‘Green Bean’ lifted to the waves and the crashed down again but never faltered for a moment. It was exciting stuff but we were both quite relieved once things had calmed down.

From the old Severn bridge onwards the journey was easier, maybe due to a hearty breakfast of samosas, flapjacks, Cheddar cheese and grapes. Eating always makes any boating trip more pleasurable and although we can not claim to be expert sailors the same cannot be said when it comes to eating – If it’s onboard, we’ll eat it (apart from Ian’s socks!).

Following a stop to refuel at Portishead slipway the journey to Brean Down was really interesting. First came Clevedon with it’s pier and it’s grand colourful houses looking out to the channel and then further on Langford Grounds where wrecked ships can be seen at low water. After Langford Grounds we rounded St. Thomas’s Head and Sand Point, staying well off shore as we made our way past Sand Bay.

When passing Sand Bay the water started to boil up in places. It was a really strange site to see little white horses suddenly appear from nowhere and then just as quick as they appeared they would vanish right in front of us. Again and again the water boiled up to a white foam, often whipped up further in the wind and the immediately died down again. As we ventured through this it became evident that the sandbanks were the cause of this display and for one brief moment the outboard threw up a cloud of sand in the water. Yes – it was definitely quite shallow.

Birnbeck Island is a funny looking site, jutting out from Anchor Head on the approach to Weston. Its a large outcrop of rock covered with a collection of derelict buildings and joined to the main land by a pier. We passed nearby by to get a closer look but had to exercise a little caution as the surface of the water showed tell tale signs of shallows and the risk of barely covered rock.

Finally we crossed Weston bay and made for shelter in the lee of Brean Down where we anchored to wait for the tide to turn. Once anchored tea was soon brewed, but as the two of us sat there sipping hot tea a small regular swell started rolling in and we bobbed up and down getting more and more sea sick. Not liking the motion at all we raised anchor and made our way towards the mouth of the river Axe for some calmer water.

A line of withies guided us into the Axe whilst port and starboard buoys kept us in the channel. The Axe is a quirky little river, it’s banks and bed made of deep estuarial mud and sculptured little inlets are home to a variety of birds. Boats of all types are kept here, some high up on the banks whilst others are moored afloat or sat cock eyed half up the bank and half in the water. All of them stained with mud from the Bristol Channel. We pushed on up the river with the incoming tide and took a left fork into a little creek that would take us to Uphill Boat Centre. It was a while until we got there because the water was still too low so we sat there gradually bumping our way along the muddy banks as the rising tide lifted us up and up and we drifted along the creek sipping more hot tea.

Finally arriving at Uphill we found a suitable pontoon and tied up alongside. We put up the boat tent and made everything ready for sleeping before a hot shower and a walk to a local pub. A couple of beers each and a hot meal left us both weary but happy, ready for some well earned sleep and another day afloat.

Sunday 25th September

At 5.50 am the alarm woke me. I’d not had a good nights sleep and I’d woken up many times during the night. Partly because one of the nearby cruisers contained some drink fuelled folk who chatted away loudly until 3am. It’s amazing how water carries sound so effectively in the dead of night. Ian, who had had a better night than me was soon up and out of the boat, packing away kit and brewing the tea for us.

Keeping a careful eye on the water level in the creek so that we didn’t get stranded where we were, both of us finished the final packing up and untied from the pontoon. The berth that we had chosen had dried out and the canoe had to be slid across the deep mud and back into the water. That done, wellies were washed off and ‘Green Bean’ drifted back down the creek and out into the Axe. The tide was still up and the Axe looked very different this morning, full of water and less mud to look at, but the sky was quite grey still and everything had the look of an old photograph.

Breakfast was the first priority and finding somewhere for a cook up wasn’t going to be easy. Having to leave Uphill on the falling tide, all around us the water was rapidly receding leaving exposed mud and rock with no obvious places to put ashore without being left stranded. We motored against the tide to clear Birnbeck Island and looked for a landing spot but there was nothing. Stuffing handfuls of cheese and grapes into our mouths we cut the engine and unfurled the sail, powering forward with the wind against the outgoing tide. It was a good wind on our stern making sailing a joy so a decision was made to keep going and survive on our snacks until we could find as suitable place to go ashore.

The sea off of Sand Point proved quite entertaining as a tidal race had developed. This wasn’t here the day before when we passed but today a series of powerful waves were before us. Despite the strong wind on the stern we didn’t know if we had enough power to make it through and I imagined us being washed out backwards at any moment. But to the amazement of both of us ‘Green Bean’ slowly but steadily moved forwards, riding the waves and keeping us safe. Ian did a great job at the helm and we sailed out the other side picking up a useful swell that seemed to come from nowhere.

The wind soon started to reduce in strength and for a short while almost disappeared and paddles were used to help make progress. Gradually as the wind came back again the rain began to fall and with myself back at the helm I sailed us ashore for a proper breakfast. What looked like a small sandy beach was in fact a small muddy beach, but both of us were hungry and we waded shin deep through the mud to get to the rocks behind. Shelter was made by placing a fishing umbrella against a wall of rock and warmth came from the gas stove as breakfast was made. It’s possible to endure the elements with a much more positive attitude when one has hot food and drink. Despite to rain, now that I had eaten properly I had to fight hard the urge to fall asleep.

Several times during the morning we had listened to a weather warning on the VHF radio. Further out in the Bristol Channel gale force 8 was imminent and in other parts of the Bristol Channel winds of up to force 7 were to be expected. So far on this trip we had not experienced any more than a force 4 but we were acutely aware that this may at anytime catch us up and we’d spent much of our time watching out for tell tail signs behind us. Luckily though, we hadn’t seen any sign of a gale yet. We hoped that if we kept up a good progress we might make it most of the way home before it got too exciting for comfort. As it happened, we were to experience a drop in wind as the trip progressed and at times it was to become a gentle force 3.

Later on another stop was made, this time on sand! Another brew up and some food set us up again and we set off once more, this time to take a close look at Denny Island. A lump of rock surrounded by sandbanks, Denny Island rises up out the estuary, resisting the forces of nature and the ceaseless hammering it gets from the second largest tidal range in the world. If the water had been lower allowing us to see the extent of the rock I would have run aground on the sands to explore the little island. But the rock met the water line and I wasn’t going to risk a hole in the canoe out here. We’ll go back in due course at a suitable water level.

Ian had to navigate us across the shallows. The water boiled up with the usual tell tale signs of shallows and sand banks and I raised the rudder and leeboard as we sailed in only a about a foot of water. It’s a strange experience to be in sight of the second Severn crossing, only a short distance from the main shipping lane and in less than knee deep of water. One small area of the shipping lane is never less than 30 metres deep which is a massive contrast to where we were sailing across the edge of Bedwin Sands. It’s no wonder that all commercial ships heading to Sharpness have to have a river pilot on board.

Today the ‘Shoots’ were kind to us with nothing to be concerned about. But even so the eddies just up river of the second Severn Crossing were present in their usual force. These eddies are very strong and on more than one occasion we have been spun around on the spot through 180 degrees even with the sail full of wind. There’s nothing inviting about this area of the river and it always looks very forbidding. But once past the mouth of the river Wye, the Severn regains its usual flow and once more we are speeding towards the old Severn Bridge.

The sail back towards Sharpness was relaxing and uneventful and we followed the right hand shore passing by Littleton Warth, Oldbury Pill and the tidal reservoir at Oldbury Power Station. Before arriving at Sharpness we sailed to Lydney Yacht Club, shooting past the end of Lydney Pier into the slack water behind. Here, on the slip the sail was furled, the boom tied to the outrigger poles and I radioed the Pier Head at Sharpness to request permission to enter the lock.

The tide was still in full flow as we motored across the river to Sharpness and the flow across the end of the piers was incredible. Ferrygliding across controlling the canoe with the throttle we made a neat entry directly behind the right hand pier and proceeded into the shelter of the lock.

After locking into the canal a brief stop was made for some hot soup before we headed back the last couple of miles to Purton where we had set out from.

Arriving at Purton in the fading evening light, at the end of an interesting couple of days both of us looked forward to some fish and chips and a proper night’s sleep.

Looking back on it we realised that we had taken a bit too much kit with us and we could slim this down quite a bit next time we go. We also discovered that the outboard motor need not detract from the sailing or paddling at all and is in fact is a helpful piece of kit on a trip like this offering a bit more scope to a really versatile little canoe. Most of all though we enjoyed our little exploration of the river Axe and Uphill Boat Centre and sailing all the way home again with the wind on the stern.

But next time – we’re going to land on Denny Island and maybe, if the weather is kind, who knows, we might visit Flat Holm too!

Saturday 4th July, a blistering hot day on the Severn Estuary with only a breath of wind. The scene was set for a lazy sail (but sometimes a drift) ‘down channel’ to Portishead. Phil and I launched ‘Green Bean’ from Lydney Harbour, with a small fleet from Lydney Yacht Club. The fleet being made up of a beautiful sailing cruiser called ‘Avon Grace’ (which if I’m not mistaken is made from concrete), two Wayfarer dinghies, a Drascombe Lugger and of course my Selway Fisher Prospector sailing canoe. All quite different vessels, but all with same purpose in mind, a down channel cruise with a picnic and a return trip on the tide in the evening. The Wayfarers and the Drascombe were to stay the night in Oldbury Pill, the home of Thornbury Sailing Club, but we had to make it back to Lydney the same day so Phil could collect his dogs.

Here we are heading down the Severn and it’s already getting a bit too hot for comfort. It is very unusual to have such a clam sea state – a bit too calm for my liking really.

The bridges in sight

The rest of the fleet-

‘Smee Two’

‘Windlord’

‘Muckle Flugga’

And ‘Avon Grace’

The Severn can be so tranquil at times and yet it is can never be taken for granted. Some days it changes from dead calm to quite rough in a very short space of time. Today it almost felt eerie, like a Sleeping Giant that might awaken at any time.

Distant view of Windlord drifting down Slime Road

We had some great views of the Old Severn Crossing at Beachley

And also over the Wye

Captain Muggins!

As we neared the Second Severn Crossing the speed of the tide increased, along with the wind (a bit) and we were drawn towards the huge pillars and into ‘The Shoots’

Heading towards the Second Severn Crossing

Smee Two sailing past Charston Rocks

Fast water now!

The buoys marking the shipping lane are massive. The tide has so much force that the buoys lean over at an impressive angle despite their huge size and weight.

This one tells us to ‘keep South’

We eventually came to Portishead, which looked quite attractive from where we were sat. The houses reflected the light and it all looked quite serene. We were almost at our destination, the slip at Portishead Sailing Club.

Attractive houses looking out on the estuary

Our Picnic spot on the rocks at the Sailing Club

‘Green Bean’ on the slip

Denny Island in the Back ground

The return trip was so calm that we had to paddle half the way back. But the payback was some very interesting views of what is so often a grey expanse of wild water.

The wind turbines at Avonmouth

The Second Severn Crossing – Close up. “Cheers”

Once back up river of the bridges we sailed again and explored the right bank (going up) where it was much shallower and also out of the shipping lane. We hadn’t sailed this side before and it was surprisingly interesting and a lot slower than the main channel in Slime Road.

These cows seemed to be on a mission – heading up river

We soon came to Thornbury Sailing club, situated in Oldbury Pill. Another really unique place on this amazing river. We decided to pay a visit here to stretch our legs a bit and have a quick cup of tea.

Thornbury Sailing Club

Sailing into the Pill

‘Green Bean’ tied up to the Pontoon

Sailing Back out into the river we turned towards Lydney for the last stretch home. But looking back to bridges looked fantastic in the fading evening light.

The two bridges

The low sun over the water looked beautiful

As we approached the pier Lydney Harbour we watched a ship leaving Sharpness, punching the tide as it headed down channel. Funny when you think of the difference in size of our boat and the ship!

The ship in the evening sun, leaving Sharpness.

Well the Giant stayed asleep for us and Finally,40 Miles later back at Lydney, we landed on the slip at the end of what was a very memorable gentle sail on this magnificent River Severn –

All the best folks! – Steve 

As we were now into October it became apparent that we would need to launch in the dark if we were to stand any chance of arriving at Gloucester. The thought of paddling away from under the Severn Bridge in the dark was on the one hand exciting and on the other just a little daunting. There would not only be the issue of dealing with the river conditions in the dark but also the possibility of being on the river at the same time as commercial shipping. If any ships were to be going to Sharpness they were likely to be on the river at the same time as we were planning to be there and a canoe is not easy to spot even in day light. Precautions had to be taken. A white light would need to be fitted to the stern of the canoe and we’d need a high powered spot light in case we needed to make our presence known to any other vessel. We’d also need to take our flares and the VHF radio.

The weather forecast looked favourable with a light northerly wind and no rain. The early morning temperature was forecast to be 1 degree centigrade but due to rise to about 12 degrees by early afternoon. Not the warmest of trips but at least we’d stay dry, assuming we stayed in the canoe of course. Definitely time to get the drysuit out of the cupboard again!

To avoid an early morning drive we stayed in the van overnight next to the lifeboat station. Parking right under the Severn Bridge had the benefit of waking up at the launch site with no driving to do, which was just as well as we planned to get afloat by six am. At quarter past five we fired up the stove for a cup of tea and stood looking out across the river. The lights from the bridge lit up a narrow band of water, stretching a mile to the other shore, which gave us a glimpse of the river as it surged in from the sea and then plummeted back into darkness. Ian filled a flask with coffee and we hurried to unload the canoe and stash away the kit and the food for the day.

Things always take longer than expected in the dark and it was 6.20 am by the time we were afloat. Paddling out into the main flow and taking great care to avoid the light tower marking the rocks know as the ‘Hen and Chickens’ we were whisked away into the darkness leaving behind the comfort of the lights from the bridge. Looking behind us we could see the flashing red lights marking the pillars of the bridge that supported the motorway high above us.

Ahead of us to our right Oldbury powerstaion was lit up like a fair ground but everywhere else, with the exception of some distant navigation lights all was black. For a few metres around us we could just make out the surface or the river, but not well enough to read the water at all. By the time we were passing Oldbury we were in the widest section of the river. Here the water stretches 2.4 miles across and we were a mile from the nearest shore. The feeling was peaceful with no crowds, cars or general noise of everyday life. However, the thought of a large ship sneaking up behind us was never far from my thoughts and several times I looked over my shoulder just in case. Happily there were none.

Darkness gradually gave way to daylight with the sky showing a remarkable display of colour. Pouring out some coffee we watched the land slipping by and took a break from paddling. It’s the most wonderful feeling to sip hot coffee at daybreak whilst drifting up a river in a canoe. I’ve never found a café anywhere with such a unique setting.

It was now light as we passed Lydney and Sharpness, the river narrows here and there was a swell running diagonally across the river from the Sharpness side. At times we had to turn the bow into the waves to ensure we didn’t end up swimming. Both of us were glad not to be dealing with this in the dark. After Sharpness the river widens out calms down, giving an ideal opportunity for more hot coffee and the chance for some photos.

The next feature on the river is the ‘Noose’, a big ninety-degree bend a mile across, with the approach being over a massive sandbank, nearly always creating some bouncy standing waves. But today the conditions today were fairly tame with only a short run of small waves to enjoy, though we have been here in the past with the waves at head height! Leaving the Noose it was time for breakfast and that was a more serious matter.

Having calculated that we’d need to keep moving if we were to make Gloucester on the tide we planned to have breakfast afloat and at least when we stopped paddling to eat we’d still be moving and making progress. The Triangia stove was out of the question as there absolutely was no way we could risk spilling burning meths inside the canoe. We opted for the gas stove as this was both stable and perfectly controllable and Ian brought along a mat to protect the bottom of the canoe from the heat. This way we were quite happy that we would be safe from giving a demonstration of a Viking funeral ship! Ian opened some tins of sausage and beans (a sort of emergency version of a cooked breakfast) and suddenly gave a cry of despair – “Oh No!”. “You’ve forgotten the saucepan haven’t you” I said. ” Oh Bo####ks” he replied. Not to be beaten it occurred to both of us that we had the teapot with us so the problem was solved – we’d have cooked breakfast in a teapot!

It tasted so good that we didn’t care and to be quite honest it added a bit of fun to the trip making certain that we would remember this one for a long time. So there we were, two grown men, floating up river past Newnham on Severn in a canoe eating sausage and beans out of a teapot. What class!

The morning progressed and our canoe glided past Garden Cliff with its multicoloured layers of rock and over Pimlico sand, now under several feet of water. On past Framilode Church where Ian’s car was parked ready for our egress later in the day and Epney with it’s riverside pub and long flood wall. We were now into Longney Crib, the last wide section of river before the banks closed in on us and on our right a solitary figure was head down, running along the river bank, the only person we saw as we effortlessly paddled past. But as the miles went by the water began to slow down.

By the time Minsterworth and then Stonebench came into view I began to have some doubt that we could canoe all the way to Gloucester before the flow reversed. Stepping up the effort we pushed on but all the time our pace was slowing down. The tips of the Willow branches that had earlier been streaming out sideways from the flow of water through the leaves were now drooping downwards clearly indicating the reducing energy of the river.

As Gloucester Cathedral came into sight the flow completely stopped, yet we only had about a mile to go until the divide in the Severn at Lower Parting.

Just a few minutes later, after 35 miles of canoeing we took the right hand channel and cruised into a sheltered landing spot amongst the Willows, not quite at the docks but near enough. Mooring the canoe to a tree we climbed ashore armed with an Indian Curry and the teapot to heat it in, ready for lunch and happy with a great morning’s paddle, particularly as the river had just at that moment reversed it’s flow.

The paddle back down river was a bit of a chore, the wind had increased and was from directly ahead and the flow was fairly gentle. But Ian had found a new friend and was very happy.

Arriving sometime later at Longney Crib the water level had dropped off remarkably leaving the sandbanks exposed and covered in Gulls. We stopped to fill the teapot, this time with tea, and to dig out the last of the ginger cake. Standing in the middle of the river on the sandbanks we enjoyed the quiet surroundings, and marvelled at the fact that we could stand in a place that only hours before been under several feet of surging muddy water.

The teapot was full, we were afloat again with only a mile and a half to go and the trip was almost over. We poured out the tea as the sun reflected low on the river and our canoe drifted past Epney whilst we watched the Gulls taking off to head back down the estuary.

Coming to a rest at Framilode Church, and having paddled over 45 miles, the journey had ended We hauled the canoe hauled from the water and stood at the top of the bank looking at the view across the Severn towards Pimlico Sand and the wide empty riverbed.

Ian said “next time we come………….”.

Happy Paddling

Steve C