Gloucester Ring trip, August 30th

Wooden lugger Tilly Whim negotiating the rapids of the surging tide on the River Severn

Surely one of the most extraordinary events in the Drascombe calendar, the Gloucester Ring Trip should be experienced at least once.  Where else, in a Drascombe, could you hop on the back of a surging tide and safely sail over 24 nautical miles in two and a half hours?
Avonmouth is famous for its extreme tides - the second highest tidal range in the world, so we are told and yet the amazing knock-on effects of this are often overlooked.  The Severn Bore is one such obvious example, but the whole package of the effects of this tide takes some comprehending.  On tidal springs, about three hours before high water off Lydney, the mile-wide channel is almost entirely given over to sand.  By HW, a 10 metre tide has completely transformed the estuary and the speed at which this happens is truly breathtaking.  Initially, the tide covers the sands faster than one could walk.  Beyond this is the relentless, powerful flow of water hurtling upstream to Gloucester and beyond.
Most navigational guides would guard against any attempt to sail with this tide but John Christie of the Drascombe Association has been organising safe cruises along this stretch for many years.  It takes a leap of faith and it is one of those events for which safety boats are absolutely essential, in case of breakdowns such as engine failure.  However, having taken the leap, the experience is, as stated above, simply 'extraordinary'.

40.0nm

Drascombe articipants: 

Coaster Daisy II

Luggers: Muckle Flugga and Tilly Whim

plus a Kayak and two very important safety boats.

We launched at Lydney Harbour as soon as the tide allowed.  The short harbour wall provides a useful breakwater protecting boats from that tidal surge, useful whilst car and trailer are safely parked.  Once aboard, I poked the boat's nose beyond the harbour wall.  Initially, it didn't seem that anything untoward had happened - the boat continued in its state of motoring gently through the water.  It is only when looking at the rapidly diminishing harbour wall and then at the river bank that I realised I was now hurtling along at speeds of up to 12 knots!  Given that the Drascombe hull speed is about 5 knots, such additional speed is quite exceptional.  The only downside, today, was that sailing was out of the question: the little wind we had was on the nose.

The video, subject to my usual clumsy camera and video-editing techniques, gives some idea of the less 'hairy' parts of the ride - ie.  when I judged it safe to hold a camera...

Having completed the trip up the Severn, we had to lower masts - I found a grassy spot on the riverbank just beyond Minsterworth.  We then cut through the east channel, over the weir - calculating that, at high water, there would be about 2m of water at the lowest point, but raising our rudders just to be safe.  The east cut involves nosing through a fair amount of undergrowth, meaning that we emerged at Gloucester with ourselves and our boats covered in twigs, leaves and other vegetation.  I did my best to rid the boat of the majority of this whilst in the lock.

Gloucester lock

Gloucester Docks for an excellent value lunch at the public house 'The Tall Ship'

We moored on the pontoon adjacent to the lock entrance

The reward for the morning's endeavours was a rather more sedate cruise along the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal; I had to drop the mast for one low bridge and, having done this, kept the thing down for the remainder of the trip - there being no wind for sailing all day!

Approaching the lock basin at Sharpness Docks

Sharpness Docks lock, with the big ships.  We spent a couple of hours in this lock, watching a ship depart and another arrive, before the time was right for us to dart out, into the dark and make the final crossing back to Lydney.

The final part of the trip, not documented with photographs, was our trip back across from Sharpness to Lydney: roughly a mile in the pitch dark.  Timing is crucial since there is a half hour window when the crossing can be made without the tide pulling us either up or downstream.  Navigation lights are rather important and, because my mast was down, my all round masthead light ended up being a stern light - not ideal but it did the job on the day.

All things considered, I'm extremely glad to have done this trip; John is an excellent organiser, very pleasant company and Lydney Yacht Club make excellent hosts.   Hopefully, I would like to return to it on a day when the wind blows sufficiently to enable at least some sailing - the sound of an engine does 'grate' after a while...