Wye Invader Two vs the 4000 tonne German Sky!
Wye Invader Two locked out of Portishead Marina at 0700 hours on the return leg to Sharpness Docks. It was a journey that had taken us to Llandogo on the River Wye, via Chepstow and Tintern, then back down the River Wye to Tintern. On Sunday am back to Chepstow, then down the River Severn to Portishead.
On Monday we locked out at 0700 and passed under the new Severn Bridge at 0755, then under the Old Severn Bridge at 0820. We followed the navigation channel and turned to starboard to line up on the channel in-line markers to keep Slime Road sands on the starboard side.
About 0830, a mile above the Old Bridge, and about 7 miles from Sharpness, we had a call from the Sharpness Pier Head team responsible for docking ships and operating the locks, to inform us that a large ship was on it’s passage up the River Severn and not too far astern of our position, they asked if we could be at Sharpness no later than 0950, as the ship was expected to pass through the outer sea lock at that time, just before high water and they needed to have all ships and boats inside the outer sea lock, as they were required to save water.
My reply was that I understood their problem and would see what Wye Invader Two could do to comply with their request. By now we were 6 miles from Sharpness and, so as not to obstruct the navigation channel, as the larger 4000 tonne ship had the right of passage ahead of us. I used the old navigational channel to Lydney and crossed to Sharpness at the last half mile, this allowed Wye Invader Two to be off the dock entrance by 0910 however, the tide current was too fast for Wye Invader Two to cross and gain entrance to the outer dock. We eased off and moored just downstream, to the rear of the outer dock entrance, the time was now 0920, well ahead of the large commercial and in due course we followed her into the docks at 1015, an hour later Wye Invader Two was allowed to slip past on her port side and by 1215 we were moored.
About 0830, a mile above the Old Bridge, and about 7 miles from Sharpness, we had a call from the Sharpness Pier Head team responsible for docking ships and operating the locks, to inform us that a large ship was on it’s passage up the River Severn and not too far astern of our position, they asked if we could be at Sharpness no later than 0950, as the ship was expected to pass through the outer sea lock at that time, just before high water and they needed to have all ships and boats inside the outer sea lock, as they were required to save water.
My reply was that I understood their problem and would see what Wye Invader Two could do to comply with their request. By now we were 6 miles from Sharpness and, so as not to obstruct the navigation channel, as the larger 4000 tonne ship had the right of passage ahead of us. I used the old navigational channel to Lydney and crossed to Sharpness at the last half mile, this allowed Wye Invader Two to be off the dock entrance by 0910 however, the tide current was too fast for Wye Invader Two to cross and gain entrance to the outer dock. We eased off and moored just downstream, to the rear of the outer dock entrance, the time was now 0920, well ahead of the large commercial and in due course we followed her into the docks at 1015, an hour later Wye Invader Two was allowed to slip past on her port side and by 1215 we were moored.
