Watchet Sunday 4th October

[Viv]

We intend to go to Watchet on Sunday, back Monday morning if anyone wants to sail in company.

[ishtar]

Louise is working Sunday night, so we won't make it. Pity. Can't wait to do some sailing back up this end once more.

What time are you leaving?

[Viv]

About ten lock out

[ishtar]

Thanks. Alternator fixed, but Ishtar in a hell of a mess - we didn't finish until 20:30 and literally had to put her back on her mooring and leave, so that louise could get to work. We're in Milford this morning and back tomorrow.

It's very tight, but we may try and have a sail with you part of the way there. If that's not possible, maybe we could meet you for a sail back on Monday.

M.

[Viv]

Sounds good Martin. Chat more about it on Saturday if you are still intending to come to the fishermen's party.

S

[Viv]

We had a good trip to Watchet last Sunday/Monday. Locked out at 10.00 and had a good sail over to Minehead where we anchored off to wait for the tide/gate opening at Watchet.

We anchored at the charted anchorageg just to the west of Minehead, if you have Imray chart C59 it is marked there, and there is a legend on the land "White Mark", and sure enough here it is!


Right on the waterline at the bottom of the cliff.

As we were leaving the anchorage en route to Watchet we saw this thing in the water - couldn't make out at all what it could be until right close up to it. It was going at a tidy pace heading west!




We went in to Watchet not long after the gate opened, and it was a bit hairy as there was a terrible rush of tide. I was at the tiller and Vince had to quickly put more power on to avoid us being swept in to the wall! A bit in need of a ciggie after that! (Me not Vince!) I will know in future that it needs more welly!

As we were waiting to go through the gate we saw this big wooden boat coming in to the harbour, it was a sort of converted fishing boat. I'd seen it coming across the channel earlier, don't know where it had come from but possibly Swansea. Anyway, just after we had moored up we heard what sounded like an awful lot of bow thrusting going on. It seemed that this boat had mistaken the entrance and gone through to the left of the gate, which is blocked off to the harbour. He eventually seemed to have got out of that, but the next thing was a huge crash - he'd been swept in to the wall of the gate! Seemed to have done quite a bit of damage to the bow stem bit! They came in and moored up on the hammerhead of B pontoon, and they were still floating in the morning when we left, but don't know what happened to them after that. The boat definitely needed some work done to it!

We left just on 06.00 and started to have quite a nice sail back, but then decided to motor sail in order to beat the tide back. Managed to lock in on the 09.15 lock, and back at home in the house at 10.30!

Generally decided not really to bother with Watchet much again. It is too much of a pain having to wait for the gates all the time.

[ishtar]

That thing looks like some kind of scientific buoy. Was it definitely moving, or did it just look that way as the tide rushed past it?

I'd still like to take that steam train trip to minehead, but I think I'd want to leave Watchet just before the gate closes, say on a late morning, and then wait a few hours. Start heading back as the ebb dies and the flood starts.

Yes, that limits us in terms of weekends when it's doable, but I do like teh place, and the pub has good beer.

[Deleted]

Hi Glad you had a nice trip to watchet we have been it a couple of times and like it there. The first was at 01:00am just 5 mins after the gate opend,We got thrown all over the place as we tried to moor up on the first hammerhead, we didnt touch the sides but it took 4 attempts s to get moored up because of the current . I have since read this thread on the Ybw forum

www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214584&highlight=watchet

[Deleted]

Perhaps it warrants a warning in the pilotage section under watchet

[Viv]

The thing was definitely moving Martin,it was going against the tide and we had to come about a bit to motor over to it to get a good look, it looked like it was a radio controlled thing. There was a marine survey vessel in the area as well, so no doubt it was something to do with that.

I forgot to say that last weekend was the steam train festival, and as we were coming along the coast we kept hearing the toot toot of the engines, and seeing all the steam coming from the trains - there had been several in operation. It reminded me of The Railway Children film! Lovely!

[Viv]

I looked at the YBW link Fergiemac. Interesting. We have been in to Watchet several times before, but never when it has been as bad as that.

[ishtar]

Curiouser and curiouser. If it was under tow, you'd expect a boat close by. It can't have been self powered, surely?

What an odd thing.

[sandpiper]

Submarine's comunication array?

[rose]

It a UFO, Unidentified Floaty Object, i`ll get my coat.

[Viv]

On talking further with Vince about this, he says that the thing was stationary, which actually makes sense because it did have the words No Mooring on it, and I did wonder about that when I saw it because I thought at the time who would want to moor on to something that was moving However, I am still convinced that it was on the move, and rapidly. I am definitely in favour of the UFO theory!

I shall have to ask Rob from Ramora to check it out when I next see him because I think he does marine survey work all over the world so he might have come across one before now.

[sandpiper]

Oct 10, 2009 13:55:12 GMT Viv said:

On talking further with Vince about this, he says that the thing was stationary, which actually makes sense because it did have the words No Mooring on it, and I did wonder about that when I saw it because I thought at the time who would want to moor on to something that was moving However, I am still convinced that it was on the move, and rapidly. I am definitely in favour of the UFO theory!

So it can't be a moving object because it says 'no mooring' on it, but that doesn't stop it being a UFO???

Of course that's every alien's worse fear - having a boat tie up to his flying saucer once he's crashed it in the water!!!