Part 2, Portishead to Bristol

Thursday 19th July 2018 in Bristol.
Day Two of the big adventure! A beautiful morning. This once industrial area is now delightful and surrounded by very attractive apartments. M did housework while R was sent off to the Co-op to check their wine prices - not an inspiring collection and the prices reflect the size of the yachts in the marina!

We were booked to go through the lock at 10:00 and, shortly before that, our Bristol Pilot, Tony, arrived on his bicycle (good fellow, said M), which we stowed carefully on the roof.
Tony proved to be as professional and informative as Carl yesterday. He was also a mine of local knowledge. We let go and entered the lock right on time.

Half an hour later, we left the lock and went back out on to the Estuary with the rising tide helping us along. There was virtually no wind and, what there was, was behind us. The sea was very calm.

Almost immediately, we came upon two very large ships. The Kamome Victoria was a tanker leaving the Royal Portbury Dock having delivered a cargo of jet fuel.

And the Grimaldi Line vessel Grande Anversa was arriving, with the help of two tugs, with a cargo of cars.

Tony said that he had recently acted as pilot on a similar Grimaldi vessel that was carrying Hitachi trains. One of Tony's colleagues, Dave, was the pilot on the Grimaldi ship and a certain amount of radio banter went back and forth as Tony reassured Dave that we would try not to hit them.
As we approached the mouth of the River Avon, the important thing was to get into the water flowing up the river. Too close to the bank and the current pulls you on to the mud bank and too far from the bank you can get caught by the current going past the River mouth and swept on up the Estuary.
We entered the river safely and the rising tide started moving us swiftly up river. Unlike yesterday, MM's engine was idling but we were still breaking the canal speed limit by a fair margin! The water in the River was very smooth.
R and Tony consulted the Admiralty charts as we passed the Avonmouth M5 Bridge in the background.

Now we were in the beginning of the wooded gorge which leads up to Bristol. We passed a folly known as "Adam and Eve". In the old days, ships used to tie up to the rock face along here waiting for the incoming tide to sweep them up towards Bristol. At several places we could see mediaeval rings hammered into the rock.

M made tea and coffe as the trip boat "Tower Belle" passed us. It takes sightseers on day trips from Bristol to Avonmouth and back. Tony said the skipper was due at the pilot's office in the next few days to take his pilot's exam so he could do the trips without needing a professional pilot.

A sight that we were looking forward to was the view of Brunel's famous Clifton Suspension Bridge from below. It didn't disappoint, very impressive.

The bridge deck is 245 ft above the water at high tide. What a view!

Tony pointed the way to the entrance to the huge lock that would raise us up to the level of the Floating Harbour.

A large flotilla of cruisers and yachts was gathering behind us. Tony referred to them rather disdainfully as the "Cardiff Navy" come over from Wales for a noisy booze-up at the Bristol Harbour Festival this weekend! However, as we were the largest vessel, we were asked to come in to the lock first.

The lock rapidly filled up with an assortment of vessels behind us.

On the exit to the lock is a massive swing bridge. We were able to go straight out and under it, but all the other vessels (which had tall masts or superstructure) had to wait for it to be swung clear before they could enter the first section of the Floating Harbour that is called Cumberland Basin.

The bridge swung clear as we went under it and the "Cardiff Navy" followed us out into Cumberland Basin.

Between Cumberland Basin and the main part of the Floating Harbour is another swing bridge and, again, we were able to go straight under it but everyone else had to wait for about an hour until the second bridge was opened.
As this is the Harbour Festival weekend, moorings are at a premium but we had called ahead and had been told that we could moor up at the western end of the Harbour on Baltic Wharf. As the Festival is centered about a mile to the East at the City centre, we were happy to be here where it will be much quieter. We breasted up against another narrowboat that is leaving early tomorrow morning.

Across the other side of the water was a row of very colourful terraced houses.
Tony left us here to cycle back the 10 miles along the towpath to Avonmouth. We were very much impressed by the professionalism of both our pilots and we are very thankful to both of them. While they made it seem fairly easy, there is no way that we could, or would, have tried to do this trip without them. With their professional help and the right preparation, it is a very safe passage and certainly one that we would recommend to anyone with a narrowboat.
What a brilliant adventure. Now, sitting in Bristol Floating Harbour, we both have such wonderful memories of sights and experiences that we will remember and cherish for ever.
Today: 10 miles, 2 (huge) locks and 3.5 hours
Trip: 159 miles, 65 locks and 74.8 hours.