1. Approach to LSC from seaward
When we set off on the Saturday there should be ample water for us to sail more or less direct for the Garston Channel. Thereafter the Garston Channel is adequately buoyed all the way until it opens out into the main part of the river.
However on the return, any boats that are early on the tide (and I expect that will be all of us) will need to ensure that they clear Garston Rocks and then tuck inshore of the following sandbank.
The channel to the club slipway then runs inside this bank. It may be buoyed, but don’t rely on the buoys!
We laid two port-hand buoys for this channel, plus one for Garston Rocks, on the morning of Saturday 17th May. Tides run strongly here. By the evening tide of the same day the Garston Rocks buoy was out of position, and by the following Tuesday it had disappeared. By the morning of Wednesday 4th June one of the remaining buoys had disappeared, and the one indicated by a red square in the photo (the real buoy is much smaller than this) was out of position. We will try again, but it is a steep learning curve!
Coming upriver at full flood, head fairly sharply inshore as soon as you have cleared Garston Rocks, in order to enter the channel between the tail of the bank and Garston Rocks. Transits follow.
Landmarks on the Cheshire side
To left; two white buildings, with church on skyline behind them.
To right, green building.
Both are much more conspicuous in real life than they appear on this photo - honest!
First find the green building, then the last white building in the set to the right of the green one. Last white building in line with downriver corner of breakers yard clears Garston Rocks.
This industrial plant bearing 038° M (i.e. at right-angles to river bank) just clears Garston Rocks on the upriver side.
Coming back on the flood, as soon as you are satisfied that your bearing from this plant is perpendicular to the river bank you can stand inshore.
Line from Church (between two white buildings) to downstream corner of breaker’s yard clears tail of the bank.
Transit in breaker’s yard.
Concrete pillar well open or right hand end of rusty steel box just about clears Tail of Bank
There is an inshore channel past Garston Rocks, which I have seen used once, by one of our club Wayfarers, on a height of tide of perhaps about 4.5 m. And we didn’t haul the helmsman before the Sailing Committee afterwards! However it is very shoal, the bottom is rock, and tides will be running strongly, so unless you know it well it is not recommended, and certainly not for anything other than dinghies.
This channel passes inside the dolphin.
Article Copyright © 2008 Oliver Shaw
