Having done much of my early sailing in and around Morecambe Bay I actually miss the old mud flats and little creeks!typical of estuarial sailing-odd sense of feeling protected particularly if you are in a deep little creek with tide out in bad weather-although there is plenty of cosy shelters up herein the North West Highlands invariably you find yourself sharing them with some sharp rocks!..

Phil

Hi Phil

Thanks for the post.  Yes, nice to get into a cosy inlet.  I've just started exploring the Bristol Channel.  I'd love to get up your way - it's nice to know there are some little bolt holes there too.  Do you know if something like a Garmin sonar can see a rocky bottom? - is there anyway of knowing what my bilge keels are going to settle on?

Cheers Paul

Hi Peter, I see on the charts symbols for Sand and Fine Sand - not sure if they are that detailed.

Peter Rudd, I remember your name when you gave me a tender in from my visitors mooring at Ilfracombe - once again, many thanks for that!  I had just travelled 60 nm from Padstow and I was desperate for food (and Stella!).  I also look forward to reading your article when you do it about Ilfracombe and the surrounding district.

Best regards - Paul

Hi Paul

Nice to hear from you;

Yes, sorry; didn't mean to sound facetious with my comment about charts but detailed soundings do indeed include information about the nature of the bottom. 

Soundings are traditionally taken using tallow coated leads with a big wad of tallow (a soft waxlike semi-sticky substance) in the bottom concavity. The tallow would bring up part of the bottom sediment (sand, pebbles, clay, shells, etc.). 

No doubt there there is some modern piece of kit which performs the same function.  But I guess the nature of regularly drying areas only requires visual observation at low water and that info would appear on the chart.

Happy to have been able to help you to shore, food and Stella.  Hope you enjoyed your sojourn in Ilfracombe.  Yes, I will get around to writing up my adventures with "Temeraire" in the Bristol Channel.

 Kind Regards ☺