World Ship Society - Bristol Branch

There was a good turn out for our December meeting. After a straight forward AGM we enjoyed some seasonal refreshments before our speaker was introduced. Carl Merry pilots ships to and from Sharpness Docks. The River Severn has the second highest tidal range in the world and beyond Avonmouth the river narrows in places, there are very strong currents and the water depths vary considerably. The size of ships continue to increase, latest record is 8,800 deadweight, and the window for entering Sharpness can be as little as ten minutes. It was an excellent talk and was of great interest to all present.

Followed by seasonal refreshments and then a talk by Carl Merry, a Sharpness Pilot, about the history and current work of the pilotage service.