New Video

After 5 months on hard standing for an engine out winter maintenance schedule, Wye Invader Two went back in the water in the second week of May. A ’shakedown’ run was arranged to Tewkesbury for the following weekend.

Due to poor weather conditions no video was taken on the ‘up’ run, on the return run it was suggested to do another video of Gloucester to Sharpness along the beautiful Sharpness Canal in the Spring sunshine along with a ‘live’ skippers commentary. No problems were encountered with Wye Invader Two following her extensive winter maintenance and she ran well on both the up and down trip.

Click the image to view on YouTube

and we're back in the water - 2018!

On the last weekend of April we sanded off the roof ready to be repainted with Anti-Slip paint. The following day we wiped off the condensation and then wiped down with spirit wipe before repainting with Mid Grey Anti Slip paint.

The following weekend it was time to check the engine, it started and was left to come up to temperature, then we changed the oil and the two oil filters, one on the engine and one more off to one side called a Clean Oil Filter which removes condensation and carbon. We also changed the gearbox oil with fresh 15/45 Mineral oil.

On Friday 11th May the HGV and crane arrived, Wye Invader Two was transported a few hundred metres to the canal and lowered into the water, after checking for leaks we left the docks when the bridge was opened up to the Sharpness Canal and we’re already for another season.

  

Wilton Bridge, Ross on Wye

For the past few days it had been raining in Wales, the river had started to rise, we now had enough depth of water at Wilton Bridge to float the Wye Invader, we removed the wheelhouse cabin because there would not be sufficient clearance. Wye Invader’s air draft without the cabin is 3 metres and we were all most there. The only other option was the arch nearest to Wilton but that was full of trees which only left the centre arch and what what made it more difficult was the bridge is skew and not at right angles across the river.

As I lined up the Wye Invader, her beam was just over 5 metres, and her length 38 metres in front of the ships wheel, the arch is between 7 or nearly 8 metres wide. The starboard forward bow had to be almost touching the bridge on the starboard side as we exited the bridge, the port side of the Wye Invader had to be as close to the downstream side as we entered the bridge arch.

As the bow cleared the upstream side of the bridge, the river current started to push the starboard bow to port, the wheelhouse was soon clear of the bridge arch. The river was fairly wide at this point and Wye Invader cleared the bridge upstream by about 75 metres, with the bow sat on the bank, so we passed through and under the most difficult bridge on the river with no bow thruster and no damage to crew, bridge or Wye Invader!