Glasson Dock
Little has changed at the delightful Glasson Dock since 1787 when it was built to service ships trading between the West Indies and Lancaster further up the River Lune. Brian Samuels, my 60th Harbour Master, has worked here for a good chunk of that time, starting work an amazing 43 years ago! I think that is a record so far this trip.
The dock and adjacent canal basin form a rare junction where sea, river and canal meet. Each high tide vessels have just 45 minutes to access the dock before the hydraulic "sill" is raised back up. To add to the fun, vessels cannot enter the 5 mile river channel until 1 hour before high tide. This results in some careful passage planning and a lot of night work for the harbour staff servicing ships on the "night" high tides which tend to be higher than the daytime high water. Two bulldozers are used to keep the quayside mud bank level.
The sense of history is everywhere in this port, the canal spur was built in 1826 allowing trade easy access to Lancaster, Preston and beyond. In 1837 ship building started and by 1883 the railway had stolen the trade from the canals. These days all ships unload onto road transport with non GM maize, crushed Carob (Locust beans used in horse food) and Zinc Slag (an additive to concrete) being unloaded on the day I was there. Departing was a general cargo vessel being loaded up with a variety of goods for the Isle of Man. It has always intrigued me what cargo small ships carry - now I know!
I highly recommend a visit to Glasson Dock - apart from the history, the bird life is amazing (see photo of Curlews) and the staff at the marina super-helpful. Thank you Brian, Justin, Robbo and Stuart for all your help.
The dock and adjacent canal basin form a rare junction where sea, river and canal meet. Each high tide vessels have just 45 minutes to access the dock before the hydraulic "sill" is raised back up. To add to the fun, vessels cannot enter the 5 mile river channel until 1 hour before high tide. This results in some careful passage planning and a lot of night work for the harbour staff servicing ships on the "night" high tides which tend to be higher than the daytime high water. Two bulldozers are used to keep the quayside mud bank level.
The sense of history is everywhere in this port, the canal spur was built in 1826 allowing trade easy access to Lancaster, Preston and beyond. In 1837 ship building started and by 1883 the railway had stolen the trade from the canals. These days all ships unload onto road transport with non GM maize, crushed Carob (Locust beans used in horse food) and Zinc Slag (an additive to concrete) being unloaded on the day I was there. Departing was a general cargo vessel being loaded up with a variety of goods for the Isle of Man. It has always intrigued me what cargo small ships carry - now I know!
I highly recommend a visit to Glasson Dock - apart from the history, the bird life is amazing (see photo of Curlews) and the staff at the marina super-helpful. Thank you Brian, Justin, Robbo and Stuart for all your help.