ABOVE: Cardiff
Harbour is
accessible in all
tides
BELOW The church
where Roald Dahl
was christenedDa
vid
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ng
el^
/^ A
la
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to
ck
P
ho
to
when using the main channels. We crossed without
incident and changed VHF channels to 18 for Barrage
Control to await instructions. With three locks and a
dedicated approach harbour, yachts are well catered
for with a lock every half an hour so we had few
delays. Heading out for Bristol or Portishead you
would probably want to leave the locks no later than
half tide. Once inside the bay we motored to the
welcoming Cardiff Bay Yacht Club, where we had
booked a visitor berth.
It was tempting to spend the
rest of the day at this friendly
club, but across the water on
the Cardiff side there were the
bright lights of the Welsh
Millennium Centre and its
neighbouring restaurants and
pubs so we headed out in
search of refreshment. This
area used to be the city’s old
docklands, an area I was
familiar with when I used to
work on ships. It has changed
considerably since then,
although there are still
glimpses of the past. The
original Oval Dock walls can be
seen at Roald Dahl Plass, whichWe looked out over Cardiff Bay refl ecting
on the rich maritime history of the city
overlooks the Norwegian Church Arts Centre. The
children’s author was christened in the church when
it was located on the site of the Welsh Millennium
Centre before it was moved, piece by piece, to its
current location in Harbour Drive. We meandered
our way to Mermaid Quay. A coffee shop now
occupies the former queue shed, where boat
passengers waited for their tickets to America.
Having ordered, we took a window seat and looked
out over Cardiff Bay refl ecting on the rich maritime
history of the city, which has so much to offer visitors.A LONG WEEKENDCheck lock opening
times when visiting
Portishead Quays