Some days are better than others

There are days when everything goes right... and there are the other days. Someone is probably enjoying a "meeting with no biscuits" today.

The fog was so thick as we arrived at Sharpness that we couldn't see the River Severn, much less the EEMS Servant. As we walked towards the river, the fog began to lift and in the main shot you can see the ship quite clearly, but not the far (Welsh) side of the river. Later, the fog cleared completely, but we were down by Oldbury by then.

It would appear the recent (read, continuous) rain has caused the sand bar to shift a little, and with an excess of fresh water the ship sits lower in the water. The upshot of which is the incoming Servant got caught as she approached Sharpness. Then the ebbing tide swung her around so she is facing away from the dock gates, out of shot to the right.

Her bow is several feet in the air, and since she has a full cargo of cement there is a real risk she might break her back if she doesn't refloat in the next few high tides. High tide on the 12th is 10.8m but today it's only 5.3m. that's the magic of the Severn... You'll notice all three balls are aloft at the bow, signalling she is aground... and this is the derivation of the phrase 'total balls up'.

It's fun to get a different blip, but I hope all goes well for her and her crew.

(Reprocessed to bring the ship out of the fog a bit.)