As a matter a of interest, bearing in mind what a daunting task you will be taking on Monday, what drone do you have? One of the Sharpness chaps I know told me last week that some time ago he flew his old DJI drone on the return trip from Sharpness to Lydney and on the return fell short of arriving back by a few yards and fell into the mud!
I realised the other day youre the youtube channel with the old tubgboats I was trying to find a while ago. Subscribed. Glad you can fly a drone there too now. You should get some great shots 
Great video Chris even with the poor weather conditions👍
It sounds like you know what’s happening when and where at the port, really looking forward to meeting up one day to hopefully fly together (I still got to apply though, will try this week).
Re drones - I shall be using my Mavic 3 pro and possibly my mini 4 pro.
It won’t be daunting just got to keep an eye on the wind…
Though I think looking at my previous comment earlier, I may have misled you. When I stated “though I am hoping to fly across the river at Lydney harbour on Monday, weather permitting” I was meaning as opposed to you flying at Sharpness, I could easily but definitely wouldn’t fly that far, visual line of sight etc. No just within line of sight around Lydney harbour only. 
Marvellous stuff. Watching a ship entering a sea lock like that is always fascinating, fascinating on steroids at Sharpness, where the tide-stem dance has to be done mid-estuary to enable the ship to approach against the current under at least a token amount of control! Imagine doing this at night and in thick fog without modern gps or radar, and realising what can and did happen here.
On the dark, foggy, night of 25th October 1960, two loaded petrol barges, Arkendale H and Wastdale H, were performing this manoevre when they collided and burst into flames. Out of control and being driven upstream by the powerful tide, they collided with one of the piers of the railway bridge that connected Lydney and Sharpness about half a mile NE of the port entrances, bringing the bridge down; it was never rebuilt. Five crewmen drowned or were burned to death.
The burned-out wrecks are still there, visible on a sandbank at low tide.
You had me worried for a bit! All being well I should be receiving my DJI Air 3S on Monday, I my Mini 3 Pro a bit restrictive for what I use it for. Should be interesting… I look forward to when we can meet up and share our experiences.
Regarding the collision with the Severn Railway Bridge, I was out there that night as a 16 year old deckhand on small oil tanker. Witnessed the explosion and luckily we managed to get into Sharpness.
Cheers, the Channel has its ups and downs, a lot of it is luck!!
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You should be OK with the new Mavic air 3 s.
I would have bought the original Air 3 if it had been available at the time I bought the Mavic 3 pro
although the Hasselblad camera on the Mavic 3 pro takes cracking photos and video.
Look forward to seeing the fruits of your labour.
Hi John. I have just spent an hour reading through the Air 3S manual and am concerned when reading the section on ‘Unlocking GEO Zones’. Is this still applicable as I thought it had been discontinued? Last Monday at Sharpness when the screen asked me if I was taking responsibility for the flight, I simply tapped ‘Yes’. I would hate for the drone to flyaway!! Chris
Gone in the UK, safe to ignore.
That must have been absolutely terrifying. I’m told the entire surface of the estuary was ablaze, and noise of the collision, explosion, the barges going full astern in a doomed attempt to separate, then the bridge collapsing, all ‘somewhere in the fog’. I was 8 years old at the time, but perhaps more aware of such matters than most children my age, my father being a Cardiff Pilot. In fact, he had gone over to Bristol with a ship and came home on was on what turned out to be the last Bristol-Cardiff train diverted over the bridge on a Sunday while the Severn Tunnel was closed for maintenance.
Holidays to the South Coast or West Country involved either the Beachley-Aust ferry, which always drew my admiration for the skill of it’s skippers in that narrow passage maelstrom, or the Severn Tunnel Jc-Pilning train ferry. For an anklebiter, both were absolutely fascinating, and I’ve always been into trains. Otherwise, it was up to Gloucester, and always a stop at the West End Transport caff on the A40; I expect you remember this place, Welsh Rarebit to die for, 24/7.
Does your username reflect a connection with Harker’s. I remember them well, coming up from Swansea inside the Nash, more submarine than barge in any sort of seaway, deck completely awash, it must have been pretty wet aboard them. Was it Wheedale H that ran ashore at Nash Point?
Or perhaps BP, who also ran oil barges in the area.
Yes, I was with Harker’s, joined in 1960 straight from school. After the Severn Railway Bridge disaster the skipper of the ARKENDALE H became my skipper. The one lost off the Nash was the WIDDALE H and at that incident George, my skipper, was mate on her. He was a Jonah as in Nov 1961 we struck a recue launch off the Severn Suspension Bridge (under construction) and killed a man. Not our fault, they were looking for some men who had fallen off the bridge and mistook out port light for a car on the shore! Why do I call myself Bargemaster? After Harker’s I joined Gloucester City Fire Brigade and on retirement in 1993 got myself a mates job on two large grain barges out of Tewkesbury, running down the Severn to load grain at Sharpness. Two years later I was promoted to skipper, hence my handle.
Respect; you’re a dying breed, bwtti bach!! Can’t be many left with your sort of experience nowadays!
WIDDALE H on the beach at Nash Point, then; dad took me down in the car to see her, high & dry on a rock shelf. Wasn’t she broken up on the spot?
I think there was a WHEEDALE H as well, and she may have been the ship that disgraced herself entering Barry Harbour against the signal just as CARDIFF QUEEN was backing out, about '66 I think, CARDIFF QUEEN was taken out of service not long after that, she was falling to bits but still had good engines! It’s all a long time ago and my memory’s not perfect.
I understand working the river section isn’t always plain sailing either (I’ve done Stourport to Worcester myself on a holiday narrowboat, those locks are impressive on something that size. Can’t recall the name of the pub up there, now, but I did a perfect stem mooring first time and got an ovation for it from the gathered onlookers, who’d had their own expectations of a holiday boat amatuer skipper pulling off this stunt; quite proud of that! Warped off rather neatly as well; September so the current wasn’t as strong as it can be). Bridges where there’s either not enough water in dry summers or too much in wet winters to clear beneath; it’s a tougher job than it looks, but I guess it’s in your blood!
I finished with Harker’s at the age of 19. My last vessel was the WINSDALE H, we joined her brand new and at the end of our first week were loading a cargo at Barry. Approaching the locks the gates were closed so my skipper George, typically went full astern, (it was always full ahead or full astern, nothing in between), We hit the bow on the corner stone of the lock and put a hole through the hull. He yelled at me as though it was my fault. When he came to look at the hole he could see where I had put a fender over the side and it had gone through the hole. Silence!!
Yes, I loved it working on the water, took to it like a duck.
I agree with Pingspike, no worries.
Good to hear. I flew the new Air 3S on the common at Malvern this lunchtime. Good open space with few people to worry about. Put ‘The Beast’ as I call the drone through its paces and all performed well, am impressed with it. Hopefully Sharpness tomorrow, with another ship coming in.
Hi Chris
Quick question, when you applied did you apply (tick the one box) as a business or individual?
I ask as I have advised someone on Facebook on how to apply but another individual believes I only received my exemption because I am a business and I may be misleading people?
I have also sent the same question to the CAA, as to if it makes a difference.
Stay safe and hope to meet up one day
John
I’m not Chris, but I put my application through as an individual and it was granted.
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Hi John, I ticked box as private individual. Since I have had permission ships have been few and far between! Only flown twice there. I did make myself known to the dock authorities stating my intention and they were fine. They are sensitive to having cargoes filmed for some reason so I agreed to avoid that.
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Thanks for the info, that’s what I thought.