The Pill Challenge

Tim Parkinson initiated the Pill Challenge in early 2013 to encourage those TSC dinghy sailors up for something more adventurous than sailing round the cans.

What's it about?

Basically the idea was to see how many of the numerous pills identified on the Admiralty Chart from Avonmouth to Sharpness & Hock Cliff can be reached over the top of a tide and return cleanly to the slip or mooring as applicable.

To record a pill as achieved you need to sail or row into it (no motors), take one or more photos in the pill and return to your mooring, moor alongside the floating jetty or haul out up the slip. And finally record your trip on the pills database.

Achievements to date

To date (Jun 2020) eleven pills have been achieved according to the criteria above. The main ones still remaining are Bullo, Frampton and Hunger (in the mouth of the Wye) pills. Two boats have reached Bullo but one could not get in due to the strength of the tide on one occasion and was blocked from entry by a lighter on a second attempt in 2018. The other did get in but could not get back onto his mooring or land cleanly on return to Oldbury

Clearly, this challenge does not appeal to many people but the pills still remain to be achieved

When to do a challenge

From experience, Tim finds it is usually a last minute decision whether to go for one of the more extreme pills, so if anyone would like to join in on one such please contact me using the link below and I'll try to keep you in the picture.

So, lets knock them off in 2021 despite the Covid-19 restrictions! The main pills still to be achieved are Bullo, Frampton and Hunger (mouth of the Wye)

To view all the Pills and for viewing and recording trips and any photos go here: Pills database

If you have any questions, please click here to email Tim.

Last updated 15:19 on 8 March 2024