Operations at Swansea Community Boat Trust have been disrupted after water levels in the River Tawe fell to their lowest point in around 20 years, forcing the charity to cancel passenger sailings.
Trips halted as river exposes new mudbanks
The trust's passenger vessel, Copper Jack, had only returned to service three weeks earlier following a lengthy refurbishment. Trustees said exceptionally low rainfall from late June onwards has reduced flows across the county and led to the cancellations.
“There is a new mud beach at the Swansea Yacht & Sub-Aqua Club and one of our volunteers who lives in the area says he’s seeing rocks he’s never seen in the river before,”
The trust has been liaising with the environment body Natural Resources Wales (NRW). NRW has already declared drought status in parts of Wales and placed areas of south Wales into prolonged dry weather status, the step before a formal drought declaration.
Impact on charity, passengers and education trips
Trustees stress the cancellations are not being made lightly. Copper Jack typically carries up to 40 passengers plus crew on educational and leisure trips from the marina upstream to just before Morfa Bascule bridge, near the Swansea.com Stadium, then back downstream. The vessel also runs discounted school visits and hosts private functions and live music events — activities that generate essential revenue for the volunteer-run charity.
Trustee Elaine Davies said the trust is monitoring river levels daily and has called off trips up to and including Thursday 30 July, offering refunds or rescheduled sailings to affected customers. At the time of reporting, a sailing planned for Friday 31 July was expected to proceed.
- Vessel: Copper Jack (charity passenger boat)
- Capacity: up to 40 passengers plus crew
- Trips cancelled: sailings from last Saturday through Thursday 30 July (refunds/reschedules offered)
Why the trust is taking precautions
Although the Tawe basin stores and releases water when spring tides over-top the barrage, the trust says the current low-water situation increases the risk of the vessel becoming grounded — an outcome volunteers are keen to avoid. The trust's cautious approach reflects both passenger safety and the need to protect the vessel after its recent refit.
| Aspect | Current status |
|---|---|
| River Tawe level | Lowest in ~20 years |
| Sailings | Cancelled through Thursday 30 July; Friday 31 July sailing expected to run |
| Passenger capacity | Up to 40 |
For residents and visitors, the disruption comes at a time when river-based activities and community events rely on predictable water levels. The trust's actions underline how local services can be affected by persistent dry weather.
Anyone with bookings affected by cancellations has been offered a refund or the opportunity to rebook. The trust continues to monitor river depths in partnership with NRW and will update the public should conditions change.
