BBQ @ The Rocks 8th / 9th September

[ditchcrawler]

Although Shmoo has answered Moodysabre has the same boat as me (M31) & I know to my cost that although the official draught is 1.52m with full tanks I have scrunched the cill at Tidemill when the gauge was reading 1.6 and a bit.I now allow 1.7m on the gauge.Shmoos predictions are good except that you have to watch out for northerlies which can hold the water back a bit & obviously high pressure can make a substantial difference.I have spent some time watching the Tidemill gauge via the webcam(sad git) & often the 2nd high tide of the day is lower in terms of depth over the cill than predicted.There are tides when I cannot get back into the Tidemill in the late evening at springs.As another rule of thumb take 1.5m off the high tide at Harwich & this gives the rough max water over the cill at Tidemill.
My understanding is that one millibar increase in pressure from "normal pressure"
which is 1012/1013 reduces the depth by one centimetre.I.E if pressure is say 1018 then depth reduced by circa 6cm or a bit over 2 inches.
A good site to look at to check current effects is www.pol.ac.uk/ntslf/ which gives the actual real time levels for various places compared to predictions.

 

[MoodySabre]

Thanks for that. The "official" M31 draft for a fin keel is 5 foot but I have a build certificate stating mine to be 5'6" so I always work on 1.7 metres.

I shall proceed with caution!

 

[sailorman]

if the water is up to the bottom of Ramsholt Quay ( on the flood ) its time to leave 4 the Deben Bar

 

[CliveG]

Eastcoastbernie has PM'd me for advise on the best time to come into the river.

I thought that I would share my answer to assist others.
I am happy to be told that my advise is incorrect by those who may know better.
This is just how I see things.


Bernie

I have entered the Deben from 3 hrs before HW to 2 hrs after.
I came over the bar 2.5 hrs before HW last Sunday and saw a minimum of 3.5m of water.

The earlier you enter the more of a push the tide will give you up the river.
If you leave it until the tide has turned you will have to punch the tide up river.
The strongest flow in off The Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club.

The correct approach is to come from the Woodbrige Haven Safe water buoy and keep about 20 or 30 m the correct side of the green West Knoll buoy and then head for the same distance off the red Mid Knoll buoy, don't turn up the river until you are half way between the Mid Knoll buoy and the beach.
As you approach the Bawdsey point there will be a strong flow over the shingle bank on your Starboard side.
Don't let this worry you there is plenty of water here.
Do make sure that you leave the Red can buoy of the Sailing club to port as there is a shallow patch to seaward and Port of it.

Saturday's tides are Neap so there will not be as strong a flow as I have found recently.

I would aim to be at the bar by about 09:00 you will have a good 4.0m of water then.

I would plan to leave just after HW before the tide starts to flow hard.
That would be about 10:30 and would give about 4.5m over the bar.

Heading back to the boat tomorrow morning.
See you on Saturday.

As to an early arrival at the rocks there is a classic boat do on at Woodbridge so a trip up river could be an idea.

There is also talk of a sail by photo session during the afternoon.

 

[eastcoastbernie]

Thanks Clive. It's looking like an early morning start from SYH then. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I'm a bit worried about the photo shoot at Ramsholt.
/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

After a start that early /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif I will have to have about 2 hours in makeup and very very good lighting before I'm ready for my close up dahling. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Oh, and can you ask nice Mr Bailey to wait until I've changed out of my pyjamas? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[CliveG]

Been down to the bar at LW + 1hr today
Predicted tide height by Benfield should have been 1.15m

Touched the bottom with the keel right down (!.5m draught) about 150m inside the Red can buoy
It was a soft touch and seemed to be sand or small gravel.
If I had kept going I don't think that it would have got any shallower.
This was at the shallowest point that I notice on a normal transit of the area.
This would indicate that there is about 0.2m at chart datum on the bar.

By the way Horse shoal was dry by about 1m as I went past on the way out.

 

[shmoo]

It looks like we might be able to join you folks. Jenny-shmoo can't come until the evening so it looks like me bringing the boat from Tidemill to Rocks Saturday morning/lunchtime and dropping the hook then dink to Waldringfield about 1800ish to pick up Jenny.

Will that work? Are these affairs lunch-BBQs or dinner-BBQs?

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Evening BBQ.... looks like we'd better get our cameras out then after reading your pleas...... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[CliveG]

Thanks to all those who attended for an enjoyable time.

Attendees in no particular order.

eastcoastbernie plus crew
Morgana & family
sailorman, Mrs sailorman & grandchildren
shmoo
wherry
and me.

Guapa wanted to come along but was over ruled by 2 birthday folk.
A Happy Birthday to them anyway.

I have put the results of my part of this mornings photo shoot onto Smoo's excellent site.
Photos for Morgana & eastcoastbernie
There will be one for Wherry but I seem to have broken Shmoo's site /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif.
I will try again later.

Edited by Dan Foley: I'm sure the comment was well intentioned but you may get Shmoo in trouble, albeit unintentionally, so I have removed this part of the post.

Cheers,
Dan

 

[Koeketiene]

[ QUOTE ]

Guapa wanted to come along but was over ruled by 2 birthday folk.
A Happy Birthday to them anyway.


[/ QUOTE ]

Not something to post on shmoo's site, but still...

Most junior Guapa crewmember doing the honours.

 

[shmoo]

[ QUOTE ]

I seem to have broken Shmoo's site


[/ QUOTE ]
You what? Just because we have now been introduced doesn't mean you can take liberties. PM me the exact details (see, I have my customer service hat on) and I will fix it. If, that is, it really is broken and its not just you....

By the way, it was great to meet you folks and I must say how kind and welcoming everyone was to a newcomer, in spite of my display of dufferage over the fuel cap and so on.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Thanks all for a great weekend....

Really nice to meet some new folks.... and what utterly fabulous weather!

I do love that anchorage..... especially when its a wonderfully mild evening....

photos will follow on www.yourboatpix.co.uk as soon as I get them off the camera

 

[Habebty]

Nice to put the faces to some of those forum names. Great weekend, lovely weather, pity the wind died down on the way back. Saw that new Spirit Yacht on the Orwell glide past (see pic on shmoo's site)
Sorry, don't seem to be able to find all the pictures I took on my camera?? Get you next time Morgana, Sailor Man and Eastcoastbernie.

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Got the pic of the tender drifting off though /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[eastcoastbernie]

Thank you, thank you for a lovely weekend.

And thank you for lending us your boat hook. Fortunately engine behaved itself on way home so did not have to do any more emergency mooring pick ups. Nor did we lose yet another boat hook!

I have come to the conclusion that the engine is having to work really hard to overcome weed growth around the prop and shaft. So I might lift out early this year in order to deal with the problem so I don't hurt the engine any more.

And big thank you for the lovely photo of Beyond Reason you posted on yourboatpix. We didn't think anyone had taken a pic of us, so that was a nice surprise.

And thank you for showing us the way out of the Deben on Sunday. The way the sea was breaking over the sand it all looked a bit scary, so it was reassuring to have you around.

Thank you Morgana for letting us raft up alongside. We slept well!

 

[eastcoastbernie]

Have uploaded my pix on yourboatpix. Includes pix of Sirenia, Jolie Brise and Witchfinder.

 

[sailorman]

i really must squeeze that "black head" /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif