Beware the Deben entrance.

curtius

curtius

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Came in to Felixstowe Ferry yesterday evening one hour before HW and touched down our 1.8 m keel. Had contacted John White the previous day who's advice was to come in close to the West Knoll red and then keep the Knoll Spit red approx 25 yds to port. With the Mid Knoll green missing we should then continue on a straight course until reaching close to the beach where there is ample depth and continue the run in as normal. About 50 yds after passing the Knoll Spit red as instructed the depth started to reduce quickly until we grounded in approx 1.6 m of water. We got off by turning to port, applying power and leaning the boat over, so had obviously found the starboard spit. We had been checking our course with a track on the plotter recorded last summer which suggested that we should be even further east but the breaking water on the spit told otherwise.
Conclusions: it seems that either the eastern spit has moved westwards or a new bar has appeared between the Knoll Spit red and where the Mid Knoll green should be. My advice would be to sail a course closer than we did to the Knoll Spit red i.e somewhat closer to the western spit which Seems to be more more visible this year by breaking water.
PS. The boat entering ahead of us also appeared to experience problems as it turned about at one stage!
 
Ouch, grounding at HW-1 is bad news. If the spits are coming together and the bar getting shallower that must restrict the amount of water flooding in and therefore reduce the scouring as it leaves, not good news long term.
 
I hear a fishing boat went aground in the entrance this morning just after high tide having, I was told, 'tried to cut the corner', and was stuck there all day.

The advice I was given today by a seemingly knowledgeable source for leaving the river (which I haven't tried) is to stay close to the shore until you're level with the red buoy, then head due east.

Hopefully it'll be surveyed and charted soon and we can all be a bit clearer.
 
I spoke to John White today. He said that the Mid-Knoll buoy was now back in place, but not quite the right position, and they were hoping to position it correctly before the end of today.

His advice for leaving was to continue on past Mid-Knoll until the Knoll Spit and West Knoll were in transit, then follow them, keeping to the correct side of them. It wasn't entirely clear, but as I understand it that means one is staying closer to the shore between Mid Knoll and Knoll Spit than a direct line between the two.
 
LittleSister said:
His advice for leaving was to continue on past Mid-Knoll until the Knoll Spit and West Knoll were in transit, then follow them, keeping to the correct side of them. It wasn't entirely clear, but as I understand it that means one is staying closer to the shore between Mid Knoll and Knoll Spit than a direct line between the two.
Click to expand...

This lines up with our experience last week when a course closer to a transit between the Knoll Spit and West Knoll appeared to find the deeper water. Will be interested to see where the Mid-Knoll finishes up.
 
I watched an outboard powered, about 20 foot long, fishing boat leave the river Deben on Friday (8 April 2016) morning at 07:45. This was when the predicted tide height was only 0.4m.
Low tide had been at 06:25 -0.1m. (I guess that his draught was about 0.5m to 0.7m ??)
The boat came down the channel from Felixstowe Ferry leaving Mid Knoll (green conical) to port. It carried on until the Knoll Spit and West Knoll lined up. It turned onto the line of these two buoys (red cans) and headed out passing very close to both buoys, leaving them to starboard. Its speed was quite slow at this point, being cautious? It then speeded up as it headed for the Woodbridge Haven buoy.
I think there is plenty of depth of water available but only if you stay on the correct line as shown by the Knoll Spit and West Knoll buoys.
Half tide should give a tide height of 1.6m.
 
Egbod said:
I watched an outboard powered, about 20 foot long, fishing boat leave the river Deben on Friday (8 April 2016) morning at 07:45. This was when the predicted tide height was only 0.4m.
Low tide had been at 06:25 -0.1m. (I guess that his draught was about 0.5m to 0.7m ??)
The boat came down the channel from Felixstowe Ferry leaving Mid Knoll (green conical) to port. It carried on until the Knoll Spit and West Knoll lined up. It turned onto the line of these two buoys (red cans) and headed out passing very close to both buoys, leaving them to starboard. Its speed was quite slow at this point, being cautious? It then speeded up as it headed for the Woodbridge Haven buoy.
I think there is plenty of depth of water available but only if you stay on the correct line as shown by the Knoll Spit and West Knoll buoys.
Half tide should give a tide height of 1.6m.
Click to expand...
This happened later in the same day:
http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/inshore_...grounded_at_entrance_to_river_deben_1_4488618
 
LittleSister said:
The Mid-Knoll Green Buoy has now been repositioned - it's more or less in line with Knoll Spit and West Knoll Red Buoys. So the course in and out of the river is close to the shore further south than previously.
Click to expand...

The red and green buoys are not n line, don't be tempted to cut the corner between the green and red, otherwise plenty of water.
 
forelle541 said:
The red and green buoys are not n line, don't be tempted to cut the corner between the green and red, otherwise plenty of water.
Click to expand...

Photo below, taken Friday just before HW from just in front of Martello Tower, shows all 4 bouys in place. I would agree that when leaving one should continue on past the green and follow a transit on the 2 reds leaving them both to starboard.
I spoke to John White later Fri afternoon about the yacht that went aground earlier. He said that they were way too far to the east (port) heading out.

image.jpg
 
Yep, that's John's own excellent diagram that includes his own soundings. The other one that we carry on the ECP site is from the Trinity House survey. Just waiting for the T.H. go-ahead now.
 
LittleSister said:
The Mid-Knoll Green Buoy has now been repositioned - it's more or less in line with Knoll Spit and West Knoll Red Buoys.
Click to expand...

forelle541 said:
The red and green buoys are not n line,
Click to expand...

Harrumph.

ballyabroad said:
John has uploaded the new Deben Chartlet to his website

http://www.debenestuarypilot.co.uk/maps.html
Click to expand...

QED :rolleyes:

curtius said:
Photo below, taken Friday just before HW from just in front of Martello Tower, shows all 4 bouys in place.
Click to expand...

Presumably taken very shortly before the buoy was moved then, which was done just before HW on Friday while I was there.
 
ballyabroad said:
John has uploaded the new Deben Chartlet to his website

http://www.debenestuarypilot.co.uk/maps.html
Click to expand...

I find Navionics on the iPad really useful here, I draw a line between two buoys and provided I don't cross it I'm not being pushed by the tide over the line between the two. Just looking ahead and astern I can easily cross the imaginary line between the two and on the Deben entrance the channel last year was very narrow.
 
Colvic Watson said:
I find Navionics on the iPad really useful here, I draw a line between two buoys and provided I don't cross it I'm not being pushed by the tide over the line between the two. Just looking ahead and astern I can easily cross the imaginary line between the two and on the Deben entrance the channel last year was very narrow.
Click to expand...
Bring back "The Meets" i say
 
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