Bradwell Creek

No, it was a humble iPhone, you can just see the tip of my oar at the bottom. It is just the stump of a withy that has caught a lot of weed. I had a paddle round the marina, and passed your Sabre, and all looked well.
 
As Roger said I was there yesterday and I was hoovering up data. I am in the process of crunching the data: I hoovered 15,118 soundings so it does take a little while to reduce the soundings to chart datum.

As we know there are only two withies in 'proper' place this year so three others over the years have moved on. Given this was at low water Springs I guess it might be the remains of one of the three who moved on.

Now! We could now have a long thread about reducing soundings to Chart Datum in Bradwell Creek. I was given a copy of a professional survey in 2015 and the chartlet says it dries at Chart Datum acroos the entrance of the Creek approx by second red (as in the photo). When I last surveyed my initial reduction agreed. But I don't think anyone has seen 'land' at LWS or even Extraordinary LWS. So at the time I applied an adjustment that said that it was 0.3m at Chart Datum. A member of the West Mersea Lifeboat was talking yesterday and told me that he had stood in the marked channel at LWS with just over ankle deep water. I think that was last year.

Anyway my initial work - WHICH IS NOT FINISHED - suggests 0.34m at the first red buoy and 0.026m right by the second red buoy. I still have to process all the data (I was taking a lunch break on the forum) and then I need to take a real hard look at the live tide gauge data and ensure that my extrapolation is sound. This is far more difficult compared to the SW Sunk survey. But even not finished it is clear that chart datum should be suggesting it dries by the No 2. At LW at Walton this morning there was 0.67m height of tide, extrapolating that to LW at Bradwell would equate 0.8m height of tide.

But comparing contours in the creek are interesting. Best water is outside the channel and quite pleasingly outside of the line of the old mooring. This is an extract of the work in progress. The chart datum can be adjusted - I could add or deduct 0.5m BUT the contours will remain indication where the best and worst water is.

Image4 by Roger Gaspar, on Flickr
 
Someone aground this evening
115871525_10223333543826419_439133684050951221_o.jpg
 
Even a bit further outside the red cans is a bit optimistic. But I feel we need an optimistic approach to life from now on. So I am going to set it at MLWS not Chart Datum. ??
But I'll give the Marina a chartlet set at Chart Datum so they can always wave it at us. ?
Always assuming Excel will behave today ????
 
Black Diamond - an answer to your question. My reduction says 0.14m at Chart Datum. Height of tide at the time extrapoling say about 0.2m so 0.34m of water so 13 and a quarter inches of water. Towards Peewit I am getting 0.28m at Chart Datum, about 19 inches. I reckon with the soft mud there the kit could argue 4 or 5 inches.

Frankly the old chart is fine. Arguably one could go either side of the green buoy now - in fact if someone has passed the red cans they can go either side.
I have finished the technical side of the chartlet, now need to populate the drawing side - buoys, poles etc. Takes a little longer. After a brief exchange with Roger I was thinking of drawing two charts; one at Chart Datum and another at MLWS but I am just wondering it might flatter matters. I guess I could draw up a 'predictions' table for times of heights at Mean Spring and Neap Ranges. Might help visitors.

The Good Ship Roger passing by (fish eye lens distorts) - hey look - port to port. Most of the time I was criss-crossing the 'narrow channel' trying not to cause havoc.

Image5 by Roger Gaspar, on Flickr

We ought to think about the excellent work by Messr Irving and Coote (1920/30's and 1960/70/80's) who produced excellent pen and ink chartlets of there long before the use of NMEA, hoovering, chart making and drawing software.
 
Thanks for the pic Roger - pleased to hear that there is distortion and my rig doesn't really look like that!

I never go round the green the right way. I like to confuse visitors by going outside the reds and inside the green. I treat the cardinal post with similar distain!
 
tillergirl said:
Black Diamond - an answer to your question. My reduction says 0.14m at Chart Datum. Height of tide at the time extrapoling say about 0.2m so 0.34m of water so 13 and a quarter inches of water. Towards Peewit I am getting 0.28m at Chart Datum, about 19 inches. I reckon with the soft mud there the kit could argue 4 or 5 inches.

Frankly the old chart is fine. Arguably one could go either side of the green buoy now - in fact if someone has passed the red cans they can go either side.
I have finished the technical side of the chartlet, now need to populate the drawing side - buoys, poles etc. Takes a little longer. After a brief exchange with Roger I was thinking of drawing two charts; one at Chart Datum and another at MLWS but I am just wondering it might flatter matters. I guess I could draw up a 'predictions' table for times of heights at Mean Spring and Neap Ranges. Might help visitors.

The Good Ship Roger passing by (fish eye lens distorts) - hey look - port to port. Most of the time I was criss-crossing the 'narrow channel' trying not to cause havoc.

Image5 by Roger Gaspar, on Flickr

We ought to think about the excellent work by Messr Irving and Coote (1920/30's and 1960/70/80's) who produced excellent pen and ink chartlets of there long before the use of NMEA, hoovering, chart making and drawing software.
Click to expand...
Roger, brilliant work, as always, but why produce a chart to MLWS when the standard we all work to is CD? What do you hope to achieve?

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
Excellent work, Roger, thank you. It confirms the good lifeboatman's reckoning that the No.2 port hand mark is high and dry on an equinoctial spring low water. Jimi's gloaming picture confirms the worst place to be is by the buoy.
 
Black Diamond said:
Excellent work, Roger, thank you. It confirms the good lifeboatman's reckoning that the No.2 port hand mark is high and dry on an equinoctial spring low water. Jimi's gloaming picture confirms the worst place to be is by the buoy.
Click to expand...
Gloaming ... good word!!
 
Well Colin I was initlally thinking given it never actually dries right over it might be more 'realistic'. But 'dialing' up 0.503m (MLWS height of tide) gives a rather optimistic and unrealistic impression. So I am sticking to Chart Datum. It will be there in the morning.

Yes, gloaming. I had to actually look at what it meant.

Thanks for the comments. It is quite fun, not like sailing but better than not being able to sail anymore. Which bizarrely reminds me that the first time I ever went down the Blackwater we entered Bradwell Creek the west way. Not used much now! Our guide then knew how to find it. I must go and have a look.
 
Roger, you remind me of glorious sail I had in Black Diamond with my wife, immediately after the coliseum of Mersea Week. We gilled gently up Bradwell Creek, soon after high water, and decided to exit through the west door. As luck would have it, the Google Earth satellite shot was at low water, so we used Goodle Maps to find the gut way ( I should add that when our depth sounder actually worked, we continually ran aground, but since it went kaput, the mounds of filler in the bottom of the keel remain pristine) and we were released with our pride intact.
 
Just tried to upload the new chartlet. It's one of those days. My software refuses to upload the pdf! I can't work out what I have done wrong but I managed to upload the jpg. Yu can find it on: Downloads, scroll down the page and click on the image.

I shall revert to Mark I engineering. I'll turn my machine off and reboot!

PS Mk i engineering works. It is now uploaded. Best printed in A3; it is a detailed area!
 
Last edited:
Thought you might remember Harry Lauder's 1911 hit ;-)

Roamin' in the gloamin' on the bonnie banks o' Clyde.
Roamin' in the gloamin' wae my lassie by my side.
When the sun has gone to rest,
That's the time we love the best.
O, it's lovely roamin' in the gloamin!
 
During my nihilistic teenage, my family stayed with old Tollesbury friends Keith and Mollie Griggs in Strachur, Loch Fyne, and there was a plaque on the wall stating it was 'Harry Lauder's House', but I'm certain that wasn't where I picked up the G word.

Great work on the chartlet, Roger, thank you.
 
Loch Fyne would be a great place for your teenage years.

P1030489 by Roger Gaspar, on Flickr

Good brewery at Loch Fyne. Was a bit surprised that the Hotel at Tarbert didn't have any kippers. Mind you all the power and trees were down at that time. That was that big storm in December 2013 where there was a huge surge at Mersea.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

Refueler
Strange water accumulation ...
Replies
9
Views
312
Refueler
Refueler

Share this page

Top