Burnham Overy Staithe

[Little Rascal]

Can anyone help with sailing directions or pilotage?

I was there on foot at LW neaps on Monday and the channel seems to be pretty much straight in now - not curving along the dunes as the chart shows. (Well the bit I could see anyway!)

Has anyone visited or got any experiences to share?

I've been there a few times in the past by car but now I have a more 'suitable' boat I was looking at the place with a new perspective. I was heartened to see that I can probably dry out alongside the jetty there (I have a fin keeler that draws 3ft) Has anyone tried it? How much water can I expect at springs/neaps? And what kind of window for getting in?

The chart reccomends local knowledge - anyone got any?

Thanks
Jon

 

[WoodyP]

Henry Irving in his book Forth Tyne Dogger Humber says that a vessel drawing 5 feet may enter two hours either side of HWS. At neaps only at high water.
There are no deep pools. A keel boat can remain upright by leaning on the steep marsh edge immediately oposite the old staithe.

I have never sailed in but it looks do-able for the brave fin keeler, and eminently do-able for a shoal draft boat.

 

[RogerMayne]

There is a good picture of the channel on google earth, it shows all the curves and is fairly recent. I would sketch that, mark the stone groynes on it and use that for pilotage.
I walked into there recently at low water and it looks straightforward as long as you avoid the groynes. Don't know about the timings but I would go in about an hour before high water.

 

[Little Rascal]

Thanks guys. The Google earth image seems to mesh with what I saw myself - the zoomed out image shows the old channel, the same as the charts.

It looks do-able but I will probably go there at LWS first for another look. I might take a gps and get some sneaky waypoints