Crossing Foulness Sands

MikeBz

MikeBz

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Planning a passage from Brightlingsea to The Swale or Medway on a day when high tide is in the morning so doing the usual thing of arriving at the Spitway at LW and taking the flood down the Swin doesn't work very well. Instead I'm thinking of leaving B'sea at ~half flood, through the Raysand arriving at the Crouch just before HW and crossing Foulness Sand - it looks as though I should be able to take a straight line pretty much to SW Barrow except that that route takes me through an area which is riddled with obstructions on the chart. Any advice from anyone who has done this or similar would be appreciated. Obviously I would need to check that we're not going to be shot at or subject to an experimental controlled explosion...
 
Interesting idea. Earlier this year we entered the Crouch just before LW and I followed the shallows on the S side on the way in to keep out of the tide. The view across the sands seemed indeed to be 'riddled with obstructions' although when looking thro binos a lot of them appeared to be seals. But there were certainly plenty of bits and pieces sticking up at odd angles, whether they are bits of wreck or what I couldn't tell.
Out and about recently it seems the range is active every day according to the CG MSI broadcasts.
 
Presumably you are hoping to get a bit of easement against the ebb by staying over the sands? Going down the West Swin against the ebb is not normally the quickest thing to do. Some of the strongest flows in the whole estuary can be experienced there.

From the http://www.shoeburyness.qinetiq.com web site "If you wish to plan your journey in advance and would like advice from the Range about using the bridge on a particular day, please contact “Shoe Radar” on 01702 383311 or VHF Channels 16 or 72 (when the Range is active) or email us at QQSHBEnquiries@qinetiq.com. Please be aware that information supplied in advance is subject to change."
 
Tomahawk said:
How much do you draw?
We draw 1.1 and do that route quite often, ususlly going to Ramsgit.
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Less than 1m with the plate up :) Do you know approx what longitude you exit the Crouch and start crossing the sand? (Or where with respect to the Crouch bouyage?). And approx when with respect to HW?


tillergirl said:
Presumably you are hoping to get a bit of easement against the ebb by staying over the sands? Going down the West Swin against the ebb is not normally the quickest thing to do. Some of the strongest flows in the whole estuary can be experienced there.
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Yes, hoping to see less ebb but also if the wind is from the West then it'll be a beam reach as opposed to close-hauled from S. Whitaker (I certainly wouldn't bother trying to beat down there against the ebb).

The charted obstructions I'm referring to are all around the SW/W/NW of Maplin Edge. Most of them look harmless but on the (outdated) chart above my desk there is one shown as -1.8 almost directly north of SW Barrow and a bit futher to the west another at -2.1.

tillergirl said:
From the http://www.shoeburyness.qinetiq.com web site "If you wish to plan your journey in advance and would like advice from the Range about using the bridge on a particular day, please contact “Shoe Radar” on 01702 383311 or VHF Channels 16 or 72 (when the Range is active) or email us at QQSHBEnquiries@qinetiq.com. Please be aware that information supplied in advance is subject to change."
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Thanks, I would check in advance and again on the day.
 
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MikeBz said:
Less than 1m with the plate up :)...........The charted obstructions I'm referring to are all around the SW/W/NW of Maplin Edge. Most of them look harmless but on the (outdated) chart above my desk there is one shown as -1.8 almost directly north of SW Barrow and a bit futher to the west another at -2.1....................
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The stuff I could see from the Crouch was nowhere near the charted Obstns near Maplin Edge. It was widespread all over the sands S and SE of a line between the Buxey No.2 and Shore Ends.
It's a nice idea but I wouldn't do it myself.
 
I think I would agree with Dick's last sentence. The Imray chart carries the annotation 'Numerous posts and stakes'. Reading Irving (1930's pilot book), he discusses the half-tide routes over the Maplin and Foulness (before the debris of a World War and the MOD of course) and he describes a route past the West Buxey that used to mark the Ray Sand due magnetic south (there was a lot more deviation then) turning south-west ish (SW1/2S if you understand that language) across the Maplins to exit into the West Swin south-west of Blacktail Spit. Irving describes the ebb as "easterly off the sand trending more north-easterly as the edge is neared". Consistently he says use the cross sand routes between 3/4 flood and 1/4 ebb and makes reference to the need for a commanding wind or decent engine.

The new Ray Sand buoys are on the 000.59.500E meridian and the old round (where the '*ll is it?) yellow buoy is according to my little black book at 51.39.044N 000.59.298E. Of course the SW Barrow is around the 001.00.300E meridian.
 
I am considered fairly 'brave' and it's not something I do much. I did in my Corribee/Evolution 25 days, and I guess I survived. I did park for a tide on the sands, ermm, accidentally, and concur that there are all sorts of odd things laying about.

To avoid the stress, I go out and turn right at the Whitaker-ish.
 
OK I'm starting to get the consensus :) Before I forget the idea completely it would be interesting to know the route Tomahawk takes across the sands. Even if I do Ray Channel -> Buxey #1 -> Maplin Edge it makes the difference between the whole passage being a 'possibility' as opposed to a complete no-no going the Spitway route (assuming leaving B'sea at around half flood with wind from the west).
 
D&T said:
If you only draw I metre, could you use the Havengore Bridge?
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Weeeeeell, it'll be a neap tide so maybe not, and also would need a very early start from B'sea to get to Havengore just before HW. We could have a more lesiurely sail to the Yolkesfleet and lay up for the night, but the tide isn't much bigger the next day (forecast tide for Whitaker Beacon is 4.3m).
 
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MikeBz said:
Weeeeeell, it'll be a neap tide so maybe not, and also would need a very early start from B'sea to get to Havengore just before HW. We could have a more lesiurely sail to the Yolkesfleet and lay up for the night, but the tide isn't much bigger the next day (forecast tide for Whitaker Beacon is 4.3m).
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You need around a 5.2 tide to do Havengore
 
I suspected 4.3 might be a bit thin! Maybe we'll be going North for our extended Bank Holiday weekend instead - only problem with that is the forecast has a headwind coming back on Monday! You can't win them all.
 
If you do the Foulness route, get some circular patches for the mystery 4" holes in yer sail :)

Seriously though, I was doing my annual reading of the Magic Of The Swatchways last week and would love a period of settled weather to dry out on the various banks a la Maurice Griffiths. Would love to dry out on the Goodwins - intentionally!
 
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Habebty said:
If you do the Foulness route, get some circular patches for the mystery 4" holes in yer sail :)

Seriously though, I was doing my annual reading of the Magic Of The Swatchways last week and would love a period of settled weather to dry out on the various banks a la Maurice Griffiths. Would love to dry out on the Goodwins - intentionally!
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There is a hole just off Deal where you can anchor in 20ft of water and be completely surrounded by the Goodwin Sands not more than a boat length away
 
Took this yesterday at LW ..
Looking towards Foulness. you can clearly see the top of the sand ridge and how it shelves to the N and flows out very gently to the S.

30fbda2aac7e218a1c9568cacc686909.jpg
 
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