Crossing Thames Estuary - help please !

[ericw]

Here's one for all u East Coast gurus !

I'm planning to cross the estuary from Ramsgate to the Blackwater next Sunday i.e. 17th Nov for the first time. Having studied the charts/almanacs, I have an idea of where I'll go, but thought I would tap the knowledge base of people with more experience of this part of the world !

So, which route(s) would any of u recommend ?

Regards ... Eric.

www.HarryHindsight.com

 

[AndrewB]

Answers from earlier postings.

This question has come up a number of times and you may find doing a search on past answers is helpful. For a thread started in September, check here.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.ybw.com/cgi-bin/forums/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=pbo&Number=247718>http://www.ybw.com/cgi-bin/forums/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=pbo&Number=247718</A>

 

[ericw]

Thanks very much, Andrew ... most useful thread !

E.



www.HarryHindsight.com

 

[NDG]

I love the Thames eastury - it always seems to be blowing against you, wherever you are going, and there's always a trawler/container ship/sandbank heading your way.

We've been stuck in Ramsgate for a month or so now - everytime we have the opportunity to sail it has been blowing a gale, frequently from the NW which is the direction I want to go! We are heading for Walton on Naze, which is where the boat lives, and if the weather is OK on that w/e I might see you on the way. Its a nice harbour, mind, and the inner harbour is v well sheltered. Not too pricey, either. Hmmm....maybe we should stay there....

Its a bit easier going to Walton/Harwich - I will just skirt around the outside of all the sandbanks up to Sunk light and then turn left towards Harwich. How's that for a passage plan?

Hope you get a good weekend - might see you.

Nick

 

[Guest]

Re: Answers from earlier postings.

Andrew, I read you reply in september in the previous thread about leaving Ramsgate DOVER HW+5. I'm trying to plan a trip from Ramsgate to St Katherines Haven and worked out that getting to Sheerness by about Sheerness LW was a good plan. This meant leaving Ramsgate at Ramsgate HW.

Have you ever done this trip, got any tips etc etc

Or perhaps I should start a different thread?

mark

 

[AndrewB]

Re: Answers from earlier postings.

This is also often asked.

You need the tide with you going around North Foreland (ebb), and again going up the Thames (flood). You are right that the best time to leave Sheerness is at low water, and the flood will carry you nicely up to St Katherines by HW when the lock opens. You have to keep up about 4 knots over the water upriver to do this - the tide will you 3 knots or more extra.

If you leave Ramsgate on the first of the ebb, you will have the tide against you all the way up the Estuary, and you may be hard pressed to reach Sheerness by LW. The tide is weakest close to the shore, across the Kent Flats. Beware of going aground on a falling tide, specially on the Margate Sands.

Many people do it in two, leaving Ramsgate at HW+5 to catch the last of the ebb round the Foreland, going up to Queenborough on the flood, stopping there during the ebb, then taking the next tide up the Thames. That is the less stressful, and there are some pleasant pubs in Queenborough.

 

[Guest]

Re: Answers from earlier postings.

Mark
I dont think its a good idea to try to arrive at Sheerness at LW. I have done this trip many times and you are best arriving N.forland at LW and carry the tide up to Sheerness, layover in Queeenborough then leave on the LW and carry the tide up the Thames. As Andrew said there are some good pubs in Queenborough but you may need your tender to get ashore and beware if the gate to the pontoon still needs a token to let you back onto it (it will let you open the gate from the pontoon side but not let you back in). Have a good trip
regards
Peter

 

[oldgit]

Re: Answers from earlier postings.

Yes you still need a token.The gate is climbable in an emergency.

And here is the weekend weather..

 

[Toutvabien]

Re: Answers from earlier postings.

My usual route used to be through the Fishermans Gat and then across by SW Sunk and up the Barrow then on to the Whitaker, but I hear that there is not much water on that route by the tower, can anybody confirm that? Somebody suggested that there is less than a metre by SW Sunk tower at LW, any recent reports?

 

[AndrewB]

Sunk Head.

You mean Sunk Head Tower buoy? I last did the route Fisherman's Gat - Black Deep - Sunk Tower Head - Wallet no. 2 buoy in Goldmer Gat, back in April. I did cut inside Sunk Tower Head at low water, but don't recall any problem.

Or do you mean the gat by the SW Sunk beacon, between Black Deep and Barrow Deep? Last time I went that way was four years ago around high tide, but according to my log it would have been pretty shallow, no more than 2m at low water. Sunk Sand is notoriously shifty.

 

[AndrewB]

Queenborough tokens

The tokens can be got from the yacht club or the chandlers, but the most convenient is from the gatehouse of the small pharmaceutical factory (Abbotts Laboratories) just behind the sea-wall close to the gate. They are open 24 hours. Tokens are 50p.

Incidentally you aren't supposed to stay on the pontoon, but its generally OK out of season.

 

[tillergirl]

We did this trip back in July. Left Ramsgate to be clear of the harbour by HW Sheerness. Once clear of the North Foreland we headed for Fishersman Gat which took us past the Outer Tongue. We entered Fisherman's Gat 2 hours after the harbour exit. Fishersman's Gat is well marked but don't confuse it with the newly marked Foulger's Gat which has Safe Water buoys at either end. The southerly Safe Water buoy is not far from the entrance to Fisherman's Gat.

Once out of the Fisherman's Gat turn down and cross the Black Deep to the SW Sunk. We draw 3' 9" and had no problem crossing it in July although it is not deep Two colleagues with us drawing 4' 6" also had no problem. We always go to the West of the beacon and keep in quite close. Once clear of this swatchway, its across the Barrow Deep and east round the Barrow Sands. To start with you can keep close into the sands as the tide is ebbing (provided you don't have a strong NE wind). We have found for the last two years that at the north easterly part of the Barrow there is a shallow spur. Bearing awau to the north east keeps you clear but as the tide is ebbing you won't want to be set down the East Swin too far.

Once clear of the Barrow sands, its straight for us over the NE Middle, past the Whittaker to the Swin spitway. Clear of the Spitway, head for the Knoll, Bench Head and into the Blackwater. We slipped Ramsgate Marina at 0745 and tied up in Bradwell 1545. There is always some adverse tide. We prefer to have the tide helping us up the North Foreland and therefore face it on the nose once clear of the Barrow Sands. In reasonable weather this is a nice journey! Hope this helps.