Crossing Thames estuary

[martinriches]

At last the weather is looking good.I am setting off from Burnham-on-crouch tomorrow in my Albin 25 for the east swale.I have done the trip a few times before but feel a bit nervous crossing the big ship channel in the dusk not having radar or AIS. my usual route is through West swin then due south at SW Barrow. The channel is a few miles wide there and maybe I would be better off carrying on down the coast to Shoebury were the channels divide and seem to be narrow before turning south for the Swale. If anyone knows the area and has some advice it would be greatfully received.


Martin

 

[fluffc]

I usually go down the swin and along maplin sands as far as Sea Reach No.1, where the channel is quite narrow, then across the Thames and Medway approaches seperately.

In clear conditions, no problem in going straight across. You could, if you wanted to stick to the east, keep close to the south west ends of the sand banks so that you don't get caught up in the mele you describe.

I crossed in the fog once, and found London and Medway port control very helpful. They tracked us on radar, added us to the routine traffic broadcast, and let us know when to cross over. There is no harm in calling them up when approaching the area, then they aren't so much in the dark as to what a random reflection is up to on their screen, and a named tag can be put against your radar reflection.

 

[squidge]

Are you going through Havengore, could save some time if its open?

 

[kengill]

Not a snowballs

 

[MarkGrubb]

Is dusk the best time to travel? Visibility is getting worse as the night creeps in, but not all the bouyage has started blinking, and not everyone has turned the nav. lights on. Sounds odd, but it is it worth waiting unitil it is properly dark, so you can be sure that the ships are lit up and the bouyage is flashing?

 

[albineer]

I hope it went well and would be interested to hear about it

 

[martinriches]

Thanks for the replys. I ended up leaving Burnham about 11 am as I didn't want to spend to much time going against the tide.Saturday was a lovely sunny day with a fairly calm sea and I made better progress than I expected . Got to the SW end of west barrow about 3pm then turned south, entered the east swale as it was getting dark. Buy the time I anchored at Harty ferry it was half five but you could make out the few yachts that were still buoyed up there.It took me 6 and a half hours in all and I really enjoyed it. Apart from 2 or 3 small motor boat fishing in the Crouch a sail in the distance I had the estuary to myself.

A good point about things being clearer at night than at dusk.

I will try the Havengore route next year sound interesting and hopefully will be open by then.

Martin