Crossing the Sunk

[RMA]

I have been away for a while so I am a bit out of touch with the best routes across the Sunk. I always used to cross by the SW Sunk beacon but I hear that has collapsed and is still lurking just under the surface, which is enough to put me off. Has anyone found any other ways across the sand, particularly when travelling to or from Fisherman’s Gat? My boat has a lifting keel so I don't need that much water.

 

[asj1]

It all changed out there on 1st July and a roundabout was installed.

 

[alldownwind]

Tillergirl of this parish gave some advice on this a while back, you might find it with a search. The essence of it was to cross close to the west of the Sunk beacon, the one further N from the old SW Sunk, on a heading of just about N (if you are going from Kent to Essex) then hang a left but watch out for the shallow bit extending NE from the N tip of the Middle Sunk.
He said the depth he found there was 3.7m at LW neaps.
But perhaps he'll be along in a minute anyway!

 

[johnalison]

I think that's correct, though we usually come down from the Naze and cross a half-mile SW of the old "Little Sunk" beacon which has also collapsed and is marked as an obstruction. It should be 3.5 metres at datum but it seemed about half a metre less in June.

 

[tillergirl]

Go from 51'36'36N to 001'21'37E adjacent to the Black Deep No 8 (north east corner of Fisherman's Gat) to 51'40'48N 001'20'33E (just in the Barrow) - that's a leg of 4.17nm on 351(T) not allowing for tide and that will take you across the Black Deep and the Sunk Sand to the west of the Sunk Beacon (which is still standing - how long for, who knows since it was built at the same time as the departed SW Sunk beacon). At the second waypoint you can turn onto 283(T) again not allowing for tide for the Spitway. This will take you clear of the shallow finger of the Middle Sunk that extends north-east (had only 8ft of water there last year so worth hanging onto that northly course until the waypoint even though you will have come off the Sunk well before that waypoint. As alldownwind correctly says 3.7m at LW neaps last October. Wish I had know the SW Sunk would fall over and I wouldn't have bothered trying to find the best water last October at the SW Sunk! If of course you are Suffolk River bound, cross the Sunk between 51'41'11N 001'24'84E (in the Black Deep) and 51'42'20N 001'23'56E (in the Barrow about half a mile from the Barrow No2) having used Foulger's Gat. You can use this for the Blackwater and Colne but adds a couple of miles. The Sunk crossing is only about a third of a mile longer than the old SW Sunk/Fisherman's Gat route - and has more water - well at least it did last October - and now doesn't have a tangle of steel under the water that the PLA say is 'too much risk to the survey boat' Don't think I'd like to be there today. Kind of rubbish here at the moment - cold, wet and windy.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Thanks for that TillerGirl... am crossing the Sunk tommorrow heading towards Burnham from Ramsgate.... will report latest depths as soon as I can...

 

[RMA]

Good advice - thanks.

 

[tillergirl]

It would be interesting to know the condition of the Sunk Beacon; after all it was built at the same time (as far as we know) as the SW Sunk and a number of other beacons. If the Sunk goes in the same way as the SW Sunk leaving a dangerous structure hidden just under the water, we will have no other choice but to do the crossing towards the Barrow No 2. Last time I saw the Sunk, the top cone part was intact but the middle section of the ladder and some of the lower cross braces had gone. I doubt we'll ever be able to pursuade someone to do soemthing about them. So if either you or Morgana can have a squint.....

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Will do....

Also, for those that missed it, and are planning on heading through Foulgers Gat, don't forget that Long Sands Outer has been moved some considerable distance to reflect the movment of the channel...

New position is: 51' 25.09N 1' 26.00E

 

[tillergirl]

There's a typo crept in: its 51' 35.90N 001'26.00E

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

ooh....

wondered why it wasn't over near Ramsgate.... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

So.... reporting back..... went and had a peek towards Sunk... bit lumpy, so didn't cross there, and instead went up and crossed opposite Foulgers Gat.... did try looking at the tower through through binoculars.. from a distance its looking pretty sorry....

Secondly, water over the sunk on the Foulgers Gat section as per Tillergirls lat-longs above.... went over at HW+4, and never saw less than 3.5m under the keel, so 5.2m of water, on a neap, so somewhere in the region of 4.3m LAT

Last, but not least.... went through Wallet Spitway last night, and can report that while I suspected it was shallowing last year, this year there seems to be plenty of water there..... at HW-1, 4.2m lowest, below the keel, so about 5.3m LAT...