Dover to Eastbourne - Just checking

[Westerly Bob]

I'm planning a trip from Dover to Eastbourne. Looking at the tidal streams it seems prudent to leave Dover at HW+3 to get past Dungeness in good time. I read somewhere its better to have the foul tide west of Dungeness towards Eastbourne. Boat lenght 26'. Any help most welcome. Thanks.

 

[Cantata]

If you leave Dover sufficiently before HW, passing Dungeness around the top of the tide, you will have tide with you all the way. You don't want to arrive at Eastbourne anywhere near the time of LW at the moment, I was there a month ago and the entrance is badly silted, awaiting dredging.
If you're based in Dover, suggest you chat to others in the marina, you'll get good advice I'm sure.

 

[Westerly Bob]

So that's a foul tide from Dover to Dungeness starting before HW Dover according to the tidal streams!

 

[Cantata]

Yeah, sorry, forgot that HW Dover is not the time that the tide starts heading NE there. Anyway, you've got the tidal atlas, use that to arrive off Dungeness when the tide turns. Perhaps that's what you were saying first of all! My tide atlas is not here at home...

 

[markleuty]

It's a totally unhelpful comment, but coming back from Eastbourne to Dover is the much better trip.

TIde with you all the way...

I always seem to arrive at Dover when the tide outside western is at its strongest which can make getting in quite a hair raising experience...

Mark

 

[VicS]

I'm planning a trip from Dover to Eastbourne. Looking at the tidal streams it seems prudent to leave Dover at HW+3 to get past Dungeness in good time. I read somewhere its better to have the foul tide west of Dungeness towards Eastbourne. Boat lenght 26'. Any help most welcome. Thanks.

I think I would leave even earlier, against the last of the flood tide, to be sure of being past Dungeness before the tide turns foul again. Also with the aim of arriving at eastbourne before the tide has fallen too low if there is a problem with access at that end.

Depending on the weather you could consider taking the ebb as far as Dungeness then anchoring for the duration of the flood , before rounding Dungeness and taking advantage of the ebb most of the way to Eastbourne. Adds a good few hours to the passage time though.

 

[pandroid]

Arriving at Dungeness at top of the tide is definitely the right strategy. We used to plan our trips using Navmaster to calculate the shortest journey time and that was always it.

 

[Pye_End]

I'm planning a trip from Dover to Eastbourne. Looking at the tidal streams it seems prudent to leave Dover at HW+3 to get past Dungeness in good time. I read somewhere its better to have the foul tide west of Dungeness towards Eastbourne. Boat lenght 26'. Any help most welcome. Thanks.

Was looking at this last night for passage next week, and came to the same conclusion. Gate is still open, and you see the very last of the east going tide at this time, but it may take a while to get out the harbour. As you say, tides the other side of Dungeness are not so strong. Tried to find recent depths for Eastbourne on their webpage, but it says something about consulting the most recent information rather than use their chartlet. Cantata - was this with a 1.2m keel or something deeper, and was it spring or neap?

 

[sailorman]

If the OP is going to continue further west after Eastbourne why not continue to Brighton if the tide & time allow, this then shortens the nxt leg & no locks to contend with

 

[Cantata]

I think I would leave even earlier, against the last of the flood tide, to be sure of being past Dungeness before the tide turns foul again. Also with the aim of arriving at eastbourne before the tide has fallen too low if there is a problem with access at that end.
Depending on the weather you could consider taking the ebb as far as Dungeness then anchoring for the duration of the flood , before rounding Dungeness and taking advantage of the ebb most of the way to Eastbourne. Adds a good few hours to the passage time though.

Vic, the flood tide runs towards Dungeness from Dover. The Eastern Channel ebb thens runs back NE towards Dover, but west of Dungeness the ebb runs west i.e. towards Eastbourne.

 

[Cantata]

Was looking at this last night for passage next week, and came to the same conclusion. Gate is still open, and you see the very last of the east going tide at this time, but it may take a while to get out the harbour. As you say, tides the other side of Dungeness are not so strong. Tried to find recent depths for Eastbourne on their webpage, but it says something about consulting the most recent information rather than use their chartlet. Cantata - was this with a 1.2m keel or something deeper, and was it spring or neap?

Yes it was with a 1.2m keel (two of them actually) and tides were springy. When we called up off Beachy, the marina staff advised us to get there at least by HW+5. We actually got there a bit earlier but grounded on shingle in the entrance, having misunderstood the instruction to keep left of centre on the way in. The really shallow bit is just inside the southern pierhead.
I'd ring the marina if I were you and check the present situation. They couldn't book the dredger before May, I think, but we were there about 6 weeks ago so that may have changed.

 

[Habebty]

If the OP is going to continue further west after Eastbourne why not continue to Brighton if the tide & time allow, this then shortens the nxt leg & no locks to contend with

Yes, that's what I do, stop at Brighton westbound and Eastbourne eastbound.

 

[richardbrennan]

i spoke to Brighton earlier in the week. They say that the dredger will be with them in May, and that it will start on the entrance and visitors pontoons. They anticipate no problems in July which is when I am planning to visit.

 

[PaulR]

we have arrived in brighton this afternoon - on calling on vhf they warned us that best not to try and leave or enter LW + - 2 hours

 

[Pye_End]

If you leave Dover sufficiently before HW, passing Dungeness around the top of the tide

Left Dover at Dover -4. 2 or 3 hours of foul tide at Dungeness (neap so not too pokey), and almost the rest of the trip (Brighton) was with tide (4.5kn to 5kn boat speed). Worked well. Would like to have strayed into shallow water W of Dungeness to escape the tide for a bit, but the ranges were active.