Dover to Queensborough departure time

timmygobang

timmygobang

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I'm planning on doing Dover to Queenborough this Saturday (16th). Early days but the weather looks significantly calmer.

High tide is at 10:00 @ Dover, I'm thinking of departing at 08:00 for the 55 mile trip to Queenborough, does this seem about right? Looks like I'll be fighting quite a bit of tide once past Elbow. Ideally I'd like to do the majority of trip in daylight.

I've done the trip before as crew but never as a skipper. I'm aware of the tricky points ie Goodwin Sands.

Would appreciate some thoughts on leaving times.

Many Thanks
 
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So am I.

According to my passage plan, an 0800 departure will have you in at 1700. The tides mean that passage time is reduced by leaving it a bit later; I'll be departing Dover just after HW. Health warning: my passage plan is based on a boatspeed of 6 knots and no tacking. I generally make a good 7 knots over the water in practice, but I can't yet be sure where the wind'll be coming from on Saturday, so I can't yet predict the tacking to fine-tune this plan.

The only tricky thing about the Goodwin Sands is if you're in fog. Otherwise, you're following a motorway that runs roughly N-S, from E of the Dover cliffs, which is marked by R/G pairs of buoys. So long as visibility is good enough to see them, you're fine.

But BEWARE of some moved buoys along the N Kent coast. There used to be a close pair at Hook Spit, marking a small-boat channel through that sand bar. The last time I did that passage, which was the only day my chart plotter has ever gone down, I was heading out from London and doing the 9-odd mile SE-ish bearing to that location from a green buoy called Spile, and I couldn't find the pair through the binos. Instead, there was a pair further apart to the South. I did some triangulation off the land to check I wasn't being a numpty, and it turned out that yes, the pair had indeed moved. I sailed three sides of a long rectangle instead, to take the Princes Channel out of the estuary, and when nearing Dover I reached mobile signal, I Googled 'Hook Spit buoy moved'. Only some five weeks earlier (which was early Feb 2012 I think) Trinity House had responded to the silting sandbar by moving the small yacht channel. See http://www.imray.com/files/chart_corrections/IC2100-4N.pdf now. Do make sure your chart is updated!!

Good luck and enjoy.

I copy a couple of pics that may help with that chart update.

What's your callsign/ boat name? (PM me if you like.)

View attachment 36972View attachment 36973

PS - unless you know someone in Queenborough, you may find the neighbouring anchorage at Stangate Creek considerable prettier.
 
I've done this passage many times, and led club cruises from Dover the same way.

The key thing to remember is to reach North Foreland at turn of tide: you should be off Margate at low tide. That way you have the tide with you almost all the way. It's possible to get right up to St Katherine's Dock on a single tide if you do this.

The downside is that if you decide to cross the Kentish Flats, the most direct route, at low water it's very shallow at the western end of the Gore Channel, and you may need to go very carefully here. But at least the tide is rising.
 
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Hi BelleSerene,

That's really helpful thanks, will pm you shortly.

Queenborough is just a stop off as until I can catch the next tide into London as I'm heading to St Kats if all goes well.

I had a quick look last night at the charts and was going to take the princes channel but if the weather is as calm as its looking then I may take the inner route through the copperas channel. Shall read up on it further.
 
I would add, if you find there's not enough tide left to make it in to Q'boro, the E Swale is a handy diversion, with convenient buoys to get a turn on near Faversham Spit.
Another thing is the Qboro all tide landing is sadly closed.
Another thing which I'm sure you have seen is, just past those Reculver buoys mentioned above, there is a 'rock berm' which is marked by 4 buoys, a pile of rocks on the seabed.
Also in the area, a seabed feature called the 'Clitehole Bank'.
Have a good trip
edit, yes you should be fine through the Copperas channel, at that state of the rising tide.
 
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Hi Andrew and Jerry,

Thanks for the tips. I think I need to have another look at when I intend to arrive at Margate, perhaps I'll have to leave a little bit later and do a few night hours.

Shall have a look at the other points mentioned tonight.

Much appreciated :)
 
I might (should) have added that the pictures I pasted for your use are taken from the excellent East Coast Pilot website, which you'll find invaluable.

http://www.eastcoastpilot.com

This brilliant resource also mentions the 'rock berm' that Jerrytug mentions. It's another feature that's not on the chart until very recently, being a rock protection where the cables from the wind farm off North Foreland cross the cables from the mid-estuary wind farm, and they're separated vertically by a cement barrier. Those who placed it there didn't bother to get permission to decrease the depth of the sea at that point, but it seems no action is being taken against them. Anyway, as Jerrytug points out, it's now marked by a set of four cardinals or yellow buoys. I think you pass to the south of it, but again that's why you need a new chart!

There's an excellent pilot book by the author on the topic, as well...
 
BelleSerene said:
I might (should) have added that the pictures I pasted for your use are taken from the excellent East Coast Pilot website, which you'll find invaluable.

http://www.eastcoastpilot.com

This brilliant resource also mentions the 'rock berm' that Jerrytug mentions. It's another feature that's not on the chart until very recently, being a rock protection where the cables from the wind farm off North Foreland cross the cables from the mid-estuary wind farm, and they're separated vertically by a cement barrier. Those who placed it there didn't bother to get permission to decrease the depth of the sea at that point, but it seems no action is being taken against them. Anyway, as Jerrytug points out, it's now marked by a set of four cardinals or yellow buoys. I think you pass to the south of it, but again that's why you need a new chart!

There's an excellent pilot book by the author on the topic, as well...
Click to expand...

That's great thanks!

Plenty of home work to do :) I did have a east coast pilot book, but I seem to have lost it in transit between boat and home.
 
If you go here: http://www.crossingthethamesestuary.com/page6.html

Scroll down and there is a chartlet of the 'Rock Berms' area and buoyage (and other things). Note that the Spaniard is no more. If you check the area lists in the Notices to Mariners pages you will get the very very latest info that is available on changes - been a lot of tinkering with buoyage in the Yantlet Channel for instance; nothing that isn't really intuitive but there is a download free of charge for you if you want it.
 
BelleSerene said:
The what?! Can someone enlighten me on the Clitehole Bank?!

Yours, intrigued...

Belle Serene
Click to expand...

Clite Hole Bank is area of cement and clay boulders a couple of miles north east of Whitstable.

The similar Studhill Bank, about a mile further east, has slightly less water than Clite Hole Bank. But neither should cause you too many problems TBH, as you're likely to be well north of them, unless you take the previously mentioned East Swale option.

The previous point about the East Last/Hook Spit buoys having moved is well worth noting.

Plenty of people with out of date charts or plotter cards have gone aground there in the last couple of years.
 
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