Drying Out!

Fire99

Fire99

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Hi All,

No i'm not giving up the booze. :) Since my Snappie has bilge keels, I thought i'd dry her out somewhere and give her a bit of a scrub.

Are there any nice spots around the Blackwater / Colne area that are good for drying and scrubbing? This is my first time at this schenanegans since previous boats have always been hauled at the end of the year and sorted out then.

Any info is appreciated as always.

Cheers,

Nik
 
Mudplugger said:
Brightlingsea Hard....
Mersea stone.....
to name a couple on the Colne.
Click to expand...

I'm at Brightlingsea but to be honest I didn't want to take up space on the hard where fin-keelers will want to use the scrubbing posts and people are toing and froing, so I thought if I could take a trundle to somewhere more scenic (did I just say that? :) ) that would be better.

Where's Mersea stone? (You can see how often I look at my charts..)
 
Fire99 said:
I'm at Brightlingsea but to be honest I didn't want to take up space on the hard where fin-keelers will want to use the scrubbing posts and people are toing and froing, so I thought if I could take a trundle to somewhere more scenic (did I just say that? :) ) that would be better.

Where's Mersea stone? (You can see how often I look at my charts..)
Click to expand...

East Mersea ( Mersea Stone )
 
In Bradwell creek there are some scrubbing posts that belong to BQYC for which they charge. To the East almost alongside the posts is a bit of flat shingle where bilge keelers dry out for free on a regular basis.
 
Thanks chaps,

I'll check them out. I'm often bobbing around those parts so will give them a try and get the scrubbing brush out.
 
You could always do what I managed to achieve last September with my long keel.

New (to me) boat with unknown depth offset that I thought I had measured on my berth in B'sea. Sailing (well drifting) trying to keep out of the foul tidal stream in the shallows off Bradwell beach before sliding to a halt 2 hours before LW off Bradwell. :o

As I had only been in the water a few weeks the bottom didn't need a scrub!
 
MoodySabre said:
In Bradwell creek there are some scrubbing posts that belong to BQYC for which they charge. To the East almost alongside the posts is a bit of flat shingle where bilge keelers dry out for free on a regular basis.
Click to expand...

As an experiment, I once dried my Centaur on the mud approx 100m before the scrubbing posts on the approach to Bradwell Marina. Quite amazing how deep gloopy mud is. I once tried to dry out on the posts in MrT tho that is a different story. I too have seen bilge keelers drying out close to the posts at Bradwell, and once saw a vessel dry out on the launch ramp too.
 
Interesting stuff.

I think I need to get a bit more flexible and do a little trial and error. I guess the only rule would be not to get too close to drying out at high tide, or my scrubbing expedition could last alot longer than planned. :D

I'd like to make the most of having bilge keels and a shallow draft before I end up getting caught back on the boat upgrade /upsize path.
 
Fire99 said:
Since my Snappie has bilge keels, I thought i'd dry her out somewhere and give her a bit of a scrub.

Are there any nice spots around the Blackwater / Colne area that are good for drying and scrubbing? This is my first time at this schenanegans since previous boats have always been hauled at the end of the year and sorted out then.
Click to expand...

With a bilge keeler, you're spoiled for choice. All of these have firm, clean(ish) shingle and are scenic, though some are weather-dependent :

Mersea Stone.
Colne Point (between markers)
Bradwell (E. of barrier wall)
W. Mersea (Quarters Spit between Salcott Creek and Tollesbury Fleet)
Thirslet Spit
Osea Island (E.of Pier - popular with waterskiers)
Osea Island (W.of Pier near Doctor Buoy)
Stansgate. There's a wide flat area between Marconi SC and Wedgie Benn's house. I stood a long keeler there, using legs. Lots of old clay pipes discarded by ancient seafarers.
Goldhanger just E. of Creek entrance.
Heybridge Basin (Herring Point, by old crane blocks)
Maldon, Bath Wall

I hope this helps.
 
rudolph_hart said:
With a bilge keeler, you're spoiled for choice. All of these have firm, clean(ish) shingle and are scenic, though some are weather-dependent :

Mersea Stone.
Colne Point (between markers)
Bradwell (E. of barrier wall)
W. Mersea (Quarters Spit between Salcott Creek and Tollesbury Fleet)
Thirslet Spit
Osea Island (E.of Pier - popular with waterskiers)
Osea Island (W.of Pier near Doctor Buoy)
Stansgate. There's a wide flat area between Marconi SC and Wedgie Benn's house. I stood a long keeler there, using legs. Lots of old clay pipes discarded by ancient seafarers.
Goldhanger just E. of Creek entrance.
Heybridge Basin (Herring Point, by old crane blocks)
Maldon, Bath Wall

I hope this helps.
Click to expand...

That's brilliant. Thanks for taking the time to list them. I guess, as you say, some are dependent on which way the wind is blowing (or how hard) but that's certainly some places to give a try.
 
on leaving Brightlingse Harbour head out towards Colne Point, after about a mile Second beach is on your Port side just past Point Clear Bay...simples
 
There are of course two 'hards' (well three theoretically) in West Mersea which are entirely free and less dependent on weather - one by the Lifeboat station - plenty of room, lots of choice about when to go on as it extends nice and clean to low water - keep to the left to avoid the railway tracks for the slip - bit gloopy down the bottom, or the hard just opposite the bottom to Firs Chase. Not so clean but hard and flat.

Of those suggested to you, Osea beach east of the pier is quite steep. Thirslet is flatish and clean although you will feel in the middle of nowhere at low water and there is nowhere to run!!
 
As you are based in Brightlingsea, lets start from the top!

For this one you will need to take a quick reccy at about 3/4 ebb. Motor up the South Channel, and you will see areas of old oyster layings on the Cindrey side. If you just want a quick scrub off, it is fairly hard and fairly flat...and it's free!

Obviously Brightlingsea Hard, about a Fiver paid to Tony!

Just out from the hard and into the creek...if you are not worried about people taking the pee, then the old oyster layings on the Brightlingsea shore are pretty firm and ideal for a between tide scrub down...alternately St Osyth Stone is OK in places.

Across the Colne to East Mersea Stone - good solid beach

Back across the river onto the entrance to Ray Creek on the St Osyth shore

Staying on that side of the river, Second Beach is great, BUT make sure that you dry out between the markers! Failure to do so will get an irate lettuce leaf smoking open toed sandalled warden from the wildlife trust asking you to move on!

So...there you go, six good options to scrub off a bilge keeler (5 of 'em free!) and you haven't even left the Colne...life doesn't get much better than this!
 
Thanks alot guys for you suggestions.

I've lived in the area all my life but your local knowledge is quite something.

It's a great help. Many thanks!!
 
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