East Coast Advice

tillergirl said:
I have the keel offset set so that the read-out shows depth below the keel. And then I have the alarm set to 2ft which I admit is being pretty cautious.:D
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I set the keel offset so we stop at zero... and the alarm at 2m... I am happy to sail with .3 on the depth... as long as I know when we are getting near and I also know the shape of the seabed...

The Foulness sands are very flat and there are no nasty bumps once on the top..
but going into the Raysand from the Crouch ... it comes up like a wall,,,
 
botheras said:
Also, if you enter or leave the Crouch, the seagulls really are walking either side of you at low water, the channel is very narrow, the fact that you can "see" horizon to horizon water, doesn't mean it is water, brown sea and mud are indistinguishable. The Swallow Tail, is a popular "scrubbing ground" for many yachts
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It is this uncertainty that often alarms people not used to the area. Irrespective of the sounder, it is still possible to "read" the water, as the older sailors used to say. You need to ignore the colour, which is often browner where the tide is running, and be guided by the wave patterns. You will get a taste of this coming out of Harwich Harbour, but an advanced course in bottomology as you pass Stone Point and enter the Walton Channel.
 
Lodesman77 said:
Pubs in Harwich...
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Give the man a break...he is going for a play in a 38 footer and you are suggesting a cruise he could achieve in a Wayfarer!!! ;)

If you are going to say you have sailed the East Coast you have to say you have sailed in the Wallet, and if you are in the Wallet well you may as well head for Bradwell and the Green Man or as johnalison quite rightly points out Brightlingsea and a stroll along to the Railway Tavern for a pint or two of their own brew...a good way to wash away the salt if ever there was one!!
 
Cobra said:
Give the man a break...he is going for a play in a 38 footer and you are suggesting a cruise he could achieve in a Wayfarer!!! ;)

If you are going to say you have sailed the East Coast you have to say you have sailed in the Wallet, and if you are in the Wallet well you may as well head for Bradwell and the Green Man or as johnalison quite rightly points out Brightlingsea and a stroll along to the Railway Tavern for a pint or two of their own brew...a good way to wash away the salt if ever there was one!!
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You miss my point - of course you are right; Harwich is hardly an aspirational destination. But after Sailorman's proposal of a very nice destination which didn't actually have a real ale pub, I was trying to promote a list of places that did. And as the OP was asking about weekend sailing from Ipswich, I would suggest Halfpenny Pier might be a good Friday night stopping off point, with real ale, and well positioned for a good trip on Saturday morning.

Personally though, I'd sacrifice the positioning and stop at Pin Mill...

.
 
Lodesman77 said:
You miss my point - of course you are right; Harwich is hardly an aspirational destination. But after Sailorman's proposal of a very nice destination which didn't actually have a real ale pub, I was trying to promote a list of places that did. And as the OP was asking about weekend sailing from Ipswich, I would suggest Halfpenny Pier might be a good Friday night stopping off point, with real ale, and well positioned for a good trip on Saturday morning.

Personally though, I'd sacrifice the positioning and stop at Pin Mill...

.
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Hmmm...yes, I guess you are right there! I suppose that Titchmarsh is somewhat lacking in character and real ale!! Would agree that I would be inclined to moor up off Pin Mill and have a row ashore to the Butt or the RHYC. I guess he could then take the last two hours of the ebb down to Dovercourt Bay and then point himself up the Wallet for his next stop on the real ale pub crawl.

As a thought...what a fantastic way to spend a week...sailing from Real Ale pub to Real Ale pub!
 
Hi all,
many thanks for all the replies: great mix of sailing / beer related info. Wonder if it's too late to get a bilge keeler?
 
As a thought...what a fantastic way to spend a week...sailing from Real Ale pub to Real Ale pub![/QUOTE]

I thought that was what a lot of people did anyway! When my sister has our boat she seems to have an itinery that starts from Woolverstone and then has a night off the Ramsholt Arms and a night at Orford (Kings Head not Jolly S) and then they sometimes stop at Pin Mill on the way home...

We have small children so seem to spend a bit less time sailing to the pub. Last Sunday we sailed to Pizza Express......
 
Depth sounders on the East Coast are merely advisory, basically if we're still moving then there's enough water.
 
richgiddens said:
I'm starting to think that wheels are maybe a bit more important than sails; still, I'm not skippering!
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We used to have a Scottish friend regularly sail with us. He said he thought all Thames estuary boats should be fitted with castors as standard.
 
Perhaps you should tell that.....

to the couple who grounded on the Swalowtail bank..

First there was a Pan Pan
Then there was a Mayday when the grounding loosened the keel
Then it sunk... Thre was an NtM warning aout the wreck..

We heard the mayday and went to assist as we were passing the sunken Buxey but the Walton lifeboat got there first...

Whilst the mud is foregiving.. the sandbanks are hard as rock... No I would not say that echosounders are optional...

Having said thatf the solent has some lovely hard bits...
 
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