Entering the Crouch in a F5 Westerly

[Captain Crisp]

Hi I was hoping to sail down from Brightlingsea this Saturday, cross the sands about an hour before the flood, and maybe motor in against the forecast Westerly... However, I'm thinking that a F4/5 coming straight down the river meeting an incoming tide might be rather unpleasant on my 28ft Twister with its 10hp motor...
Any thoughts welcome!

 

[DanTribe]

Force 4 /5 in a Twister, sail it, A Twister will eat it up!

 

[johnalison]

Plenty of tide and current. You don’t even need to hurry. It’ll just be a bit lumpy for a while.

 

[xyachtdave]

If you haven’t been in there before or when it’s a bit miserable out the entrance to Burnham is quite hard to spot.

Put a few waypoints in, the area around the top of the Maplin Sands is my least favourite part of the East Coast by far.

I’ve been there a few times when’s it blowing, arriving around LW, grey as you like in all directions, uncomfortable depths under the boat seemingly in every direction and nothing to point the helm at other than the compass.

Other than that it’s a charming town, enjoy!

 

[MoodySabre]

If you haven’t been in there before or when it’s a bit miserable out the entrance to Burnham is quite hard to spot.

Put a few waypoints in, the area around the top of the Maplin Sands is my least favourite part of the East Coast by far.

I’ve been there a few times when’s it blowing, arriving around LW, grey as you like in all directions, uncomfortable depths under the boat seemingly in every direction and nothing to point the helm at other than the compass.

Other than that it’s a charming town, enjoy!

Coming from Brightlingsea he will hop across the Raysand surely? Two hours before HW and a bit of tide up the Burnham.

 

[Plum]

Hi I was hoping to sail down from Brightlingsea this Saturday, cross the sands about an hour before the flood, and maybe motor in against the forecast Westerly... However, I'm thinking that a F4/5 coming straight down the river meeting an incoming tide might be rather unpleasant on my 28ft Twister with its 10hp motor...
Any thoughts welcome!

Assuming you mean crossing the ray sands then it is only 5nM to the mouth of the Roach where you can drop the hook in shelter or 7nM to Burnham. So, it will be a bit unpleasant but not for too long. I would come across the ray sand a bit earler so you get more time with the flood and stay as close as you can to the sands on your stbd side until the mouth of the Crouch.

 

[xyachtdave]

Coming from Brightlingsea he will hop across the Raysand surely? Two hours before HW and a bit of tide up the Burnham.

Ah good point, was thinking he meant the Swin and an hour before the flood this meaning around LW.

 

[Marmalade]

Ray sand shallow and lumpy in f5 - Crouch same esp wind against tide. the Twister should cope if her crew does.

 

[PeterWright]

Ray sand shallow and lumpy in f5 - Crouch same esp wind against tide. the Twister should cope if her crew does.

You have a shorter lumpy riide via the Ray Sand than via the Spitway and a lot less bashing to weather in a Westerly. From Swin Spitway to Shore Ends is quite a slog in a 28 footer in those conditions, even with Kim Holman's magic to help.

Peter.

 

[MikeBz]

In a westerly there’s very little fetch from the weather shore to the Ray Sand for any sea to build up.

 

[PeterWright]

The highest part of the weather shore for miles is the river wall and I can assure you that it provides little shelter out at Swin Spitway. Thd shallow water limits the height of the seas but offers no protection against the typical east coast steep choppy conditions where each wave can almost stop a boat of Twister size. Marmalade's description of conditions in the Ray Sand and the Crouch is good, it's just that the Whittakker Channel is worse in the same conditions as is the alternate route north of the Swallowtail. If you're working your tides, it will be wind over tide sailing up the Crouch in a westerly.

 

[MikeBz]

I wasn’t referring to any shore height giving shelter from the wind, simply that in a westerly the fetch for sea to build up over the Ray Sand is substantially less than any other wind direction. I’ve crossed many times and would be more concerned with sea state if the wind has any east in it. But I guess others have had different experiences.

Different story once into the deep water with wind over tide of course.

 

[tillergirl]

The effect of the tide at the Spitway should not be ignored. Given that we have tried collecting data ove rthe years in various conditions, we have observed that particularly west of the Swin Spitway the tide agitates the waters on some quite placid days. The edge of the Buxey south side is quite steep and thus the flood 'plays' around that edge. And if there is a strong SW against the flood will be lumpy there.
The east coast steep waves are an horrid feature; the Wallet does hold national awards for being best for being horrid. The image on the other thread really shows it to effect!

The east wind is also horrid. When we have been on the Ray Sand, the Spitway or the Sunk Sand we have seen there is a sort of swell from the East over the sands overlaid with steep waves. We have given up collecting data in 10-12kts of east wind - no problem to sail or motor but accurate data?

 

[RivalRedwing]

Hi I was hoping to sail down from Brightlingsea this Saturday, cross the sands about an hour before the flood, and maybe motor in against the forecast Westerly... However, I'm thinking that a F4/5 coming straight down the river meeting an incoming tide might be rather unpleasant on my 28ft Twister with its 10hp motor...
Any thoughts welcome!

How was it?

 

[Captain Crisp]

We had a wild sail out to Colne Point in 25 mph of wind and lashing rain before deciding that discretion was the better part of valour and shot back up to Wivenhoe for lunch... Then shot back out for another wild blast, before hitting Brightlingsea in time for the footie in the Bakers Arms then sunset in The Pyefleet...

 

[Snowgoose-1]

I had the classic Wallet experience in my first boat of 20' . F6 SW wind against tide from Walton to Blackwater motorsailing.

On reflection. I think I would have been better off mororsailing against the ebb when the waves were in sympathy with wind.

 

[RivalRedwing]

We had a wild sail out to Colne Point in 25 mph of wind and lashing rain before deciding that discretion was the better part of valour and shot back up to Wivenhoe for lunch... Then shot back out for another wild blast, before hitting Brightlingsea in time for the footie in the Bakers Arms then sunset in The Pyefleet...

Very wise

 

[johnalison]

Discretion is always advisable. Unfortunately, I’m not always discrete. My best decision was in about 1974 with the family in our Mystere. We had planned to go to Whitstable from Brightlingsea but the forecast was SW 4-5 and the Swin didn’t look tempting, so we just lunched at Rowhedge. A couple of hours later the Morning Cloud gale hit just before we got back to Brightlingsea, where we were stuck for the week.

 

[morgandlm]

I'm a bit late jumping on to this thread but thought I would share my experience of yesterday (10th) entering The Crouch on a rising tide into a SW 4-5 (possibly occasional F6). I was in my Sadler 26 with a single reef in the main and a partly furled genoa. I had mistakenly thought that the Whitaker channel would be a better option than the Swallowtail. I have a decent (new) engine but despite having to tack, sailing was a better option than punching into the waves under engine. It was a very wet and violent sail with the occasional large pair of waves that that would suddenly appear. My auto helm was unable to cope so going below was not an option without going hove-to which I did once. There had been a strong wind warning for the area but I had thought the approach would be relatively tame given the protection of the land. Not so. Coming out of there today was a totally different experience. Relatively flat water, SW 2-3 and nav buoys that you could spot without difficulty. The lesson I learned yesterday was the value of doing lots of preparation for what is really pilotage. I had relied on being able to spot buoys in good time to check the course etc but in the face of that sort of wild sea picking out buoys was really hard especially when tacking. All good fun - especially in hindsight! In complete contrast, overnight in Yokesfleet Creek was deserted, peaceful and very relaxing.

David Morgan

 

[johnalison]

I'm a bit late jumping on to this thread but thought I would share my experience of yesterday (10th) entering The Crouch on a rising tide into a SW 4-5 (possibly occasional F6). I was in my Sadler 26 with a single reef in the main and a partly furled genoa. I had mistakenly thought that the Whitaker channel would be a better option than the Swallowtail. I have a decent (new) engine but despite having to tack, sailing was a better option than punching into the waves under engine. It was a very wet and violent sail with the occasional large pair of waves that that would suddenly appear. My auto helm was unable to cope so going below was not an option without going hove-to which I did once. There had been a strong wind warning for the area but I had thought the approach would be relatively tame given the protection of the land. Not so. Coming out of there today was a totally different experience. Relatively flat water, SW 2-3 and nav buoys that you could spot without difficulty. The lesson I learned yesterday was the value of doing lots of preparation for what is really pilotage. I had relied on being able to spot buoys in good time to check the course etc but in the face of that sort of wild sea picking out buoys was really hard especially when tacking. All good fun - especially in hindsight! In complete contrast, overnight in Yokesfleet Creek was deserted, peaceful and very relaxing.

David Morgan

I went out for the day on the 10th, just out of Titchmarsh to the Orwell. The true wind was mostly 20-22 ish, occasionally 16 or 26, so mostly F 5 with a bit of 6, with a peak reading of 31 knots. We motored home.