Essex rivers to Calais

[landyhubbard]

If the forecast is OK, a big if, I know, then I hope to get over to Calais/Gravelines from the Blackwater this Friday. I don't have any passage planning information with me. Local HW is about noon I think. What's the best time to leave on Friday morning?- I would like to get there in daylight if at all possible.

 

[heerenleed]

I have a pilot called North Sea Passages, which I always use as the routes simply always turn out to be perfect, especially if you consider the tides. I will look it up tonight and post again. I believe there is a route from Harwich to Calais.

cheers

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

It'd probably be through the Wallet Spitway, and then the Swin, through Foulgers Gat, and out past Nth Foreland.... probably outside Goodwin, although the fact that you have to go quite a way west of Calais to enter might make an inside passage OK...

Personally, I'd head for Gravelines..... not that keen on Calais!

Timings wise, you'll want to be leaving the Blackwater a bit before HW, and stem the last of the flood, to get a good tide down to North Foreland... don't know what time the tides are this weekend though....

 

[bendyone]

HW Calais 12.15 am on Saturday so you should be able to get in OK. I will be on board in the Marina on Saturday so if you fancy a beer I'm on I 192 berth
Re Gravelines watch the depth if your a fin.

 

[FullCircle]

Go to Gravelines..... you can take almost a direct line from E Goodwin to Ruytingen to cross the TSS.
As bendyone says, you need to get into the entrance to Gravelines by HW-2, and dont enter in over a F5/6, its a bit narrow and lumpy. The harbour dries, but it eats fin keels wholesale. I was parked opposite a Dehler 41 and a Sadler 34SE that just gracefully sank into the mud while tied to the pontoon.

 

[landyhubbard]

Thanks for the advice. I was particularly interested in the timing of departure. from memory, I recall leaving last time about 2 hours before local HW, Morgana suggests just before HW. What's the earliest I should leave?

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

By 'a bit' I wouldn't disagree with 2hrs.... the more you punch leaving the Blackwater, the more fair tide over to Ramsgate.... also, if you leave 2hrs before, you'll hit Foulgers Gat nearer HW.... my plan is usually 1hr before, but 2hrs would be OK... my decision as to 1 or 2 before would ultimately be driven by what time I had to get up or wanted to arrive!!!!

 

[heerenleed]

I looked up my pilot, which gives a very precise route. Too precise, as it is ten years old at least and in the estuary too many changes have taken place to follow their advise, I think.
Anyway, it says to leave at HW Dover minus 1 1/2, or HW Burnham minus 2 1/2. Then it makes you head across the estuary ( but obviously you must work that out with an accurate chart) to the entrance buoys to Edinburgh Channel, (from here you have a favourable tide for the rest op the passage to Calais) which it tells us to follow along its extreme starbd. edge. then head for Outer Tongue (RW) buoy, then Elbow N Cardinal then NE Goodwin East Cardinal, keeping to the east in all cases. Correct course across the tide towards S Falls S cardinal. Now, a right angled course across the TSS will crab across to CA4 W Cardinal, CA 6 (R) and then into the channel leading to Calais.
Alternatively, from S Falls alter your course in order to aim for Sandettie LTV (it says, but I think it has been replaced by a buoy long ago) a point approx 3 m W of the DKA (RW) buoy, then follow buoyed channel that lead to Dunkirk and the Gravelines approach.

The pilot supposes that you can make an average of 4.5 knots.

You must, of course check all this carefully, I have not checked my charts (they need replacing anyway) to see if all the mentioned buoys are still in place.

We have used this route many times in the past, but we always found that the tide still runs very hard against you when you get to the channel leading to Dunkirk. So Gravelines, although 100 times nicer than Calais in my opinion, may not be very practical. But maybe we crossed too fast and arrived at the French coast too early in the tide.

Anyway, I hope this helps in any way.

Enjoy your crossing while we cross our fingers for a little bit of weather that fits the season.

cheers
Peter

 

[FullCircle]

Sadly, the Edinburgh Channel buoys were discontinued in August 2002.

New charts for Christmas perhaps? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[heerenleed]

Don't shoot the messenger!. I merely copied the pilot's text and yes, i know the pilot is old /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif. Need to replace that one, definitely, as it has perfect routes, which use the tides very well.

cheers

 

[Vara]

Caution this post not to be used for Navigational purposes.

This very problem is posed in Lt.Commdr. M J Rantzen's "Little Ship Navigation" published 1949.

He says that the route via Fishermans Gap should be safe in moderate weather and visibility (or will be one day when all the mines are gone and all the light-ships are back)!!!!

 

[MikeBz]

This book sounds like a good tip! I've just ordered a copy (4th edition, the latest) from www.bookdepository.co.uk, £18.06 incl. delivery.

Mike

 

[FullCircle]

My will did stipulate that I was to be buried or scattered at a distance of no more than one cable from the Edinburgh No1 buoy.
What a marvellous sense when you got sluiced around Edinburgh channel apparently against the tide, and such a deep channel surrounded by such shallows.
Marvellous place, and used to be one of my favourite ways of crossing the Estuary.
Sadly, my will has been amended to a rather soulless Lat & Long, and no one will remember the significance of the site when my lights are out.

Colmce, you need to update that map of yours. The Tongue tower also fell over in sympathy with the Edinburgh denouement, and the LVs are, well, just erm, missing.

 

[PeterGibbs]

Given the weather, I advise some caution in your strategy.

Take the whole rising tide to the N Foreland, Ramsgate is the fallback if the crossing to Calais looks ropey.

Run on down to the S Foreland and clear Dover port entrance, heading for the TSS margin. Crossing here will take you north of the Varne LH and south of the course used by the outbound cross channel ferries. Make an approach to the Calais channel marker and head in.

Approaching Calais watch for the lights and be prepared to hold up on one of the small buoys outside the gate which opens pretty well on schedule. Comfortable when inside, good faciliites, and lots of reasonable grubberies within 5 mins walk - proabably important if the rain forecast is fulfilled!

Calais is the only port worth visiting along this bit of coast in my view - the rest is industrialised Franco-Stalinist grot!

PWG