Fin keel - drying out at Wivenhoe

[mrming]

Planning to head to Brightlingsea next week and would like to venture up the Colne to Wivenhoe.

We’re a 32’ fin keel yacht drawing 1.6m. We’re based in Conyer Creek off the Swale where we dry out upright in soft mud.

I’ve contacted Wivenhoe SC and have had a friendly reply suggesting they think we’d be okay on one of their visitor berths on the pontoon just downstream from the Wivenhoe tidal barrier.

Can anyone who has dried out there tell me what the mud is like? Is it soft enough to dry out relatively upright in? Am I insane going up there in a boat our size?

Any pointers greatly appreciated.

 

[johnalison]

There are holes in the mud alongside the club pontoon, so you should be OK. The mud is very soft, in fact one club syndicate kept a 45’ Dufour on one of the nearby river moorings for a season, though I’ve not done it myself with my 1.5m fin. The pontoon was refurbished with the help of a grant, one condition of which was that it should be available to visitors, so you will be very welcome (and would have been previously, space permitting).

 

[Cobra]

I was crewing for a friend in his Wivenhoe One Design last weekend and there were a couple of 28 - 30 footers on the outside of the pontoon...they seemed to have water around them at just after low water, so you should be OK.

 

[pioneer]

According to the WSC website using the outer pontoon is time limited, need to use the inner sides for an overnight (also restricted to 2 nights). They also have a depth chart but it's a bit out of date, now.

 

[mrming]

Very helpful - thanks all!

 

[FulmarJeddo]

I have been on the outer pontoon about 3 or 4 times in my bilge keel Fulmar. The club has always been welcoming and there has never been a problem with an overnight stay. I have dried out upright when against the pontoon, but heeled over quite a bit when rafted outside another boat. That would suggest the mud is on the firm side. On the inner berths there is a lot less water and the mud does look very soft as you can’t normally see what type of keels any boats there have.