First time east coast cruise planned

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Vid

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Hi all. Last year I bought an Achilles 24 and have had a great time with it sailing on the Thames. I'm now planning a first-time trip to explore the east coast over during a week's holiday in July. I have reasonable sailing and navigation experience but these waters are completely unfamiliar to me. I have the East Coast Pilot book, East Coast Rivers and Crossing the Thames Estuary book.

It's all new to me so some advice on a reasonable itinerary would be useful, as well as some other questions.

My thoughts are:

Day 1 - Greenwich to Queenborough
Day 2 - Queenborough to Harwich
Day 3 - Walton Backwaters or The Stour
Day 4 - Brightlingsea / Mersea
Day 5 - Mersea / Maldon
Day 6 - to Queenborough
Day 7 - back to Greenwich

Does this seem reasonable/feasible - any suggestions?

Also, would it make more sense to pick a week of Spring or Neap tides? I'm assuming neaps may be sensible but welcome your thoughts.

Finally, where are some good recommendations for overnight? The boat has few facilities so we'll need shoreside access and amenities most nights, but I'd like a night or two up a little creek at anchor. She has a triple keel so can take the ground ok.

Thanks for your thoughts,

Vid
 
Hi Vid,

That has the signs of being a nice week away !!. It all seems reasonable and feasible although for the Queenborough/Harwich leg I would rather have springs to help make the distance. You can keep out of the way of all the shallow banks on that leg, though I dont think you draw too much anyway, and it is all covered in the pilots and guides you have.

Ha'penny Pier at Harwich is quite an interesting place to stay although there are loads of places round there to stop. I can thoroughly recommend the upper stretches of the Stour having been there last weekend, and of course the Walton Backwaters have a fab reputation - Titchmarsh Marina has full facilities, tho there are anchorages/buoys galore.

Brightlingsea pontoons are good and there is a water taxi to get you ashore with fish and chippy's of great repute but a short walk. Same for Mersea but limited (I believe) visitor pontoons - plenty buioys though with a short dinghy ride.

Maldon is lovely though get the tides right, as I believe there to be significantly less water at the visitor pontoon than charted/piloted. Others may have more detail.

The only thing I might add in would be a stop off at Bradwell on the way back - if only to sample the delights of the Green Man. You will have to negotiaite the Swin Spitway on your way back to Queenborough though it really is straightforward.

Let us know which dates you are planning - there are a number of forumites dotted along your route.

Good luck with it.
 
Recommend the Deben. The most beautiful river I have ever cruised. Don't be put off by the "notorious" bar it's a pussycat in anything other than strong onshore wind or very strong wind against tide.
 
Looks good to me.... and has the benefit of destinations that could be skipped if weather conspired against you...

Each and every one of the places you've suggested is lovely in its own different way, but i'd definitely do the Walton Backwaters (suggest the Hamford water side) for a night of perfect peace and relaxation, and i'd possibly swap Maldon for Bradwell as per CPD's suggestion above just to keep the trip relaxed and not turn it into a long distance slog...

But, it does sound very nice overall!
 
If you like curry then Brightlingsea is a must visit! Kovolam (or however you spell it) very close to waterfront.

West Mersea - No pontoons to lie alongside overnight, plenty of buoys, avoid those with WMM (West Mersea Marine) if possible as you may have to play, ask the WMYC boatman/lady which buoys are likely to be free #37 Call Sign YC1 (just say the letters not yankee charlie). If you want a night of peace and quiet go up Salcott Creek.

My only thought is are you trying to pack in too much! I know I am guilty of the same and rush on to the next place to tick it off the list rather than take time to explore.

Enjoy!
 
Sounds like we will be doing a reciprocal route - I'm planning a trip up the Thames this Summer from the Harwich area!
Agree with all of the suggestions made thus far. We have Stone Point (Walton Backwaters) as a favourite which gives an option for a peaceful anchor in the Hamford Water (except with stiff Easterlies) and Titchmarsh up the creek for marina facilities.
Our club The Royal Harwich is very welcoming for visitors and great for a run ashore, clubhouse,food,drink,showers etc - Geoff Prentice is the berthmaster and always tries hard to fit you in. A walk down the foreshore from RHYC to Pin Mill is always rewarding given the pub Butt and Oyster is a great eat and drink pub.
A mooring off the Ramsholt Inn or The Rocks in the Deben or up to Waldrigfiled again offer good pub options but not so much to my knowledge in terms of showers etc. Anchoring off Havergate Island up the Ore are also great stops.
You really have so much to go at and the East Coast Pilot is a source of info we have used getting to know our cruising area. West Mersea is good too - we have used the pile moorings and a quick tender ashore, a bit of a walk to the supermarket for provisions though.
Tollesbury is very welcoming and has a swimming pool and tennis courts if that appeals - my family had a great 3 day stay last year making the most of the facilities - be aware not full tide access but info in pilot.
The fun you will have planning the trip will more than pay off with the great locations on offer.
I look forward to hearing how it all went in future posts.
Ben
 
As for Day 5, you will have to take the tide up to Maldon and either dry out up there - limited opportunities - or drop down river at least as far as Southey Creek before you can lie afloat at low water. I would suggest you time this to go up to Maldon for a midday ish high water, possibly lie along side the visitors pontoon while you have a pint ashore, examine the Thames Sailing Barges alongside before dropping down river with the ebb. I would suggest you aim for Bradwell on your return if you need the delights of a marina plus as been mentioned the Green Man should be visited. But if the weather is settled anchoring overnight off Osea or nipping into Lawling Creek can be very rewarding. For Mersea, I am afraid you will need a dinghy to get ashore. Our YC launch will take during the day for a small sum but it finishes early evening. If you at Brightlingsea the previous night, you could get here for lunch-time, get a ride ashore in the YC launch (call YC1), have lunch in either of the two seafood places or the Yacht Club or the Coast Inn, return before the end of the day and have a charming peaceful night on a swinging mooring awaking to the call of Curlews and things. The end of Salcott Creek where I lay is just the place for this but you will need to check with YC1 for a vacant buoy. Normally YC1 will allocate you a place closer to shore than Salcott so if you are thinking that way, you need to say.

If the tide doesn't suit for a lunch time up to Maldon, there is always Heybridge Basin to lock into over night. Two pubs within rolling distance and generally charming with the possibility of a trip on the launch up the Canal to Tescos (not sure if it is being run this year yet).

Peter (Karouise) is entirely correct about the Ruby (Curry). Generally not to be missed. I think I agree with him about the itinery being a bit packed. The Deben is delightful and you could spend a week there; the Orwell is not to be missed; the Stour is interesting for day trip to Misley and back on the tide; the Walton Backwaters are a jewel you can spend two or three days examining; Brightlingsea is a harbour like no other (we would be there if we could find a house we liked); the Blackwater is a super sailing ground with enough places for a couple of days to be squandered.

Go for it....
 
East coast cruise

Reading this makes me realise just how lucky we all are in having such a wonderful cruising ground to explore. Year after year, it never palls. And sad that this year's major refit means that I won't be afloat for at least a couple of months yet.
 
All the cruises mentioned have some merit, and I would only suggest that you keep some alternatives in mind. For example, on the day suggested, you may find that the Wallet presents too much of a challenge, and a visit to the Blackwater area may have to be postponed.

You have (among others) a choice of, say, Harwich/Colne/Blackwater, or Harwich/ Orwell/ Stour/ Walton Backwaters, or Harwich/ Deben/ maybe even the Ore. Bearing in mind that you may need to cross the sands close to LW, your own suggestion of doing much of it on neaps is probably sound, as well as usually giving the long sails in daylight.
 
Sounds like a fab cruise just the sort of thing i would do , like the others have said though leave maldon for another time as it would be quite a trek back to the queenborough from there and going through the swin on a falling tide , otherwise should be alot of fun .

i may just have "micaralee" back in the water by then after she's been to the doctors at tollesbury so might see you on yr travels .
 
too fast - too greedy - savour the east coast

just head for the backwaters and explore from there depending on the weather.

If you are in the backwaters and turns horrible you can retreat to titchmarsh

great beach on the naze - available all tides

the orwell and stour are great rivers - wrabness lovely

then the pontoons at RHYC on the Orwell

more than enough to entertain you for the week there

ktl 51 is about the stour if you want a taster

Dylan
 
That's a lovely cruise, but it is totally dependent on good weather, unless you are a real massochist - all those who have given up on the Wallet when it was doing its vomit-alley bit will agree! I suggest you have a few plan B's. You could spend the whole week wandering around the Blackwater (or even Crouch and Roach) if the weather turns bad. I hope you wouldn't regard that as a failure.

The Queenborough-Harwich leg is quite long (you need to do it in one tide, really, which means keeping up a good pace), and I'd be tempted to break it in Brightlingsea or (my preference) Pyefleet.

Otherwise, I agree with all the others. I hope you'll be back to explore all the bits you missed this time. Have a super cruise and tell us when you are coming.
 
Lots of great information here, thanks for the advice.

I'll have another look at the Q'boro - Harwich leg as that does seem a little long (as does the return from Maldon) but the great thing in this part of the world is that there seems to be plenty of alternatives.
 
Vid said:
Lots of great information here, thanks for the advice.

I'll have another look at the Q'boro - Harwich leg as that does seem a little long (as does the return from Maldon) but the great thing in this part of the world is that there seems to be plenty of alternatives.
Click to expand...

I would second a stopover at Brightlingsea instead of continuing to Harwich. This is what we have done in the past, much easier and Brightlingsea is good as said earlier. If you can stop on the Stour at Wrabness - either anchor or pick up a vacant mooring. As said don't be put off by the Deben Bar - you can see the latest chartlet at http://www.eastcoastrivers.com/ and other local information. Have a good trip.
 
The time is nearly upon us to do this cruise and planning is at the detailed stage. We shall be leaving Greenwich on Sunday, then the itinerary is:

Day 1 - Greenwich to Queenborough
Day 2 - Queenborough to Brightlingsea
Day 3 - Brightlingsea to West Mersea
Day 4 - West Mersea to ?
Day 5 - ? - to Bradwell
Day 6 - Bradwell to Queenborough
Day 7 - Queenborough to Greenwich

Am thinking of Maldon area for day 4 overnight but not sure about good places. Any recommendations for a little creek to moor up in?

As you see, I'm sticking to the Blackwater/Colne area for this week.

Thanks
Vid
 
First choice would be dropping the hook round the back of Osea...not a particularly challenging sail from Mersea, but it is very pleasant when you get there. As an alternative consider Blackwater Marina at Mayland, or of course go right up to Maldon/Heybridge...now gets out tide tables to see if those ideas are practical...Wednesday 7th HW Mersea at 08.39 LW Maldon 15.04 HW Maldon 21.28 - Thursday 8th HW Maldon 10.07.

Should be no major issues there...have fun!!
 
2nd vote for Pyefleet creek.... delightful place.... or if the weather is very settled, then at anchor off Osea island would be another lovely choice... peace of the highest quality available in both locations!

I have to say, it does sound like a really rather nice trip... have fun!
 
I was going to suggest Pyfleet !!

Okay, try the Roach or even better Yorksfleet Creek with it's seal colony. Anchor up near the bend and make sure you set an anchor light as small fiching boats sometimes use it at night.

I'm looking at our first trip to Medway and North Kent in the week after Pirate weekend. We may meet you coming or going!
 
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