Foulger's Gat

[ditchcrawler]

Earlier in the week I went from the Orwell to Dover with some friends and we had just passed through Fisherman's Gat heading south when we heard the following conversation with a boat (Dutch I think) which passed in front going across us under sail.
"Boat at position xdeg N ydeg E what are your intentions".We checked and it wasn't us.The message was repeated and the other boat replied."I am continuing on this tack"
The caller said "Are you intending to go through Foulger's Gat." Boat replied "Yes".Caller said "I do not have the authority to prevent you doing this but there are some work boats about which may be doing up to 20 knots so keep a good look out." Boat replied "I will".
I have always used Foulger's as my preferred passage and I thought that when the wind farm was complete the Long Sand Buoys would be reinstated, but perhaps it is not completed yet and/or maintenance was being carried out.
I can understand that they may be nervous about yachts using the passage.The Dutchman seemed totally unconcerned and went through Foulgers as he intended.

 

[CliveG]

I think my response to the caller would be to remind him that the col regs require sailing vessels to stand-on and power vessels to give way.

 

[Bru]

When we went South (via Fishermans Gat), the Mary Ann 1 was claiming on the VHF that Foulgers Gat was "closed". As far as I'm aware, they have no authority to close the gat but it doesn't seem to stop them trying to scare people away

 

[mhouse]

It is their standard reply. We called them up last week when in the area and had quite a chat. In brief they said it is not closed, but be careful. We saw two boats motoring through unhindered by the work boats at the north end.

 

[Champagne Murphy]

Just read the thread and we (SWMBO and I) both now want to go through just to spite them.

 

[Slow_boat]

Well, the work boats are there to work. It strikes me as polite, at least, that the informed the leisure boats of their presence and work practices.

 

[tillergirl]

The rules are pretty simple. When a work boat is working it can claim a 500m exclusion zone into which you should not enter. They have this approved in law although I have no idea what the sanctions are if you go into the area. The reason for the exclusion zone at the moment is that they will have divers down which is after all pretty sensible. The London Array have recently also been claiming a 900m exclusion zone (which is pretty close to a round kilometer) for some works. I haven't researched whether they got that approved in law (there are better things to do with time!). Clearly underway, they can't claim an exclusion zone! I exchanged messages with the coordinators earlier in the year and there was no date set with Trinity House to discuss the return of the SWMs. One wonders weather they will ever be needed given that there is now an avenue with marked turbine through which we pass; see the download here: http://www.crossingthethamesestuary.com/page6.html (scroll down the page).

I think it fair to say that the Marine Coordinators (at lesst one of them sails himself) have done their best during the construction to be clear about their activities. We have had weekly NtMs issued detailing the work. It is true that there were reports of the Mary Ann 1 being a little over zealous early last year or maybe even it was 2010 but those were raised with the Coordinators and I don't believe there have been any other reports since.

 

[Bru]

It is true that there were reports of the Mary Ann 1 being a little over zealous early last year or maybe even it was 2010 but those were raised with the Coordinators and I don't believe there have been any other reports since.

Well she was definitely claiming that Foulgers Gate was "closed" during a securite broadcast just three weeks ago. The only vessel anywhere in sight from Fishermans was ... the Mary Ann 1!

 

[Cantata]

The RYA said in their recent mag that they had talked again to London Array to ask why L.A. had apparently not complied with their original agreement to allow craft thro the Gat if at all possible, and that L.A. had agreed again that they would do all they could to help.

I was out and about this week and constantly heard Mary Ann on the blower and did wonder what they were on about - anyway very few boats answered their call, so either ignoring the calls or not keeping a listening watch. I don't believe there should be any diving going on in the Gat at this late stage of construction, all I believe is left is routine turbine maintenance and final inter-turbine cable burial work.

I would suggest that anyone who does think they are being over-zealous again to contact RYA-East and complain.

 

[tillergirl]

Well she was definitely claiming that Foulgers Gate was "closed" during a securite broadcast just three weeks ago. The only vessel anywhere in sight from Fishermans was ... the Mary Ann 1!

I don't doubt you. But if a work craft claiming the 900m exclusion zone was just by the Sub Station with divers down, the Gat would be closed. Dick, I am afraid that there are plenty of inter-turbine cables going across Foulger's Gat so your assumption is a bit speculative!

 

[Bru]

I don't doubt you. But if a work craft claiming the 900m exclusion zone was just by the Sub Station with divers down, the Gat would be closed.

Must've been a stealth workboat then

Not that I'm getting hot under the collar about it - we were using Fishermans anyway so I didn't care and even if we had been wanting to use Foulgers I can't think of many circs where a polite request to divert around due to works in progress wouldn't cut it.

It was just the bald statement that it was "closed" with no explanation and no evidence of any activity anywhere to be seen that set me wondering

Hey ho, no doubt they'll soon move on to building a new wind farm. Probably right across the Swin Spitway or something