Foulgers Gat

[Champagne Murphy]

Came back to the Orwell yesterday via Foulgers. We were very good and took the pukka route, Long Sand Outer, Middle and Inner but on the way saw a yacht go straight through the Southern outer to Middle.
Is there any reason why not? Or just at high tide?

 

[Marmalade]

not sure what the various routes are called! Once you're through Foulgers, Long Sand is behind you... I head North towards Sunk Head - crossing the Sunk if the tide is rising towards Barrow No 2 but otherwise heading NE just outside the channel and then coming NW to head to Goldmer.

 

[Champagne Murphy]

not sure what the various routes are called! Once you're through Foulgers, Long Sand is behind you... I head North towards Sunk Head - crossing the Sunk if the tide is rising towards Barrow No 2 but otherwise heading NE just outside the channel and then coming NW to head to Goldmer.

Being in the Orwell means we are spared the terrors of the Sunk crossing. It was really just about cutting the corner at the bottom of Foulgers.

 

[LittleSister]

It's not exactly clear what you mean. Are you saying the other yacht passed up Foulgers Gat from Long Sand Outer (southern clear water buoy) to Long Sand Middle (central clear water buoy at the dog-leg in the Gat), and then continued on the same NW-ish course direct to Black Deep, not turning north up the Gat to the Long Sand Inner (northern clear water buoy where the Gat meets Black Deep)?

If so, it looks quite do-able at HW, but I can't see the point if heading for Orwell. Neither can I see why you think crossing the Sunk is irrelevant to the Orwell (though it's not essential, of course).

 

[Champagne Murphy]

It's not exactly clear what you mean. Are you saying the other yacht passed up Foulgers Gat from Long Sand Outer (southern clear water buoy) to Long Sand Middle (central clear water buoy at the dog-leg in the Gat), and then continued on the same NW-ish course direct to Black Deep, not turning north up the Gat to the Long Sand Inner (northern clear water buoy where the Gat meets Black Deep)?

If so, it looks quite do-able at HW, but I can't see the point if heading for Orwell. Neither can I see why you think crossing the Sunk is irrelevant to the Orwell (though it's not essential, of course).

I’ll try to explain without the screenshot; Heading N. From N.Foreland we went to Long sand outer, long sand middle and lond sand inner. The other yacht missed out long sand outer (as far as I could tell about a mile away) and went straight to long sand middle. They missed out the dog leg.

Re the Sunk crossing; travelling to Ramsgate we’ve always gone from south cork to the top of Black deep. No need to do the crossing that way so our only experience is when I followed the chartplotter rather that Roger’s waypoints and hit the sand. Schoolboy error really and a bit scary even in calm weather.

 

[tillergirl]

Pesky interweb not working well this morning. Trying again!

There is no Wind Farm rule to prevent 'going direct' from the Middle straight down. There is of course the standard exclusion round each turbine but there is sufficient room to bisect twix two. Only a temporary local maintenance exclusion zone could stop that. Is there a local depth issue? Frankly don't know but others have 'go direct' with success. I think the 'dogleg' was a convenience by the Wind Farm planners. They were required to provide us an avenue for the Gat and they had to drop one turbine to make the avenue. To 'go direct' would have made another turbine to be missed out. I have no evidence of that, it just seems logic to me. Several have said they have gone direct, another with a deep, deep keel followed the 'dogleg'. There is an issue potentially over depth. Round each turbine there is tide scour and the spoil deposits where? Is it significant? I have not heard. I have a piccy from Turkish Airlines showing the wind farm maintenance craft just plough across - shallow craft of course. As I said, several have 'gone direct' successfully.


Are 'going direct' and 'dogleg' new navigational terms? I am already using 'MMC':nonchalance:

 

[LittleSister]

Are 'going direct' and 'dogleg' new navigational terms?

I think the correct terms, in East Coast parlance, are 'ploughing on regardless' and 'going round the bend'.

 

[Plum]

I’ll try to explain without the screenshot; Heading N. From N.Foreland we went to Long sand outer, long sand middle and lond sand inner. The other yacht missed out long sand outer (as far as I could tell about a mile away) and went straight to long sand middle. They missed out the dog leg.
.

Yes, no need to go to the long sand outer to/from North Foreland even at low water.

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[Champagne Murphy]

Yes, no need to go to the long sand outer to/from North Foreland even at low water.

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

Phew!
Thanks all. The east Coast mafia rule:encouragement:

 

[PeterWright]

Yes, no need to go to the long sand outer to/from North Foreland even at low water.

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

I agree with Plum and find the buoyed dog leg a bit of a pain. There is plenty of water south of Long Sand Middle and it would have made more sense to put Long Sand Outer to take you more or less on a continuation of the course from Long Sand Inner, chosen to pass through the last row of turbines to the south., exiting between turbines A12 and A13. That's the route we usually take, although it wasn't me on 12 July, honest Guv.

Peter.

 

[STOL71]

I would go via the Long Sand Outer in strong winds to avoid the overfalls. Other than that I'll cut across from Long Sand Middle.