Harwich to Burnham on Crouch or Chatham Journey reassurance

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Hrcap

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Morning All

I haven't had my boat very long (Jeanneau Sundance 36) and have been learning my craft in and around the River Orwell, with a couple of trips from Harwich to Brightlingsea.

This Friday (17th July 2015) I am looking to do a trip from Harwich to Burnham on Crouch or Chatham leaving at aprox 7am and going around the outside of the wind farms. I know from the forecast that both journeys will require some tacking but basically just wanted a second opinion and reassurance that the wind speeds, wave heights etc predicted for friday, saturday and sunday are suitable for a beginner.


Many Thanks
 
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You may be better posting this on the East Coast Forum.They are a friendly bunch of raggies full of knowledge.
Good luck.
 
Harwich to Burnham on Crouch or Chatham Journey reassurance Read more at http://www.y

Morning All

I haven't had my boat very long (Jeanneau Sundance 36) and have been learning my craft in and around the River Orwell, with a couple of trips from Harwich to Brightlingsea.

This Friday (17th July 2015) I am looking to do a trip from Harwich to Burnham on Crouch or Chatham leaving at aprox 7am and going around the outside of the wind farms. I know from the forecast that both journeys will require some tacking but basically just wanted a second opinion and reassurance that the wind speeds, wave heights etc predicted for friday, saturday and sunday are suitable for a beginner.


Many Thanks
Read more at http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...atham-Journey-reassurance#eP8F0Ez7H3DfLlpq.99
 
TBH it looks a bit horrid early on Friday http://www.windguru.cz/int/index.php?sc=5200&sty=m_spot

The wind speed is quite high on Friday, given that the apparent windspeed will be 5knots higher. Also you will get plenty of sea state from wind over tide. This might be worse outside the wind farm as the tide runs stronger there than in the Wallet. Well reefed and it could be experienced gained. The boat will love it! I'd avoid going to Chatham - just more adverse wind and eventually adverse tide too.

Looks fine the rest of the time.
 
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Definitely come on over to the East Coast Forum (and this, I would argue, is why the announced forum shuffle is a damn good idea)

I concur with my esteemed fellow East Coasters that Friday looks a bit pants for a trip South from the Orwell

Wind over tide in the Wallet, yuk

Going round the outside might be better but the wise owls generally say it ain't

And wind over tide down the Whitaker to get into the Crouch is no picnic either!

I've done Ipswich (Fox's) to Fambridge (several miles upstream from Burnham) in those conditions in a 23 footer but it was a hard slog all the way and we only did it because we were on a mission (to buy a bigger boat as it happens!)

Even in said bigger boat I wouldn't be keen unless needs must, it's supposed to be fun not an endurance test :)

Harwich to Chatham in one leg is a pretty long run especially if the conditions are as forecast

Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow and accept that when the weather gods say "no" the sensible sailor heads for the nearest bar!
 
jimi said:
Predictwind forecasts F6/7 bang on the nose for Friday. Rather you than me ;
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We've done it in those conditions in a larger boat and it was horrible. Remember that the channels round there are pretty narrow in several places - even if you are prepared to take your time over it, tacking down there with the wind on the nose will be very tedious - I would expect to do most of it on engine and arrive with a seasick and mutinous crew. You say that you are a beginner - are you confident that you can withstand six, seven, eight hours of a slamming boat? It would be very embarrassing to have to call out the lifeboat because everyone on board is curled up vomiting!
 
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Weather gods not looking good as others have said. But do leave your decision until the night before as weather forecasts have been known to be wildly wrong when looked at several days in advance. But if it's anything like the current forecast then everything the others have said is quite right!!
When you do go for it, best route is certainly Wallet, across the Spitway then to the Crouch entrance or, if going to Chatham, carry on to the S.Whitaker buoy and then head SW along the East Swin, then West Swin, then across the estuary to the Medway entrance. Going all that way is not a trivial passage for a beginner, with a lot of pilotage involved, keeping on top of where you are, and keeping off the shallows, plus coping with crossing the shipping channel to get to the Medway. That trip best left to later on your learning curve, I'd suggest, and better still to a day with a nice F3-4 NW wind.
 
Thanks for the input guys,

Made a slight change of plan from your advice. I'm now going to leave tomorrow afternoon (15/07/2015) and sail around to Brightlingsea for the night. Then i'll have a lay-in tomorrow and make my way across Wallet Spitway just before high-water before turning to head into the crouch.


Many Thanks
 
Evening Guys,

Thank you very much for all your help. Ive changed my plans slightly off of the back of your advice. Im going to leave tomorrow afternoon (15/07/2015) and travel down to Brightlingsea for the night, that will allow me to have a lay-in before crossing the Spitway just before hight tide and then making my way into the Crouch. Hopefully this way it will reduce the amount of time that i'm out in rough conditions on Friday.

I'll then make my way back on Saturday (17/07/2015) to Ipswich. I'll attempt it all in one journey if the weather forecast stays as it is and go on the outside of the windfarm for experience.

The crew is another novice but is a fast learner.


Many Thanks
 
One little ray of sunshine I'm reminded of revisiting my recollections of slogging down the Wallet with the wind on the nose trying to get back into the Crouch asap

If you catch a fair tide down the Wallet and time it right and provided the sea state isn't too extreme you can press on straight down the Rays'n and avoid most of the almost certainly thorough bashing you'll get from the Spitway to the Crouch

You do need to make sure you're going to cross the Ray Sand close to high water though and I'm assuming a sensible East Coast draught not a deep fin keel or anything!
 
Hrcap said:
Evening Guys,

Thank you very much for all your help. Ive changed my plans slightly off of the back of your advice. Im going to leave tomorrow afternoon (15/07/2015) and travel down to Brightlingsea for the night, that will allow me to have a lay-in before crossing the Spitway just before hight tide and then making my way into the Crouch. Hopefully this way it will reduce the amount of time that i'm out in rough conditions on Friday.

I'll then make my way back on Saturday (17/07/2015) to Ipswich. I'll attempt it all in one journey if the weather forecast stays as it is and go on the outside of the windfarm for experience.

The crew is another novice but is a fast learner.


Many Thanks
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That makes more sense. Harwich to Chatham is perfectly achievable in a single passage in decent weather and would be an excellent first experience of a moderately long passage for a learning sailor, but it could also be hell (and quite scary) for an inexperienced sailor in unfavourable conditions. If you haven't been tested in rough weather yet, get some experience close to a safe mooring first - there are not many places along that route where you can stop off if you get into trouble - it's shallow and you could find yourself hours away from a safe haven with yourself and everyone else on the boat feeling terrible!
 
You are already showing wisdom beyond your experience...

The Wallet is not nicknamed vomit allay for nothing:cool:.
How much do you draw? If you are in Brightlingsea tonight, you can go straight south across the Ray Sands at just before high water. At will save you a long slog past the Buxey and Sunken Buxey..

Here is a thread about crossing the Ray Sand..
stevebrassett said:
Did the Ray Sand Channel for the first time at the weekend. Made it through, but it was a bit nerve racking when the depth dropped to 1.6 metres. This was two hours after high tide. Maybe it wasn't the most sensible thing to do it on a falling tide, but there isn't a lot of choice going from Burnham back to the Blackwater, unless you go out to the Swin.
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As to Burnham and eating, The White Hart is a fav.. Most of the sailing clubs seem to die on a Saturday night although they are quite lively in the aftnoon. For curry The Polash is still. going but I prefer Spice Fusion. The Oyster Smack offers fine dining. There are one or three ECMF types in Burnham. I am sure they will selcome you with open bottles to celebrate your first "big sail"..
 
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Tomahawk said:
How much do you draw? If you are in Brightlingsea tonight, you can go straight south across the Ray Sands at just before high water. At will save you a long slog past the Buxey and Sunken Buxey..
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2nd that. But if you're not confident crossing the Rays'n then getting to the Spitway just before HW will leave you with quite a slog against the ebb into/up the Crouch. If we're going the long way from B'sea to the Crouch we leave on the ebb and aim to get to the Spitway at around LW - if this doesn't appeal due to draft considerations (tides are not far off springs) then leave at around LW (now!) and you'll get a really good shove into the Crouch from the Spitway.
 
As others have said, good plan!

Probably too late now but I'd definitely have been looking at crossing the Rays'n in about four hours from now today (about two hours before HW at Holliwell Point) but to be fair unless you sneak over the shoals off Start Point (not for the faint hearted or deep draughted) it's not a huge saving in distance and with this Easterly you should breeze down from the Spitway into the river

If you fancy a change of scene on Friday, come on up to Fambridge (it'll add an hour or so to Saturday though) and say hello :)

Only other critique is that I don't get going outside the wind farm on Saturday. Adds extra miles for no gain as far as I can see
 
MikeBz said:
... leave at around LW (now!) and you'll get a really good shove into the Crouch from the Spitway.
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If Hrcap is reading this tonight... he is coming our way tomorrow... when the will be more wind..

Beating from the Spitway into the Crouch is better that foul tide beating up the Wallet .... by about a natts willy...

and you are beating between sunken mudbanks... Ask Erbas about how soft and welcoming they are ... not
 
Tomahawk said:
If Hrcap is reading this tonight... he is coming our way tomorrow... when the will be more wind..

Beating from the Spitway into the Crouch is better that foul tide beating up the Wallet .... by about a natts willy...
and you are beating between sunken mudbanks... Ask Erbas about how soft and welcoming they are ... not
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Ah, my error, I meant leave from Brightlingsea now (er, then), i.e. around LW - got confused and thought the OP was leaving from Bsea today. I'd much rather beat from the Spitway into the Crouch with the flood under me than against the ebb, it fair rips out of there. In fact I wouldn't bother against the ebb. Another advantage of the Rays'n route (from Bsea) - no beating until you get to the mouth of the Crouch!
 
I'm not sure we should be encouraging the OP to try the Rays'n at this early stage in his career...... When I first started sailing around here I wouldn't have gone anywhere near it. :eek:
 
Fair comment.

I remember the first time I crossed Foulness the sunk and later … It was heart in mouth all the time until I saw the echosounder going deeper…

Brightlingsea is still a nice place to stay…
 
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