Harwich to ramsgate/Dover - times

[Champagne Murphy]

Wot no buoys! Good grief I'm glad Guapa has backed me up because that sounds lethal. Plus - and be gentle with me here I'm a tide novice - we're still on the ebb so I'm allowing it to take me outside? If I used suicide alley (AKA Foulgers unbuoyed Gat) then I'd be fighting the tide trying to get inside?

No! The idea is to be at Foulgers at or just before slack water. Then the tide sweeps you down to Ramsgate. We weren't the only ones using the Gat, there was another boat ahead of us. Don't forget we still have the buoy's position on the chartplotter

 

[sailorman]

No! The idea is to be at Foulgers at or just before slack water. Then the tide sweeps you down to Ramsgate. We weren't the only ones using the Gat, there was another boat ahead of us. Don't forget we still have the buoy's position on the chartplotter

Kipper wanted to go to Dover

 

[Otter]

That's a good point Roger, Dover's in a completely different direction

CM - It's all very well you having the secret positions on your chart plotter but my poor frayed nerves couldn't take the strain. I'll go outside, if its good enough for Guapa, it's good enough for me.

 

[Sixpence]

Don't forget we still have the buoy's position on the chartplotter

Have you got the coordinates for adding to other charts ?

 

[sailorman]

That's a good point Roger, Dover's in a completely different direction

CM - It's all very well you having the secret positions on your chart plotter but my poor frayed nerves couldn't take the strain. I'll go outside, if its good enough for Guapa, it's good enough for me.

Keep us posted as to how you get on & what would have been the optimum time to depart Harwich. Ava good one

 

[Champagne Murphy]

Keep us posted as to how you get on & what would have been the optimum time to depart Harwich. Ava good one

+1. Didn't mean to seem dogmatic, just don't write off the inside route altogether

 

[Koeketiene]

That's a good point Roger, Dover's in a completely different direction

CM - It's all very well you having the secret positions on your chart plotter but my poor frayed nerves couldn't take the strain. I'll go outside, if its good enough for Guapa, it's good enough for me.

My aversion for the 'inside' route goes back to 2006.
When we first got Guapa she was based in Burnham. On our first Channel X-ing out of Burnham we spent a rather uncomfortable 4 hours near West Sunk (high & dry). Even though all available charts and the updated plotter charts showed that we were supposed to have more than enough water there at that state of tide.
The fact that part of the bouyage has been removed and the presence of (sometimes) officious guard vessels, etc... has not stimulated my desire to give the inside route another go.

I sometimes do enjoy a challenging bit of navigation, but when the obstacles start wandering - as sandbanks tend to do - you can count me out.

When heading for the South Coast, our route takes us past Cork Sand - Long Sand Head - Kentish Knock - North Foreland.
I know it is longer, but given a bit of wind our average SOG hovers around the 7-7.5kts we have a bit of time to play with. (FWIW: we tend to leave SYH Harwich HW-1)
Going this route means running out of water or into a windfarm are not things I have to worry about.
Beer and a good book to hand and feel the stress ooze away.

 

[Marmalade]

+1
That's what we do - every time.

+2

 

[Marmalade]

oops - I was plus one-ing to the wrong message!!

We're on the CM page - down Black Deep and through Foulger's

 

[morgandlm]

Foulgers still has no buoys but its clearly marked on our chartplotter. We just sailed down the central reservation!

I haven't used Foulgers' this year but did so 12 months ago. Long Sand Inner and Long Sand Middle safe water marks provide a good line down through the " central reservation". I found the sail through this western end of the array easy and good fun. I suppose it might be a bit tricky in poor viz.
David Morgan

 

[slawosz]

I have question regarding Ramsgate - Dover. I might go to Ramsgate this weekend (weather looks promising so far, I might go from Ramsgate to Dover and back - without entering Dover marina, just to see cliffs and harbour. I might not be able to buy C8 chart, and I wonder if the C12 (east channel one) is enough to navigate from Ramsgate to Dover (and back) inside Godwin Knoll?. I might get also electronic chart, but I don't trust those On Navionic WebApp this looks quite straightforward if you get tides right.

 

[Biggles Wader]

You should have no problem with that if you normally navigate around the East Coast mud. The Downs is actually a nice bit of water to sail in, mostly sheltered from the bigger waves and often with a good steady wind. And not crowded!

 

[Gary Fox]

You should have no problem with that if you normally navigate around the East Coast mud. The Downs is actually a nice bit of water to sail in, mostly sheltered from the bigger waves and often with a good steady wind. And not crowded!

+1

 

[Tomahawk]

A word of experience.. If it is blowing a reasonable SW ... the entrance into Dover eastern can be "sporty" wind against tide.

As you get round S Foreland the harbour comes into view. Call up port control with plenty of time. They will tell you to stay to the north..(as in keep the entrance on the port bow ) and call them back when you are two cables from the entrance.
I always tuck myself almost under the control tower and call them ... They always say best speed and keep to the south and call back at the knuckle lighthouse.. (that will change with the new marina opens ...if ever).. When I have clearance I give it full speed and shoot across the entrance then turn starboard towards the west once I am south of the port entrance light (reverse on leaving). Port control seem to appreciate such tactics as they once gave us clearance to leave when the NPC was only half a mile away.

There was a very good Indi in the basement of the big building on the corner to the left of the subway under the road.

 

[sailorman]

We're off soon to Ramsgate but preferably Dover on our way to IOW and CI. Tide planning doesn't come naturally to me so I'm after some help please!

Departure date will have a Harwich HW of approx 11.00am and we go outside everything, leaving the London Array to starboard. The tricky bit as I understand it is getting the arrival at North Foreland right so as not to be fighting the strong tide there. Departure can either be from Deben or if it's the wrong time we'll nip round the corner to Harwich.

What time would you leave Harwich? And what time would we need to be at North Foreland? Boat speed is the ubiquitous 5knots through the water.

Thanks. LK

I leave lw harwich then ist mainly going across thr tidr but you arrive in the sandwich sres xnd pick neneq flood tide to dover you best svoid this as sa foul tide

 

[sailorman]

So that would imply arriving at NF at around 3.30pm for low water. Working back from that point we have to cover about 40 miles divided by 5knots means a 7.30am departure - am I getting this right???

Call cover whrn close to thw easrwen rntrance they sre well on thw ball snd wont keep you gabging hope you have a pleasant trip aboutthen brighton abd through yjr looe ch into thr solent