Looking for sheltered estuary setting in the East

Hi,
this is quite interesting topic for me too. I am looking to buy some small (20-23ft) bilge keel keel yacht. I will most probably share it with family living in Cambridge (I live in London). We are looking for some cheap dry mooring, and I found few clubs near Heybridge that looks friendly. My question is - how good is sailing in Blackwater River past Osea Island on low tide, as it would be our main sailing area - we are not planning for now to do any open sea sailing, as we have not enough experience. I will buy guide you recommended here, however I would like to get some personal opinions too. Thanks.
 
I have been sailing on the east coast for more than 20 years and on the orwell for the last 13 or so. My thoughts would be from the very few times I have been to Woolverstone is that the tide can have quite an effect through there, making mooring fun at times especially for someone less experienced ( I do not know the posters experience by the way). From the published information Woolverstone Marina has historically been more expensive than Foxs, Levington(SYH), Shotley and Ipswich who all seem to be quite close together price wise.
 
Do check out capacity for hard standing if you want that over winter. We were havering last year between SYH and Woolverstone; both had berths, but we ended up at Woolverstone because it had hard standing space when SYH didn’t.

Now very happy there. Yes there’s The Tide Thing, but you get to know how to deal with it. (After one or two embarrassments perhaps - preferably well fendered..)
 
I'd say go for the Orwell plenty of choice from locked marinas to all access on the river. plenty of ground to potter about on, river stour as well the Walton backwaters very close. by don't be put off by the shipping just listen to VTS. The main thing is distance maybe 1hr a little bit more to Ipswich. As nice as the deban is its restricted in terms of space the entrance is a bit daunting and no all tide mariners if that's what your after. Walton is very tidal, and the blackwater has no all access marinas other then Heybridge basin and Bradwell in a shallow draft vessel and you have the a12 to deal with adding maybe an hr to your journey from ips, you can't really just nip down for an afternoon.
Hopefully there's something that helps, and if your not enjoying yourself your doing it wrong.
 
I would agree with the suggestions of the Orwell, coming from Cambs.

I used to live in East Cambs, the Wash is fairly close, but the only realistic place to keep a boat there (living in Cambs) would be Wisbech. It's 15 miles along the river, then about another 15 to get out of the Wash. A trip to Wells is an epic passage, you need an ebb tide to get out of the Wash, but a flood tide to get into Wells.

Plenty of marinas or swinging moorings on the Orwell. You can be close to Ipswich, less driving, more time sailing to get out of the river, or you can be close to the sea and have more driving but be at sea in minutes. I wouldn't be put off by a lock at either end of the river. Both locks are easy to navigate and the do have the advantage of keeping the marina at a reasonably constant level, so no abseiling down the pontoons at low water :) The Haven lock does tend to have some long waits at time, Shotley can keep you waiting too, but not usually more than a few minutes.

Woolverstone is picturesque. The tide does run through there pretty fast at times, but once the art of ferry gliding has been mastered it can be used to your advantage. It's worth noting that Woolverstone has no lifting facilities, a crane has to be ordered in for annual lift out/in. There are also no in house yard facilities. It's also the most expensive marina on the river.
 
Gilesferr said:
I'd say go for the Orwell plenty of choice from locked marinas to all access on the river. plenty of ground to potter about on, river stour as well the Walton backwaters very close. by don't be put off by the shipping just listen to VTS. The main thing is distance maybe 1hr a little bit more to Ipswich. As nice as the deban is its restricted in terms of space the entrance is a bit daunting and no all tide mariners if that's what your after. Walton is very tidal, and the blackwater has no all access marinas other then Heybridge basin and Bradwell in a shallow draft vessel and you have the a12 to deal with adding maybe an hr to your journey from ips, you can't really just nip down for an afternoon.
Hopefully there's something that helps, and if your not enjoying yourself your doing it wrong.
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Titchmarsh is as near all-tide as makes no odds, depending on your draft. I draw 1.6m, and reckon the only time I can't get in and out is about an hour - maybe an hour and a half - either side of low water. The Harbourmaster says that if you can get through the marina entrance, you can get through Stone Point. Obviously, a yacht with a shallower draft will be even less constrained. The marina itself always has ample depth; it's only a mud bank at the entrance that causes the restriction.

One advantage of Titchmarsh over the Orwell marinas (except for Ipswich) is that there is a reasonable sized town within longish walking distance, and a short car, bike or taxi ride. Walton isn't the shopping centre of the world, but it does have everything a mariner might need, and Clacton has more, including most of the big chain stores.

Levington is a good two mile walk from the nearest pub, and the only shop is the one operated by the marina (which does carry most basic stores). The Lightship does have a bar, and the food is good, but choice is a good thing!
 
If I leave Titchmarsh on a rising tide just after LW I can get out of the marina but may get stuck for a few minutes in the Twizzle at one of two places, one just past Bedwell's pontoon and the other near Walton creek. I have been doing my best to improve the situation.
 
ditchcrawler said:
I have been sailing on the east coast for more than 20 years and on the orwell for the last 13 or so. My thoughts would be from the very few times I have been to Woolverstone is that the tide can have quite an effect through there, making mooring fun at times especially for someone less experienced ( I do not know the posters experience by the way). From the published information Woolverstone Marina has historically been more expensive than Foxs, Levington(SYH), Shotley and Ipswich who all seem to be quite close together price wise.
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Worth noting that Woolverstone is part of the MDL chain and that brings some useful benefits with it. Anyone signed up for a full year at any MDL marina automatically gets a significant amount of time at all other MDL marinas.
 
slawosz said:
Hi,
this is quite interesting topic for me too. I am looking to buy some small (20-23ft) bilge keel keel yacht. I will most probably share it with family living in Cambridge (I live in London). We are looking for some cheap dry mooring, and I found few clubs near Heybridge that looks friendly. My question is - how good is sailing in Blackwater River past Osea Island on low tide, as it would be our main sailing area - we are not planning for now to do any open sea sailing, as we have not enough experience. I will buy guide you recommended here, however I would like to get some personal opinions too. Thanks.
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Sailing on the Blackwater below Osea Island is excellent at all states of the tide. I learned to sail in a half decked boat kept on a drying mooring in West Mersea.
 
Minn said:
Sailing on the Blackwater below Osea Island is excellent at all states of the tide. I learned to sail in a half decked boat kept on a drying mooring in West Mersea.
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The Blackwater is a good place to sail, but I wouldn't regard some of it as sheltered, or at least not where I would want to be in the winter. Marconi can be exposed, and even in Mersea it can feel a bit bleak. Bradwell would really be too far for him, and Tollesbury and Maylandsea too tide-constrained.
 
johnalison said:
The Blackwater is a good place to sail, but I wouldn't regard some of it as sheltered, or at least not where I would want to be in the winter. Marconi can be exposed, and even in Mersea it can feel a bit bleak. Bradwell would really be too far for him, and Tollesbury and Maylandsea too tide-constrained.
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Thank you for your answers. I am not planning to sail during winter, rather during good weather - up to F3. I am bit surprised, that Marconi can be exposed - is it during NE winds, or it is just the way it is? I would assume (only based on maps and fact, that most days wind is westerly) that it is relatively calm place.
 
slawosz said:
Thank you for your answers. I am not planning to sail during winter, rather during good weather - up to F3. I am bit surprised, that Marconi can be exposed - is it during NE winds, or it is just the way it is? I would assume (only based on maps and fact, that most days wind is westerly) that it is relatively calm place.
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I think you would need to see it for yourself in moderate conditions to see if it suited you. I always thought it a bit exposed. We had easterlies for weeks at a time this year.
 
slawosz said:
Thank you for your answers. I am not planning to sail during winter, rather during good weather - up to F3. I am bit surprised, that Marconi can be exposed - is it during NE winds, or it is just the way it is? I would assume (only based on maps and fact, that most days wind is westerly) that it is relatively calm place.
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Wind over tide in the Blackwater anywhere from Mersea to top of Osea can be VERY lumpy...
 
Gladys said:
Wind over tide in the Blackwater anywhere from Mersea to top of Osea can be VERY lumpy...
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Now that takes me back... I was at school (CRGS) with Thomas Mills, whose father owned Blackwater Yacht Charters (the ones with the brightly coloured sails). On one occasion his father had had to collect one of his boats from Holland, where she had been left due to stress of weather, and, on being asked what the passage back to Maldon was like, replied, “All right, apart from getting past Osea!”
 
Minn said:
Now that takes me back... I was at school (CRGS) with Thomas Mills, whose father owned Blackwater Yacht Charters (the ones with the brightly coloured sails). On one occasion his father had had to collect one of his boats from Holland, where she had been left due to stress of weather, and, on being asked what the passage back to Maldon was like, replied, “All right, apart from getting past Osea!”
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We used to race against Jack Mills in the '70s. He sailed Contessa, around 26' but unlike the later marque. His charter boats, including Telstar were pretty decrepit and some relatives chartered one once and found it very short of necessary equipment, including anchor tackle. Charley was the jolliest of the family and we were very sorry to hear of his death. We were in Ramsgate when he was doing Ramsgate Week a few years ago. One one rather wild day a crew member went below to get the spinnaker and reported that there was water above the cabin sole. Charley said "Get me a cigar, and get the bloody spinnaker up!".
 
Thanks again for you answers. I was checking some moorings in Blackwater and it does not look bad.
And how good is sailing in River Orwell and River Stour? Is there room for sailing on any water level, or rather high tide is recommended?
 
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