Mersea charts

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OLLIE45

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Hello everyone,
Having just dipped my foot into the world of boat ownership for the very first time, I am after a bit of advice.
I will be keeping it on Mersea Island and would like to get hold of some charts showing details of the rivers at both ends of the island ready to do some exploring in my new toy next year. unfortunately I live a fair way inland so a trip to the nearest chandlers to have a look is really day trip (and the wife is already getting a bit touchy about the amount of time I spend with the boat and not her!!).
So, can anyone recommend the best ones to get so I can order them online.

Thanks

Ollie
 
Really the best thing to do is to buy the East Coast Pilot as a start. I'll declare an interest as the authors are chums but it will not only give you some good info about Mersea but the Blackwater and Colne Rivers as well as the whole of the Thames Estuary area which is about to become your playground. In best BBC fashion, 'other pilots' are available - which is the East Coast Rivers Cruising Companion.

Find the East Coast Pilot details here:

http://www.eastcoastpilot.com/

Thereafter if you want charts, there is a choice of Admiralty and Imray charts in paper. If you going to electrickery and chart plotters, I am not the person to advise but some modern chaps will be along soon.

I would recommend you buy both the Pilot and the Cruising Companion. Both charming reads in their own right as well as being darn useful.

Hope this helps
 
I second tillergirls recommendation, but I also declare an interest - I am the Crouch and Roach Honorary Port Pilot for East Coast Pilot.

I suggest you buy the Admiralty leisure folio (other publications are available) number SC5607. About 40 quid, covers the whole essex coast in detail, and is of a size which are usable in the cockpit too.

Information here:

http://www.admiraltyleisure.co.uk/sc_folios.asp

Chartplotters are a real variety, as are chart standards for electronics. I suggest you have a lot of conversations with a lot of people before commititing to purchase.
For a small boat the Standard Horizon CP180 is well thought of.

Welcome to the most diverse and interesting sailing waters in the UK!
 
Another one for your book shelf is Janet Harbers East Coast Rivers First published back in the dim distant past by Jack Coote (Janets father!) and like East Coast Pilot is a mine of valuable information written by people who actually SAIL these waters.
 
OLLIE45 said:
and the wife is already getting a bit touchy about the amount of time I spend with the boat and not her!!
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Welcome to the club!! My wife is past the touchy phase and getting into the NO touchy bit I am away so much!:o

As well as East Coast Pilot as previously mentioned have a look at Imray Charts. Depending on how far you want to venture out the East Coast rivers http://www.imray.com/record.cfm?i_stock_code=ICSTN-PK4 is a good starter for about £27.
 
Hmmmmm ...

You may find this site very useful .. Lots of tips on what to do etc ..

Here

Nothing like being prepared .. :D

Ohhh .. Welcome to the forum .. :)
 
The East Coast pilot books (both of them) are great - TG is spot on.

We use Imray charts as per FC but the Admiralty ones are of course very good too.

If you want to be terribly avant guard you could buy the Navionics UK charts for your iPhone, available as an App from the Apple store for only £15. They really are proper charts but of course you mustn't get your iPhone wet or it won't work :D However, they are great for scoping things out on wet afternoons at home or planning a cruise when you're on the train.

Neil
 
Thanks for the advice one and all.
Had a look on the East coast pilot website and it looks absolutely spot on for starters. Wonder if I can get away with putting it on my Christmas list for 'er' indoors to get me or is that pushing things a bit (still there's always exfinnsailor's link to fall back on I suppose). :D

I will certainly be a regular visitor to both the forum and the area, maybe I may well even bump into (:eek: not literally I hope) some of you next year.

Ollie
 
:o Sorry to say that I wish my boat was big enough to need a mooring !! It's only about 12 feet long so I am going to keep it in the boat park on the site where my caravan is. Still, it is my first venture into boat ownership so give it a while and then I may with a bit of luck be able to grow into something bigger and better like you guys have.
By the way, I put East Coast Pilot on my Christmas list and it was fairly well received!!

Ollie
 
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It's a motor boat with an outboard engine. As it looks like the thing will easily float in 2 feet of water, I am looking forward to doing some 'great creek crawling' as Kioni so happily put it!!
I must admit that the thought of trying to actually 'sail' a boat as well as finding my way around the sea and learning what I can and can't do seemed a step too far to start with.
Like I say, it's my very first venture off of dry land and I don't want to end up getting a roasting from anyone for breaking the rules or doing something wrong. That's why I appreciate everyone's help and advice so much, I am beginning to feel less of an 'intruder' into the boating community already!

Ollie
 
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Karouise said:
If you go on scuttlebutt
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Easy answer to that is what I do, keep out of buttlescut :eek:
I confess to looking in there every now and then but wipe my feet when leaving and do it quietly :D
For sensible and helpful advice I ask in here these days :cool:
Ollie, if you can't find the help you need in here I'll be very surprised, even if you do have a mobo ;)
Best of luck and enjoy the boat, hope to see you out there sometime
 
OLLIE45 said:
It's a motor boat with an outboard engine. As it looks like the thing will easily float in 2 feet of water, I am looking forward to doing some 'great creek crawling' as Kioni so happily put it!!

Ollie
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We did some great cruising in our GP14 dinghy (sailing, didn't even have an engine) and you can get into some really out of the way places and enjoy some peace and solitude.

Pack some drinks and sandwiches, some waterproofs and some local charts and head out. Keep a good safety lookout when you manoeuvre through all the moorings etc but once you get into the sorts of places you can go with a small boat there's going to be little to bother you. Don't forget basic safety gear (at least a bouyancy aid in a small boat - if you don't have any I have some spare ones I'm happy to let you have), spare fuel and, I suggest, a pair of oars and an anchor and off you go. A bailer (could be a bucket you keep the anchor and warp in) and sponge is a good idea too, in case you get a wee bit flooded for any reason.

Oh, in the summer you'll need lots of suncream and sunglasses, a small point but an important one, as you get basted twice by the sun, once directly and again reflected off the water just for good measure.

Conversely beware wind chill - make sure you have a fleecy middle layer and a windproof jacket for the less than ideal days or if it looks changeable. We bought those waterproof roll-top canoe-bag things to keep clothing and stuff in when we were in the dinghy - soft and easy to store and keeps your spare clothing nice and dry.

Browse around in Marinestore on Coast Road in West Mersea next time you're down if you need any odd bits and pieces - you don't need much but a few basic safety items and proper clothing make a huge difference to your enjoyment on the water. Hope I'm not teaching you to suck eggs here... :rolleyes:

Anyway don't forget your camera - the water is a magic place for photography, especially as the sun goes down... although if you plan to potter around after dark I would get a small set of battery powered dinghy lights if you don't have any (at least a white light which mounts on top of your outboard as they aren't much money, you don't need red/green) and a nice big waterproof (floating) torch :D
 
Folios

If you are going to buy one of these then the Imray version covers both Essex & Suffolk Rivers giving you the whole of East Anglia to explore. Not including those funny North-folk types of course.
 
Charts

Cotillion said:
If you are going to buy one of these then the Imray version covers both Essex & Suffolk Rivers giving you the whole of East Anglia to explore. Not including those funny North-folk types of course.
Click to expand...

I quite like the Admiralty 'Tough Charts' ... not much more cost and a really handy size for use in the cockpit or probably an open boat and waterproof as well :)
regards
Russ
 
Thanks for the offer Kioni,
It came with 4 life jackets,(2 adults and 2 childrens) that look almost new to be fair, spare fuel can and an anchor. I was wondering about some small oars and you have confirmed my thoughts so I will get some and a square bucket.
As for the charts that Cotillon and Boz mention, have you got the code numbers handy so I can look at them?
I think that for safety's sake I will do the VHF radio course over winter and get one of those as well. Is it too big a subject to ask for recommendations as to which one is your favourite make/model here? Bearing in mind that funds are limited.

Ollie
 
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