Navigational question, for experienced

[johnalison]

I don't know the area, but in general my strategy is to wait for the tide and do long tacks a bit more off the wind.

I normally prefer long tacks but with a handy small boat this is of no particular advantage. The Wallet is some 15 miles long with the Essex coast to the NW. the tide runs at 2+ knots offshore and <1 close inshore. Even with a SW wind blowing straight down against you, the water close inshore is much less bumpy and you will make much better progress. However, as I said, you need to check for depths and obstructions first. The OP will have been approaching Clacton near LW on a falling tide, but with care this isn't a bad route for anyone daft enough to try.

In case you think this is patronising, my wife and I still share painful memories of our first attempt at the passage, in the other direction and against a strong northeasterly in our 22' Cirrus. This was in 1972 and my wife was keen to get to Swallows and Amazons country. We left Brightlingsea and gazed at the Frinton flats for what seemed like days, with the view changing slightly with each board but never getting any closer, until our children made an executive decision and we turned back.

 

[Vik]

Thank you for encouraging words.

Many good advice there
I know our mistake was planing.
We did not realize what boat is capable, and learned our lesson.

I want to sail again this season to Harwich, as it's an unfinished business now so will do more planing of tides and time them better.



.

 

[Vik]

You appeared to have made reasonable progress beating into the tide with a strong headwind. Now you know that you can do it, albeit tiring.

With a bit of thought, meals and hot drinks can be planned for before such a journey and the effort reduced.

A great learning experience that should make you a better sailor.

How would I approach it:-

1. Good test the night before and avoid alcohol.
2. A good meal, plain, no strong spices or heavy sources, carb based the night before.
3. Porridge or other slow burn foods for breakfast and no fry up.
4. Take seasickness pills the night before if relevant.
5. Prepare your preferred rough weather meal the night before or morning. I like spuds and corned beef mashed up. Easy to reheat and it sticks to a plate.
- make sure cooker has bum strap and strong bar in front plus dr ent handholds around it.
6. A tip I got on here, prepare hot water in the type of flasks that have a pump action. Or make up tea or coffee in the pump action flask if that’s your thing.
7. I use the thermal cups with lids and spout.
8. Have water bottles on supply in cockpit to sip out of.
9. Stow well and secure down below. Close hatches on secure position, not vent.
10. I prefer light, loose layers, waterproofs, LJ and harness. Gloves and hats available in cockpit. Sunglasses available in cockpit. Towel in cockpit in case of spray. I also have two sets of basic ski goggles, low cost, that allows helm and watch in spray and rain.
11. Have your chicken ports planned including access restrictions.
12. Plan for much longer passage times.
13. If two or more, plan rests, one can catnap in cockpit from time to time.
14. Psych up, know it’s rough but be confident in your preparation.
15. Reef main before you hoist, prepare fairleads positions for Genoa reefing position.
16. Let CG or use RYA Safetrex for your “safety traffic”
17. Enjoy the exhilaration of being at sea in tough conditions, in a controlled manner.

RYA SafeT

You appeared to have made reasonable progress beating into the tide with a strong headwind. Now you know that you can do it, albeit tiring.

With a bit of thought, meals and hot drinks can be planned for before such a journey and the effort reduced.

A great learning experience that should make you a better sailor.

How would I approach it:-

1. Good test the night before and avoid alcohol.
2. A good meal, plain, no strong spices or heavy sources, carb based the night before.
3. Porridge or other slow burn foods for breakfast and no fry up.
4. Take seasickness pills the night before if relevant.
5. Prepare your preferred rough weather meal the night before or morning. I like spuds and corned beef mashed up. Easy to reheat and it sticks to a plate.
- make sure cooker has bum strap and strong bar in front plus dr ent handholds around it.
6. A tip I got on here, prepare hot water in the type of flasks that have a pump action. Or make up tea or coffee in the pump action flask if that’s your thing.
7. I use the thermal cups with lids and spout.
8. Have water bottles on supply in cockpit to sip out of.
9. Stow well and secure down below. Close hatches on secure position, not vent.
10. I prefer light, loose layers, waterproofs, LJ and harness. Gloves and hats available in cockpit. Sunglasses available in cockpit. Towel in cockpit in case of spray. I also have two sets of basic ski goggles, low cost, that allows helm and watch in spray and rain.
11. Have your chicken ports planned including access restrictions.
12. Plan for much longer passage times.
13. If two or more, plan rests, one can catnap in cockpit from time to time.
14. Psych up, know it’s rough but be confident in your preparation.
15. Reef main before you hoist, prepare fairleads positions for Genoa reefing position.
16. Let CG or use RYA Safetrex for your “safety traffic”
17. Enjoy the exhilaration of being at sea in tough conditions, in a controlled manner.

RYA SafeTrx

Thank you !
I wish I had this list before my trip.

But I def reread this when going in this trip again this year. Or any sail with stronger winds..
Thank you

 

[Vik]

You appeared to have made reasonable progress beating into the tide with a strong headwind. Now you know that you can do it, albeit tiring.

With a bit of thought, meals and hot drinks can be planned for before such a journey and the effort reduced.

A great learning experience that should make you a better sailor.

How would I approach it:-

1. Good test the night before and avoid alcohol.
2. A good meal, plain, no strong spices or heavy sources, carb based the night before.
3. Porridge or other slow burn foods for breakfast and no fry up.
4. Take seasickness pills the night before if relevant.
5. Prepare your preferred rough weather meal the night before or morning. I like spuds and corned beef mashed up. Easy to reheat and it sticks to a plate.
- make sure cooker has bum strap and strong bar in front plus dr ent handholds around it.
6. A tip I got on here, prepare hot water in the type of flasks that have a pump action. Or make up tea or coffee in the pump action flask if that’s your thing.
7. I use the thermal cups with lids and spout.
8. Have water bottles on supply in cockpit to sip out of.
9. Stow well and secure down below. Close hatches on secure position, not vent.
10. I prefer light, loose layers, waterproofs, LJ and harness. Gloves and hats available in cockpit. Sunglasses available in cockpit. Towel in cockpit in case of spray. I also have two sets of basic ski goggles, low cost, that allows helm and watch in spray and rain.
11. Have your chicken ports planned including access restrictions.
12. Plan for much longer passage times.
13. If two or more, plan rests, one can catnap in cockpit from time to time.
14. Psych up, know it’s rough but be confident in your preparation.
15. Reef main before you hoist, prepare fairleads positions for Genoa reefing position.
16. Let CG or use RYA Safetrex for your “safety traffic”
17. Enjoy the exhilaration of being at sea in tough conditions, in a controlled manner.

RYA SafeTrx

You appeared to have made reasonable progress beating into the tide with a strong headwind. Now you know that you can do it, albeit tiring.

With a bit of thought, meals and hot drinks can be planned for before such a journey and the effort reduced.

A great learning experience that should make you a better sailor.

How would I approach it:-

1. Good test the night before and avoid alcohol.
2. A good meal, plain, no strong spices or heavy sources, carb based the night before.
3. Porridge or other slow burn foods for breakfast and no fry up.
4. Take seasickness pills the night before if relevant.
5. Prepare your preferred rough weather meal the night before or morning. I like spuds and corned beef mashed up. Easy to reheat and it sticks to a plate.
- make sure cooker has bum strap and strong bar in front plus dr ent handholds around it.
6. A tip I got on here, prepare hot water in the type of flasks that have a pump action. Or make up tea or coffee in the pump action flask if that’s your thing.
7. I use the thermal cups with lids and spout.
8. Have water bottles on supply in cockpit to sip out of.
9. Stow well and secure down below. Close hatches on secure position, not vent.
10. I prefer light, loose layers, waterproofs, LJ and harness. Gloves and hats available in cockpit. Sunglasses available in cockpit. Towel in cockpit in case of spray. I also have two sets of basic ski goggles, low cost, that allows helm and watch in spray and rain.
11. Have your chicken ports planned including access restrictions.
12. Plan for much longer passage times.
13. If two or more, plan rests, one can catnap in cockpit from time to time.
14. Psych up, know it’s rough but be confident in your preparation.
15. Reef main before you hoist, prepare fairleads positions for Genoa reefing position.
16. Let CG or use RYA Safetrex for your “safety traffic”
17. Enjoy the exhilaration of being at sea in tough conditions, in a controlled manner.

RYA SafeTrx

Thank you. Saving this list for future use

 

[nevis768]

1. Good test the night before and avoid alcohol.
2. A good meal, plain, no strong spices or heavy sources, carb based the night before.
3. Porridge or other slow burn foods for breakfast and no fry up.
4. Take seasickness pills the night before if relevant.
5. Prepare your preferred rough weather meal the night before or morning. I like spuds and corned beef mashed up. Easy to reheat and it sticks to a plate.
- make sure cooker has bum strap and strong bar in front plus dr ent handholds around it.
6. A tip I got on here, prepare hot water in the type of flasks that have a pump action. Or make up tea or coffee in the pump action flask if that’s your thing.
7. I use the thermal cups with lids and spout.
8. Have water bottles on supply in cockpit to sip out of.
9. Stow well and secure down below. Close hatches on secure position, not vent.
10. I prefer light, loose layers, waterproofs, LJ and harness. Gloves and hats available in cockpit. Sunglasses available in cockpit. Towel in cockpit in case of spray. I also have two sets of basic ski goggles, low cost, that allows helm and watch in spray and rain.
11. Have your chicken ports planned including access restrictions.
12. Plan for much longer passage times.
13. If two or more, plan rests, one can catnap in cockpit from time to time.
14. Psych up, know it’s rough but be confident in your preparation.
15. Reef main before you hoist, prepare fairleads positions for Genoa reefing position.
16. Let CG or use RYA Safetrex for your “safety traffic”
17. Enjoy the exhilaration of being at sea in tough conditions, in a controlled manner.


Re 10 above, I don't bother with goggles or waterproofs, I go in the wheelhouse and put the windscreen wipers on. If it gets really bad, I put the heater on

 

[MontyMariner]

In case you think this is patronising, my wife and I still share painful memories of our first attempt at the passage, in the other direction and against a strong northeasterly in our 22' Cirrus

Not at all patronising.
Getting wind and tide right is all part of the learning curve. One of my notable experiences was returning with family from Paimpol to St PP back in DECCA days in a 22 footer. I picked up a pot buoy on route and had to go over the back to clear it, I kept the CG informed on the vhf. This made us late so we missed the N going current up the Little Russel. The prop still had a trailing rope so we were tacking back and forth across the Southern entrance, making no headway. I called St PP HM and asked if they could give me any assistance but they couldn't due to insurance restrictions, but luckily a RFA that had passaged from Jersey and had monitored my progress called and offered me a tow, which was gratefully accepted, especially by my girls (aged 7 & 9) who were taken aboard the RFA and given hot chocolate

 

[mattonthesea]

Not at all patronising.
Getting wind and tide right is all part of the learning curve. One of my notable experiences was returning with family from Paimpol to St PP back in DECCA days in a 22 footer. I picked up a pot buoy on route and had to go over the back to clear it, I kept the CG informed on the vhf. This made us late so we missed the N going current up the Little Russel. The prop still had a trailing rope so we were tacking back and forth across the Southern entrance, making no headway. I called St PP HM and asked if they could give me any assistance but they couldn't due to insurance restrictions, but luckily a RFA that had passaged from Jersey and had monitored my progress called and offered me a tow, which was gratefully accepted, especially by my girls (aged 7 & 9) who were taken aboard the RFA and given hot chocolate

Similar but owing to bad planning: tacking south to St PP, we gave up and motored. At one point even with our charter boat engine running at 2500 we appeared to be having a race against a stationery navigation buoy!

 

[johnphilip]

Am I misreading the original post? The OP describes a strong SW wind but his track suggests he is competing against a North Easterly blow. No one else seems to have noticed so am I being daft? He does say he is returning from Burnham to Harwich!

 

[VicS]

Am I misreading the original post? The OP describes a strong SW wind but his track suggests he is competing against a North Easterly blow. No one else seems to have noticed so am I being daft? He does say he is returning from Burnham to Harwich!

Yes you are misreading the original post. He sailed from Burnham to Harwich OK but then the next day he attempted to return against both wind and tide.

You also appear to be misunderstanding the wind direction. It was a SW wind. That is blowing from the south west.
.

 

[FairweatherDave]

Good thread. You can learn things in theory but learn even more the hard way. Sometimes I have thought I would struggle to make progress upwind and been pleasantly surprised that a slightly different wind angle than that expected has actually delivered a great sail. But the wind strength going upwind always seems a lot stronger and certainly it would had a big impact on your experience. The tides are easy enough to predict but interpreting wind forecasts and being rewarded with what you expected is harder. Great to have options for turning away from plan A.

 

[johnalison]

Good thread. You can learn things in theory but learn even more the hard way. Sometimes I have thought I would struggle to make progress upwind and been pleasantly surprised that a slightly different wind angle than that expected has actually delivered a great sail. But the wind strength going upwind always seems a lot stronger and certainly it would had a big impact on your experience. The tides are easy enough to predict but interpreting wind forecasts and being rewarded with what you expected is harder. Great to have options for turning away from plan A.

You really need local knowledge to know what it's going to be like 'out there'. Round our way it's mostly the tides that matter, along with which shore the wind is coming from. Seas can be very local over scales of only a cable or two. In force 6s have felt I was rounding the Horn just off Bradwell, or enjoyed a flat calm off Portland Bill.

 

[Daydream believer]

1. Good test the night before and avoid alcohol.
2. A good meal, plain, no strong spices or heavy sources, carb based the night before.
3. Porridge or other slow burn foods for breakfast and no fry up.
4. Take seasickness pills the night before if relevant.
5. Prepare your preferred rough weather meal the night before or morning. I like spuds and corned beef mashed up. Easy to reheat and it sticks to a plate.
- make sure cooker has bum strap and strong bar in front plus dr ent handholds around it.
6. A tip I got on here, prepare hot water in the type of flasks that have a pump action. Or make up tea or coffee in the pump action flask if that’s your thing.
7. I use the thermal cups with lids and spout.
8. Have water bottles on supply in cockpit to sip out of.
9. Stow well and secure down below. Close hatches on secure position, not vent.
10. I prefer light, loose layers, waterproofs, LJ and harness. Gloves and hats available in cockpit. Sunglasses available in cockpit. Towel in cockpit in case of spray. I also have two sets of basic ski goggles, low cost, that allows helm and watch in spray and rain.
11. Have your chicken ports planned including access restrictions.
12. Plan for much longer passage times.
13. If two or more, plan rests, one can catnap in cockpit from time to time.
14. Psych up, know it’s rough but be confident in your preparation.
15. Reef main before you hoist, prepare fairleads positions for Genoa reefing position.
16. Let CG or use RYA Safetrex for your “safety traffic”
17. Enjoy the exhilaration of being at sea in tough conditions, in a controlled manner.


Re 10 above, I don't bother with goggles or waterproofs, I go in the wheelhouse and put the windscreen wipers on. If it gets really bad, I put the heater on

I have been doing this trip for years, Both Burnham ( which is much harder, due to the ditch & getting through the Swin) & Bradwell which one has to remember to clear the Colne Bar etc.
But looking at the list, I am sure it must be right, but I cannot recall having done any of it except12 & 14. plus having some sandwiches & a bottle of drink in a SMALL bottle ( so I can put it in my pocket rather than let it roll dangerously on the floor) A chart & a notebook & pencil, Some decent wet gear with a tall collar. A Hat, a harness & LJ. Finally the lucky bucket fitted to the pushpit. ( lucky I can grab it in time when I want to be sick) Hand held VHF in cockpit as I could not get below.
How many people on small boats are going to have a bum strap on the cooker. Some are lucky to have a cooker, let alone a strap for the bum.
One can over think these things.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

… One can over think these things.

One offers their experience. It is certainly not overthinking. I could suggest that you criticise for the sake of it, rather than add to the knowledge.

My Ruffian sailing had a bum strap across the cooker, which was used, because it worked.

Of course there is always more than one way to do something.

 

[Daydream believer]

One offers their experience. It is certainly not overthinking. I could suggest that you criticise for the sake of it, rather than add to the knowledge.

My Ruffian sailing had a bum strap across the cooker, which was used, because it worked.

Of course there is always more than one way to do something.

Do you have a gimballed cooker or stove? One assumes that you have, so can use it under way. Not all have that luxury on a small yacht

 

[Daydream believer]

One offers their experience. It is certainly not overthinking. I could suggest that you criticise for the sake of it, rather than add to the knowledge.

My Ruffian sailing had a bum strap across the cooker, which was used, because it worked.

Of course there is always more than one way to do something.

I did say that I was sure that it must be right.
trouble is that one can frighten the beginner with too much info.
I know that when I bought my current boat I had to hide the pilot books from the wife, because warnings of rough water on different headlands were over the top for normal conditions. They just frightened her. Once she read about the Raz de Sein 3 weeks before she got there she was in a frenzy. We motored through & it was a kitten.
The same with all the lists of things to do for a small trip up the coast. One should not make it into a major trek. It may be a milestone for the beginner. It was for me back in 1968. But I had never even heard of the items on that list.
Yes your list can be the definative one, but is it all necessary. That is why i picked on "bum strap" as an example.
The important ones are, the state of the boat, the fitness of the crew, the weather & the passage plan

 

[srm]

The tidal streams in Orkney are a somewhat stranger than around the east coast of England. From time to time the local yacht charter company would get requests for a skipper. My introduction to the new crew included "we only sail with the tide, and if the wind is against the tide we might not sail". This has been my basic philosophy over nearly half a century of owning my own yachts, though it can be modified in areas with gentle tidal streams.

During the summers in Orkney we would often see visiting yachts motoring for an hour or two in that magic spot where speed through the water is equal and opposite to the tidal stream and ground speed hovers around +/- zero.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

… Yes your list can be the definative one, but is it all necessary. …

I don’t suggest it is definitive, nor all necessary. In the context of the OP question, I offered stuff I do when preparing for a long bash to windward in strong winds, more is less consistent since the mid 70’s when I started offshore sailing.

I find that honest coms is the best preparation of a crew. That is a well found, small boat is quite safe in boisterous weather.

As I said more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[jamie N]

Nevis post #25: I'm still struggling with point 1.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Nevis post #25: I'm still struggling with point 1.

I would think he meant good rest

 

[Daydream believer]

I would think he meant good rest

Once again that is a personal thing. If leaving early I like to sleep on the boat the night before because my body gets used to the motion of the boat & helps with the seasickness. But if leaving a bit later, I sleep at home, as I get a more comfortable night & a more relaxed start. ( I only live 4.5 miles away) Obviously I cannot do that if not at my home port.
I do not eat breakfast, except coffee & a mince tart ( Had that for 30 years, it is a sugar balance thing for migraine )