Navtex - Buoyage in the Knob Channel

[lenseman]

Copied from NAVTEX today:


Navigational Warnings (A)

30-Dec-2010 18:03:36 Oosteende (M)

ZCZC MA13 221305 UTC NOV = NAVAREA ONE 340 ENGLAND, EAST COAST.

THAMES ESTUARY. CHART BA1606.

ALL BUOYAGE IN THE KNOB CHANNEL BETWEEN SHINGLES PATCH LIGHTBUOY 51-33.0N 001-15.4E AND SE KNOB LIGHTBUOY 51-30.9N 001-06.4E PERMANENTLY DISCONTINUED.

+ NNNN

 

[Athene V30]

I guess it makes sense. Buoyage was removed from the North Edinburgh Channel a couple of years ago so traffic into / out of the London River would tend to use Black Deep and Knock John for the NE.

Don't like to see any buoyage removed however there is a commercial view point. Am concious as leisure sailors we do not pay towards their maintainence so not surprising it is not worth maintaining buoyage in an area commercial ships do not use.

 

[FullCircle]

Thing is, when I was a novice, and pre GPS days, it was always comforting and uplifting to be able to see the comfort of a buoy to confirm your navigation.

I suppose now we have GPS on our wristwatch, this seems less than necessary, but in a bit of a hoolie with minimal viz, I found it uplifting for the spirits.

One of the reasons why my ashes will be scattered at the location of Edinburgh No1 buoy.
Last spotted by me on the harbour wall in Ramsgate August 2002.
I had been looking for it most of the day.

 

[Marmalade]

I guess it makes sense. ... so not surprising it is not worth maintaining buoyage in an area commercial ships do not use.

I can see your point, but by that reasoning we wouldn't have buoyage in the Blackwater or Deben, - nor in the Stour above Parkestone etc etc.

 

[Leighb]

I can see your point, but by that reasoning we wouldn't have buoyage in the Blackwater or Deben, - nor in the Stour above Parkestone etc etc.

I agree not much commercial activity in the Blackwater or Deben - unless someone knows better? - but there is regular trade up to Mistley on the Stour.

Don't as a friend of ours did some years ago sail blithely up the Stour without a backward glance. He was rudely awakened by a siren blast from a ship coming up astern. We had been shouting at him in best pantomine fashion, but he could not hear.
As there was little wind that day there was a bit of panic getting the outboard deployed and started.

 

[tillergirl]

In fairness we were consulted about this earlier in the year. Not many of us use the Edinburgh's anymore, so even for us the buoys were obsolescent. They should really have been removed when the North Edinburgh buoyage was lifted.

FC, are you really going to be scattered on the harbour wall at Ramsgit?

 

[Cantata]

Details of which buoys have gone were published here http://www.eastcoastpilot.com/Dec_2010_NtMs.pdf a couple of weeks ago, if you want to be certain of deleting the right ones from your charts.
Quite a few folk receive this kind of local info by email if they've signed up thro the ECP website, although we don't 're-publish' every NtM that's going.

 

[Koeketiene]

Don't like to see any buoyage removed however there is a commercial view point. Am concious as leisure sailors we do not pay towards their maintainence so not surprising it is not worth maintaining buoyage in an area commercial ships do not use.

One of the reasons I like the Orwell - decent buoyage all the way.
Particularly grateful for it yesterday as the occasional sighting of a green buoy was the only indication that we were still on the right track.
Did not sight the Orwell Bridge till we sailed under it.

 

[FullCircle]

In fairness we were consulted about this earlier in the year. Not many of us use the Edinburgh's anymore, so even for us the buoys were obsolescent. They should really have been removed when the North Edinburgh buoyage was lifted.

FC, are you really going to be scattered on the harbour wall at Ramsgit?

No, my surviving relatives will need to use the April 1992 chart that is hanging on the wall above my PC. I took it off my Evo 25 when I sold it. The Lat and Long is in my will too.