"New" route across the Rays'nWWith

Bru

Well-known member
Joined
17 Jan 2007
Messages
14,679
svpagan.blogspot.com
"New" route across the Rays'n

RaysandCrossing.png


Following up on a hunch and acting on information received, I decided t'other day to chance my arm on a shortcut across the Ray Sand instead of taking the conventional and now marked line due South from the Raysand North buoy

My hunch was that the Ray Sand Channel extends much further South West than marked on the chart and that turned out to be the case. We had at least 4.5m to 5.0m on the sounder until well abeam of the Raysand Middle buoy and the toungue of deep water appeared to continue for some way.

Finally, the depth gradually dropped to 3.0m where it remained for some time before gently increasing again

The slight dogleg to port is a result of correcting our course to be more towards the Outer Crouch No.3, the wiggle as we approach the charted deep water channel is actually where we turned into the wind to hoist the main and then got her hard on th wind and stopped the engine. We were already showing well over 4.0m on the sounder by then

We passed the Raysand North buoy at approx. 09:15UTC on Sunday 25th May 2015 (last Sunday) and we set sail about 30 minutes later. Conditions were F3/4 gusting 5 occasionally from the South South West and there was roughly a one foot or so chop (however our ST50 depth gauge is very slow to react and doesn't bounce around in a chop like our old NASA Clipper readout)

High Tide at Holliwell Point was 09:25UTC at 4.7m, the preceding low tide was 0.9m and the subequent low tide was 1.3m. The Harwich tide gauge data for that day suggests actual tides were pretty close to prediction (if I have got my info right!)

We seem to have found a long flat shelf that would be 1.8m drying over CD and which would uncover on all but the neapiest of tides with a deeper channel cutting into it from the North which kind've matches my hunch that the old Ray Sand Channel is still a viable half tide route (I wonder if it might be the beginnings of a tidal scour re-opening a deep water all tide channel again? Only time will tell!)

I've seen less than 2.0m on the sounder over the accepted route on Spring tides in the past so this MIGHT be a better channel. I emphasise might because it needs a lot more work doing on it, this was a one off sneak across the sands on the top of the tide and we could easily have simply got lucky and avoided doom and disaster all around us!

In summary, I'm hypothesing that there is a route over the Ray Sand roughly on a line from just inshore of the Outer Crouch No.3 buoy towards the Raysand North buoy on a bearing of approx. 205T from the Raysand North buoy which is little if any shallower than the well known and marked route. This bears out a couple of whispers I've heard from "old timers" along the lines of "I wouldn't bother going all the way out to the beep beep buoys" and "huh, you should have cut across much sooner". I actually wonder if I may have been too conservative and should have held even further inshore (my gut feeling is that we hugged the Eastern side of whatever channel there is and then crossed the drying area too far to the East and that there may be deeper water to be found for longer further in)

It would be most interesting to get down there on a flat calm day and spend a whole tide surveying the area. If I get the chance I will! Oh and I regret that I didn't spark up the laptop and set it to datalog our instruments but it only crossed my mind afterwards

I shall now go and hide behind the sofa and await the incoming ... :eek::cool:
 
Last edited:

FullCircle

Well-known member
Joined
19 Nov 2003
Messages
28,223
Visit site
You will quite often see the Roach Sailing Association Fleet doing that route, but sticking to the green bit well north of the blue tongue on the chart.
You just need to have a shallow keel and lots spare.

I have, ahem, hit the putty whilst being luffed into the bank whilst racing there, and it do get a bit shallow....

But fine effort for doing it.
 

Bru

Well-known member
Joined
17 Jan 2007
Messages
14,679
svpagan.blogspot.com
You will quite often see the Roach Sailing Association Fleet doing that route, but sticking to the green bit well north of the blue tongue on the chart.
You just need to have a shallow keel and lots spare.

Aha! More local info to add to the equation! Excellent
 

tillergirl

Well-known member
Joined
5 Nov 2002
Messages
8,512
Location
West Mersea
Visit site
I think you are right that it needs another survey. Your post has prompted me to look at my old data and look up Irving and my old charts (1903). Of course Irving couldn't plot lat/long and the old charts were not as precise in that department as today but generally the received wisdom then when there was 2 and a quarter fathoms in the Ray Sand at CD was that it was generally close to where the buoys now are.

The first time I did the Ray Sand was 2008 and then there was a distinct ridge running north-south to the West of where the line of buoys are now situated. My 2011 'survey' which is the last I did supports what you found except that there was a ridge running west-east about where the 2.7 and 2.2 drying soundings are marked on your chart. The north-south ridge had gone. I did not discuss the position of the two new buoys with Mark Wakelin but I guess he put them there on the basis that that route then encounter the least height of sand - at that time. But people have always crossed further to the west and the sands clearly move.

I think the point is that it is time for another survey. If anyone has any data I am happy to collate and chart it. I will do the SW Sunk first and then get down to the Ray Sand.
 

Bru

Well-known member
Joined
17 Jan 2007
Messages
14,679
svpagan.blogspot.com
My 2011 'survey' which is the last I did supports what you found except that there was a ridge running west-east about where the 2.7 and 2.2 drying soundings are marked on your chart..

I definitely didn't see any indication of a ridge as we crossed the shallow area. Obviously one line of "soundings", if one can dignifiy two blokes looking nervously at the analogue depth repeater with such a term, isn't particularly useful

I think the point is that it is time for another survey. If anyone has any data I am happy to collate and chart it. I will do the SW Sunk first and then get down to the Ray Sand.

Look forward to the results with considerable interest

It's two weekends of purgatory (aka work) for me before Jane and I have a weekend on board and I doubt the boss would look kindly on a day spent going backwards and forwards over the Ray'sn!
 

tillergirl

Well-known member
Joined
5 Nov 2002
Messages
8,512
Location
West Mersea
Visit site
I doubt the boss would look kindly on a day spent going backwards and forwards over the Ray'sn!

That's a surprise! :rolleyes:

If you look at my 2011 chart on the update page, the first part of your passage was pretty much exactly where the best water is shown. If the ridge has gone (more of a slight hump in truth), that's good news.

Actually later this week is good for a prod about.
 

Bru

Well-known member
Joined
17 Jan 2007
Messages
14,679
svpagan.blogspot.com
Been at it again this weekend on the way to and from Bradwell

On Saturday came close in around Holliwell Point about an hour before HW (5.4m) totally ignoring the buoys and stayed well inshore until the wind headed us and I tacked out beyond the old beacons. Sounder never dropped below 2m and most of the time was nearer to 3m

On Sunday came across again getting on for two hours, maybe two and a half hours before HW (5.5m) a good couple of cables inshore of the Raysand North buoy and then even more radically than last time cut a diagonal across to not far short of the Crouch North Cardinal. Couple of times the depth dipped briefly to 2.8 or 2.9m but as on the previous run it mostly stayed around 3.0 to 3.1m

By no means definitive but it does suggest that whilst there's no discernible channel once you're over the drying sands, there is a large virtually flat area that barely drys at LW neaps (by my guesstimate, don't take my word for it!)

I did have a quiet chuckle as I cut the corner and stole a march on the dozen, yes a dozen*, big nasty yots that were chasing me down the Ray'sn from the Blackwater. We're not what you'd call a greyhound of the ocean at the best of times and with a badly fouled bottom and prop it's been a frustrating weekend of going places VERY slowly!

* Normally rarely encounter anyone else using it. must have been a club cruise or something
 

creeksailor

New member
Joined
6 Feb 2011
Messages
46
creeksailor.blogspot.com
Your New Route is an old en for some of us. Any updated data on depths from Holliwell Point to the Ray yellow, and northwards to a lat approx Mid Ray, or thereabouts would be much appreciated. DSC00582.jpgDSC00586.jpg
 

Bru

Well-known member
Joined
17 Jan 2007
Messages
14,679
svpagan.blogspot.com
I did put it in inverted comas Tony, I know Shoal Waters frequents those shallows! :)

If I get a chance to emulate Tillergirl and if I can get the on board technology working I fancy having a go at surveying the area so maybe more info to come
 
Top