Notice to Mariners Week 6

[tillergirl]

Permanent

1. NORTH SEA - United Kingdom Sector - Cromer Knoll SE - NM Blocks. - two UKHO Blocks for different charts but both for the Dudgeon Wind Farm now fully in position (Cromer Knoll)
2. ENGLAND - East Coast - Barking Reach - Depths. - two reduced depths in the main channel of Barking Creek, River Thames but both at over 5m+;
3. ENGLISH CHANNEL - Dover Strait - Submarine cable. - A new UK-Holland power cable installation now in progress. Starts just south of the Stour entrance (Kent one that is), broadly east until off Zeebrugge when it comes ashore;
4. ENGLAND - East Coast - Copperas Channel - Depths. - PDI (Pretty Darn Important) - four reduced depths in and around the Copperas channel off the North Kent Coast. All less than a metre, one of them at 0.9m in the centre of the channel buoyage (but not the controlling depth i.e. it appears that there still is better water to the west side)

Temporary

1. Harwich Harbour - Maintenance dredging – Harwich Haven berths and approaches - on or about the 1st February 2018 for approximately 4 days. Materials will be disposed of to the "beneficial sites" in the River Stour and River Orwell.
2. PORT OF GREAT YARMOUTH - Notification of a Hazard Identification Procedure for Transfer of Great Yarmouth Local Port Services - ABPMer would like to discuss the proposal with all sections of the local business and leisure community using the port. To facilitate this, a HAZID workshop is scheduled to take place at Vanguard House, South Beach Parade on 6th February 2018;
3. PORT OF GREAT YARMOUTH - Trial of Portable Bridge Audio/Visual recording equipment on board vessels by pilots - 7 day trial from 29th January, kit worn by pilots during the experiment recording;
4. PORT OF GREAT YARMOUTH - Completion of installation of additional AToN lights in Great Yarmouth River Port - a table of the AtoN light in the Temporary list in the page at:
http://www.crossingthethamesestuary.com/page9.html
5. Port of Wells - dredging;
6. London Array Notices to Mariners: 01/2018 – LAL Long Sand Middle Wave Buoy - Removed from location and returned to shore. 02/2018 – Navigation light and Fog horn at A15 and A15 temporarily inoperative. 03/2018 – Potential exposed cable around Wind turbine generator E16 in location 51° 37’43.37“N 001° 27’10.97“E - I have attached the CYYE image of the Wind Farm showing enough (I think) detail to locate the relevant turbines. The Fog and lights at A15 is relevant. Red lights? don't look at them - on turbines noffin' to do with you , that's for aeroplanes

That's it

 

[Cantata]

Thanks Roger.
That Copperas one......I never did understand why they put the Reculver buoy where they did. Always been very shallow close N of it.

 

[tillergirl]

I seemed to recall we planned to do a survey ourselves......

 

[FulmarJeddo]

Both buoys have always been in pretty shallow water. I seem to recall your planned survey was in response to a post I started after my first trip through Copperas. I rather naively set a course more or less directly from the Medway to the Copperas buoy, reaching there somewhere around low water. I was rather shocked how little water there was as I passed Copperas before turning into the channel. I should have paid more attention to the chart. After that I gingerly followed the dog leg that was on the chart, not going close to Reculver. On my return the tide was higher and I went closer to Reculver and there was a lot less water than in the channel. When I have been through since, I have approached Copperas from further West and used my plotter to stay in the charted deeper water. Saying that, I didn't go through at all last year. I last went through in 2016.

 

[tillergirl]

Umm yes. I fear that another swatch might appear.

In 1786 there were three channels:

Copperas House Channel
Horse Channel, and
The Searn Swash out to the 'Old Channel. This was shown as the only one buoyed and exited by the Woolpack. In 1727, the 'Searn' was buoyed as the principal channel but there was also a sort of channel by the Horse, suggestive of a channel caused by the course of the Wantsum. It seems logical that the want of the Wantsum has caused the Horse to decline, if it ever was much of anything.

It is possible to chunter on for quite a while musing about this and that. The Queen's Channel is named after QE1 cos that was the main route into the Thames via the North Foreland cos the Wantsum didn't have enough water by those days.

I think I shall ask the UKHO if there are plans for a block (hoping if they don't they might release the data). Trinity House did the survey and in the past I got a loud 'dah-dah'.

 

[Cantata]

I think asking TH if they have plans to move the Reculver buoy would be a good idea, Roger!
The Copperas Channel is an old old route. Local fishermen told me that they never used the Hook Spit / East Last gutway.
The shallows west of the Copperas are specifically highlighted in my favourite pilot book.
Fortunately passage planning either way along there is unlikely to involve the Copperas at LWS, although I've been through there not long after and not been worried. (1.2m draught).

 

[tillergirl]

I think asking TH if they have plans to move the Reculver buoy would be a good idea, Roger! Good idea. Will do
The Copperas Channel is an old old route. Local fishermen told me that they never used the Hook Spit / East Last gutway. Looking over the charts over the last 500 years shows that it is constantly changing - I ought to dig out an image of the area
The shallows west of the Copperas are specifically highlighted in my favourite pilot book.
Fortunately passage planning either way along there is unlikely to involve the Copperas at LWS, although I've been through there not long after and not been worried. (1.2m draught). Quite.

 

[Gargleblaster]

I came through last September at what must have been close to LWS [HW was close to 2am, I believe as I like to get on my buoy in the Medway before the tide change}. I also don't like fighting the flood past Ramsgate so will round North Foreland with a few hours of ebb left and fight the tide for a couple of hours up the Margate Channel.

The sand bank just to the south of the Copperarse Channel is moving north in my opinion and requires a bit of a dogleg to teh north to get around it, but that seems to be showing on Navionics on my Android Tablet. I touched once on the sandbank before veering north. Never had less than .4 metre under my 1.8metre draught in the channel itself, which in my maths gives 2.2 metres at close to LWS.

I really like the Copperarse Channel for some reason and would be very dissapointed if it closed up.

 

[tillergirl]

You would have seen 'a bit of a dogleg to the north' even on Navionics (you know I hate plotters:disgust::disgust::disgust- the UKHO changed the chart back in 2012. I think there is a valid case for a chart block and I have sent a email to the UKHO Eastern Geographic Manager with a request to consider it. He has always been very helpful and is supportive of leisure users. I will report back.

 

[John_Silver]

Had minimum depth of 4.8m, under our 1.8m keel, coming through The Copperas today. Rise of tide at Herne Bay (on Navionics app) was 5.4m at the time.
The two shallowest spots were the Copperas green can (5.2m under the keel) and about half a nautical mile east of the Reculver red can (4.8m under the keel)

 

[John_Silver]

Found a great deal more water, away from the buoyage, whilst beating back through the Copperas yesterday. Came through with 2.8m rise of tide at Herne. We tacked tacked just south of the derelict Margate Hook South Cardinal (9+ m under 1.8m keel), headed SW until we had 5m under the keel and tacked again , stood well north of Reculver tacking at 51 24 04N 01 12 65E (with 5 + m under keel) and then South of Copperas at 51 23 57N 01 12 65E (again with 5+ m under keel).

Noticed Trinity House vessel Patricia was off Margate - so maybe some changes are planned....

 

[Cantata]

Looks like you came through gone half-flood. I would certainly not hesitate in those circs, 1.2m keel(s).

 

[tillergirl]

The last TH survey was in 2016, perhaps at the end of the year. The profile of the channel remained very close to previous with the reduced individual soundings being just the only changes in the 2018 NtM.