tillergirl
Well-Known Member
First - fitting out is complete! After weeks of waiting for dry and sufficiently warm days everything (apart from the deck which I can do on the mooring) is done and we struggled to get her off the 'beach' on the meagre spring tide today - conscious that the pressure is forecast to rise so this afternoon was the highest springs until 3rd June! Colin on the aft starboard quarter warp, me on the aft port quarter, TG engaged in reverse at 2000 rpm and Adrian in his work boat pulling at the middle warp and exactly at the top of the tide off she came like a cork from a bottle! Great sail down to Mersea in 20 to 25 knots, touched 7.1kts which is flat out for me and routinely top of 6 kts for ages despite some pretty ropey sail trim (like I forgot to do the main sail outhaul!). I know 7 knots is routine for many of you but for seven and a half tons of wood is pretty neat.
Second - the NtM this week.
Permanent
1. Two UKHO blocks for part of the Blackwater regarding the trimming down of the Baffle Wall off the Power Station and the new red buoy at the Nass to mark the wreck of the Crebe. The indicated buoyage in the blocks for South Channel to Tollesbury is pretty out of date. I shall be doing an update of CTTE's chart on the South Channel and the Leavings to deal with the Marinas sorting of the buoyage to reflect last years survey.
2. UKHO confirmation of the Trinity House notice last week notifying that the Orford and Woodbridge Havens Safe Water Marks had been moved.
3. A 'slurry' of depths for insertion off the Westerschelde - odd ones scattered all over the place. Nothing desperately crucial for us.
4. Changes in the local buoyage for the Honte (in the Westerschelde) to the east of Flushing.
5. Another 'slurry' of depths - this time over wrecks off Calais and other odds and ends. All over 20m so should not affect us. There are two UKHO blocks which are useful for those who want to keep up to date.
Temporary
1. Nothing from the London Array yet but
2. Medway Ports announces that the third cable pull-in in the East Swale starts on or about next Tuesday (29th May)
3. Notification from the PLA that there are likely to be mobile phone outages and high VHF usage during the Jubilee Pageant celebrations on 3rd June. All users including us in the Estuary are requested to "restrict ourselves to essential business, to keep their transmissions brief, to use correct identity etiquette and consider transmitting on reduced power (1 watt) if appropriate."
4. Notification from the PLA of the exclusion zone for the Southend Air Show this weekend.
That's it. Update from the London Array when its available.
Second - the NtM this week.
Permanent
1. Two UKHO blocks for part of the Blackwater regarding the trimming down of the Baffle Wall off the Power Station and the new red buoy at the Nass to mark the wreck of the Crebe. The indicated buoyage in the blocks for South Channel to Tollesbury is pretty out of date. I shall be doing an update of CTTE's chart on the South Channel and the Leavings to deal with the Marinas sorting of the buoyage to reflect last years survey.
2. UKHO confirmation of the Trinity House notice last week notifying that the Orford and Woodbridge Havens Safe Water Marks had been moved.
3. A 'slurry' of depths for insertion off the Westerschelde - odd ones scattered all over the place. Nothing desperately crucial for us.
4. Changes in the local buoyage for the Honte (in the Westerschelde) to the east of Flushing.
5. Another 'slurry' of depths - this time over wrecks off Calais and other odds and ends. All over 20m so should not affect us. There are two UKHO blocks which are useful for those who want to keep up to date.
Temporary
1. Nothing from the London Array yet but
2. Medway Ports announces that the third cable pull-in in the East Swale starts on or about next Tuesday (29th May)
3. Notification from the PLA that there are likely to be mobile phone outages and high VHF usage during the Jubilee Pageant celebrations on 3rd June. All users including us in the Estuary are requested to "restrict ourselves to essential business, to keep their transmissions brief, to use correct identity etiquette and consider transmitting on reduced power (1 watt) if appropriate."
4. Notification from the PLA of the exclusion zone for the Southend Air Show this weekend.
That's it. Update from the London Array when its available.