englishrobs
Well-Known Member
Planning some time in the Ore and Alde this month, im assuming holding is as good as other rivers on the east coast, any recommendations for good spots, or places to avoid like the plague?
Ore and Alde anchorages
- Thread starter englishrobs
- Start date
fredrussell
Well-Known Member
Tuck yourself behind Havergate island, or Boyton Dock nearby. Perfection! Iken lovely too.
Truly the best of Suffolk. I’ve yet to ‘man up’ and get all the way up to Snape (no anchoring sadly) - this year perhaps.
Truly the best of Suffolk. I’ve yet to ‘man up’ and get all the way up to Snape (no anchoring sadly) - this year perhaps.
14K478
Well-Known Member
Don’t move without a copy of “East Coast Rivers”, but you knew that!
Two favourites:
The Butley River. As always it depends a bit on your draft, but either by Boyton Dock or a little further up.
Iken Cliff. The ultimate East Coast anchorage. Don’t waste time trying to get the last mile to Snape Maltings; you will have to dry against the wall and be stared at. Anchor at Iken Cliff, stay afloat, and do the last mile to the Plough and Sail in the dinghy.
Two favourites:
The Butley River. As always it depends a bit on your draft, but either by Boyton Dock or a little further up.
Iken Cliff. The ultimate East Coast anchorage. Don’t waste time trying to get the last mile to Snape Maltings; you will have to dry against the wall and be stared at. Anchor at Iken Cliff, stay afloat, and do the last mile to the Plough and Sail in the dinghy.
Major_Clanger
Well-Known Member
Butley Creek is a must and I really like the west channel beside Havergate Island, a little down from where Lady Florence (a converted MFV) is moored. It's a beautiful river and full of mystery.
englishrobs
Well-Known Member
Thanks. I should add I draw 1.6 and am a fin keel. I have east coast rivers and pilot, fabulous books.
Major_Clanger
Well-Known Member
Until you get above Slaughden, the river is surprisingly deep. The least water is generally at the entrance which deserves respect (but not trepidation).
Otter
Well-Known Member
The best anchorages are on these rivers but we’re biased.
Everywhere has superb holding; Abraham’s bosom is great, Cuckhold’s reach a bit busier. Anywhere along the inner side of Orfordness. Past Aldeburgh moorings there’s lots of deeper sections. Take the dinghy up to Snape, it’s great fun. Avoid Aldeburgh visitors’ moorings if it’s windy, utter hell in strong WOT. I’ve never got on with Butley overnight, often getting pushed over and running aground in the night but for a few hours it’s heavenly.
Lots of stones and muscles on the seabed so unless you get the snubber right, the chain noise will convince you you’re dragging all the time.
Everywhere has superb holding; Abraham’s bosom is great, Cuckhold’s reach a bit busier. Anywhere along the inner side of Orfordness. Past Aldeburgh moorings there’s lots of deeper sections. Take the dinghy up to Snape, it’s great fun. Avoid Aldeburgh visitors’ moorings if it’s windy, utter hell in strong WOT. I’ve never got on with Butley overnight, often getting pushed over and running aground in the night but for a few hours it’s heavenly.
Lots of stones and muscles on the seabed so unless you get the snubber right, the chain noise will convince you you’re dragging all the time.
Jan Harber
Well-Known Member
Thanks for mentioning East Coast Rivers, and I would agree with all the above suggestions.
Ten days ago, on the bank holiday weekend, we attempted to reach Iken in my dad’s old boat, the lifting-keel Blue Shoal. It was neaps and the pressure was very high so we were not sure how far we would get…Not only were the withies very difficult to spot against the afternoon light, but many of the port-hand ones were missing their red topmarks and several had lost their top branches so were nearly submerged. Our tortuous adventure took us to near St Botolph’s church where we began to stir up so much mud that we decided to turn back…
My advice would be to only attempt the trip early on a rising spring tide, in a shallow draft or lifting keel boat… and take a crew with good eye sight!
As suggested by previous posters, if you want to get to Snape Bridge and the Maltings, anchor at Iken and take the dinghy.
The current situation at Snape Quay is that there are no longer any spaces to moor alongside because various craft including the large houseboat barge, the bawley Bona, a coble, some trip boats, a Crabber and Des’ launch are occupying all the berths and ladders.
An alternative would be to go ashore at Iken (which can only be done cleanly at around HW), and walk to Snape.
As Julian Tennyson remarks of the Alde in his book Suffolk Scene: “The loveliest part of the whole river is at Iken, where the church and rectory stand lonely on a little wooded hill at the head of the bay that curves sharply back beneath bracken and oak trees and steep sandy cliffs.”
Ten days ago, on the bank holiday weekend, we attempted to reach Iken in my dad’s old boat, the lifting-keel Blue Shoal. It was neaps and the pressure was very high so we were not sure how far we would get…Not only were the withies very difficult to spot against the afternoon light, but many of the port-hand ones were missing their red topmarks and several had lost their top branches so were nearly submerged. Our tortuous adventure took us to near St Botolph’s church where we began to stir up so much mud that we decided to turn back…
My advice would be to only attempt the trip early on a rising spring tide, in a shallow draft or lifting keel boat… and take a crew with good eye sight!
As suggested by previous posters, if you want to get to Snape Bridge and the Maltings, anchor at Iken and take the dinghy.
The current situation at Snape Quay is that there are no longer any spaces to moor alongside because various craft including the large houseboat barge, the bawley Bona, a coble, some trip boats, a Crabber and Des’ launch are occupying all the berths and ladders.
An alternative would be to go ashore at Iken (which can only be done cleanly at around HW), and walk to Snape.
As Julian Tennyson remarks of the Alde in his book Suffolk Scene: “The loveliest part of the whole river is at Iken, where the church and rectory stand lonely on a little wooded hill at the head of the bay that curves sharply back beneath bracken and oak trees and steep sandy cliffs.”
14K478
Well-Known Member
@Jan Harber - fifty years ago my dad referred to your dad as “The invaluable Jack Coote”. And now you have become “The invaluable Jan Harber”. Delighted to know that Blue Shoal is still going strong!
ianc1200
Well-Known Member
We took our Cornish Crabber up to Snape some years ago, kept going aground on a rising tide because we couldn't work out which withy was port/SB etc. OK because we could lift the keel to get going again. But then the trip boat came down from Snape, and when it returned from Iken we followed it at (our) top speed, and used the chartplotter track to get down afterwards. We had stayed a night at Iken beach on a buoy, and on the Butley River over the years picked up a buoy above the ferry. A dinghy trip on a rising tide to the head of the Butley River is very worthwhile, but ignore what appears to be a dead body lying on the mud close to the top of the river - it's a bronze statue called "man of a thousand tides" - if it's still there. On a larger boat we anchored for several nights by Cobb Island, about a mile and a half above Aldeburgh. Don't ever think of picking up the visitor's buoy at Aldeburgh, as Otter noted it can be hell with WOT and they try and put two boats for the buoy, masts clashing etc.
John 32i
Well-Known Member
We used to anchor at Abraham’s bosom or get a buoy at Orford. It's been a few years but hopefully visiting again later this year.
snowbird30ds
Well-Known Member
We took an old rlm 31 to Snape back in 2012 (might have been 2010) and took the channel line from os using memory map and converted to chart plotter format and found it spot on if it's any help, we struggled using the withies.
Went on a rising spring tide, had one pint and did a runner back to orford.
Went on a rising spring tide, had one pint and did a runner back to orford.
sailorman
Well-Known Member
abrahams bosom is a favorite spot of ours, deep water close by the island with excellent holding, quite a lot of bird noise at times, oh and from "groccle"boat tours
fredrussell
Well-Known Member
it’s a fair point. I’ve chucked a kedge out the back before for a bit of peace of mind.
sailorman
Well-Known Member
done that, in our Co32, needless to say we got presented with a photo
englishrobs
Well-Known Member
We’re in a CO32 as welldone that, in our Co32, needless to say we got presented with a photo
oilybilge
Well-Known Member
Great suggestions here. Although it's not anchoring, another option is to pick up one of the last buoys at the upriver end of the Aldeburgh layings. Most of them are empty this year, and it's a very pretty part of the river. I sometimes motor up from my own mooring a few hundred yards away just to have a cup of tea or a bbq.
If you stay the night you might get Mr Cable banging on your cabin roof the next morning and asking for £4, but the man's got to live.
If you stay the night you might get Mr Cable banging on your cabin roof the next morning and asking for £4, but the man's got to live.
Leighb
Well-Known Member
That is a lovely area, you can also anchor just above the last moorings, good holding. You can then take the tender just upriver and go ashore at the Brick Dock to walk into the town. A bit awkward but reasonably clean landing. Don’t whatever you do be tempted by the little sandy beach opposite to the anchorage. It is fine at HW, possibly for an hour or so, it then is horrendous deep sticky mud. Our friends tried it, went off happily to do the shopping in Aldeburgh but on return she got seriously stuck trying to launch the dinghy and at one point I thought I might have to call up the Coastguard. They managed to get out with the dinghy which they then had to carry along the seawall to the Brick Dock.
fredrussell
Well-Known Member
Who is Mr Cable? Harbour Master?
14K478
Well-Known Member
£4 is a good deal! Pick up one of the moorings on the Orwell opposite SYH and you will see what I mean!
