Ramsgate to Sheerness--Route & Departure Times

[Oceanis Rob]

Hello East Coast Forum,

I'm new to YBW and also new to the East Coast, was hoping I could seek some advice or tips. I've had a good read of East Coast Pilot which is a goldmine of info and has been my bedtime reading for sometime now, but I would like to drill down a little deeper into a particular route. I'm intending on going from Medway to Ramsgate this weekend returning on Sunday. My plan is to leave Garrison point around HW and take the ebb down to Foreland using the overland route whilst there is plenty of water under me, hopefully getting to Ramsgate in good time. It's the return journey that I'm pondering.....I draw 1.9m. I read somewhere on the web that for the deeper draft yacht it's advisable to leave Ramsgate a couple of hours before of after LW. I wanted to catch the flood back to Medway on Sunday using the same overland route...In my mind I was thinking of departing Ramsgate LW-1...... If anyone can offer some advice I'd be really very grateful. Want to get this just right as it's my first time in these waters and I am rather cautious!

 

[Cantata]

The shallowest bit is passing Reculver between the Copperas and Reculver buoys. I don't think you'd want to be there at dead low water on Sunday, I doubt there would be enough water for you.
If that timing is a problem for you, as an alternative I suggest you pass N of the Margate Sand, then track along the S side of the Kentish Flats windfarm, keep S of the Middle Sand and make for the Spile buoy, then onwards.

 

[Oceanis Rob]

Thank you Cantata for your advice, Reculver & Copperas I understood from ECP were rather shallow areas so to have that re-iterated I shall stay well away from, I just wondered whether there might just be enough water there if I left Ramsgate at LW-1 to pass through that area. I shall heed your suggestion for the Queens Channel option!

Appreciate your time answering this query.

 

[Cantata]

I suppose that would get you to the shallow bit at around LW+1.5hrs. You might be all right, but on the other hand I've never gone through there with a boat of that sort of draught.
I'm bound to reiterate what's in ECP as I wrote that bit......:encouragement:

 

[ex-Gladys]

I suppose that would get you to the shallow bit at around LW+1.5hrs. You might be all right, but on the other hand I've never gone through there with a boat of that sort of draught.
I'm bound to reiterate what's in ECP as I wrote that bit......:encouragement:

I went through that way in 2014 to escape a SE in Ramsgate... we went overland and I had a squeaky bum time with 1.5 m draft around the mouth of the Swale, we were down to 0.1 0.2 for a stretch, having left at the time you suggested... fortunately at that point the wind was very light so we could "feel our way" a bit. Never actually touched

 

[Oceanis Rob]

Thank you both for your input with this question, I appreciate it. Cantata, apologies for my ignorance, hadn't realised you were one of the three musketeers who wrote ECP! It's a fine piece of work

 

[Cantata]

Thank 'ee, sir, we try to please.