Rounding Gibralter Point

[Sea_Lark]

Is there a 'safe' inshore route around Gibralter Point from Boston Roads to Skegness? My old chart mentions a seasonal buoyed channel, but I recollect either reading or being told that it is no longer buoyed. So is it still buoyed or, if not, is there an idiot-proof method of keeping in deep enough water for 1m draught?

 

[MrCramp]

Going around Gibralter Point is a nightmare on the inshore route. At least the bottom is nice clean sand and the you can see through the water, unlike further down south!

Last time I went from Grimsby to Boston we thought we were going to be OK, taking great care to plot our position, and then we just ran out of water. We are used to skanking around in no water. We put the kettle on and started eating our lunch then a great big fishing boat when flying past doing around 10 knotts, about 150 metres inshore of us.

The water came up in no time but we could not find the inshore channel that the fishing boat had used and we were in danger of missing the lock at Boston, so we turned around and went the offshore route.

I think 10 years ago there was more water inshore and the channel was bouyed better than it is today. Luckily it was a nice calm, sunny October day and my boat was a bilge keeler and only drew 1 metre. Wouldn't dream of being in that location in a choppy sea.

 

[bastonjock]

personally i would go the outside route,head for boston No1 buoy and then out,i am also led to belive that it is best to hog the port hand marks out of boston as the sand bank is moving over a bit,rumour has it that one or two forumites have hit the bottom on the starboard side.

 

[alexrunic]

I'm from skeggy yacht club at Gib Point, you will have no problem using the inside route I have hundreds of times although I would not recommend it at low water (although possible and have done it many times) as there are a couple of shallow bits around the entrance to our channel and about 1 mile north of our channel.

the trick is to find the deepest bit which is about 1/4 to 1/2 mile off the beach this deep bit is quite wide so nothing to worry about. once past our entrance you will come across a DZ Buoy that is in deep water so something to head for.

I think the First green buoy is long sand but really cant remember, they have took all the other ones out. But you don't really need them I would keep plotting my position just to be sure.

The sand banks are fairly accurately shown on the charts but depths might not be too accurate. having said that even at low water once past Gib point you will be in over 8 meters of water

 

[Sixpence]

I'm not as brave as Alex [lol]
Keep right on the way out
Keep left on the way in
Wet to dry in under a minute
Inshore route best avoided unless keel wheels fitted

 

[MrCramp]

I'm from skeggy yacht club at Gib Point, you will have no problem using the inside route I have hundreds of times

Just goes to show how invaluble local knowledge can be!

I supose in calm weather I would try to find that inside route because of the challenge, and it is much longer (2 hours??) going round. I have used the inside route around Hunstanton along the coast to Wells on a number of occasions but would not attempt either of those two routes in bad weather or bad viability.

 

[Sea_Lark]

Thanks everyone for your considered opinions. Timing-wise, from leaving Fosdyke, I would be there on a falling tide so I reckon I shall routinely continue to 'chicken out' and go the long way around. However, if I ever get a flat calm day with nowhere particular to get to, I might have a go at water-divining for the inshore route following Alex's instructions.

 

[bastonjock]

perhaps alex could go and do the inside secret passage with everyones chartplotters on board,then we could just follow the track

 

[Tommyrot]

I've been through near low tide and was surprised how close in to the beach the deep water was, could almost build a sandcastle!
Seemed to be a bar coming out from just south of the Wainfleet entrance which needed avoiding by heading further out.

 

[Fenlander]

Its the parlour channel bouys that have been removed.

 

[alexrunic]

the buoys down the inside have been removed as well some of them started to disappear years ago but its been in the present state for the last couple of years. the parlor channel buoys were removed 2 years ago.

 

[alexrunic]

the insde route is very easy with a decent amount of water under you i.e 3 +- HW but is still more than passible with less water and even at LW