Sailing to Wallasea

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marksaab

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Hi

After pottering around off Mersea for the last two seasons we would like to actually go somewhere for an overnight stop and thought Wallasea Island would be nice!

We are out most weekends but dont have any experience of how we would go about staying at another marina.

I think it maybe just a case of once we do it for the first time we will fell a bit silly for asking how!

Any advice on sailing to Wallasea getting a mooring etc would be appreciated.
 
I always ring the marina before going to ensure there will be space for me when I want to visit; just in case there is a huge rally or likewise taking up all the spare berths.

The Harbour Master (HM) can also advise you of any difficulties with berthing due to tides/currents etc. Do they have cleat type securing points or are they the steel loops? Is electricity available, do you need anything special, same for water and fuel. These sort of questions can be quickly answered by the person in the know. The pilot books are good sources but they will always lag behind due to the time between compliation and printing.

Good luck with the exploring.
 
....and then when you arrive near to your chosen marina, simply call them on the correct VHF channel (shown in the almanac, but usually ch 80), tell them your LOA and beam, and they'll allocate you a berth number.... find your berth, tie up, and then wander up to the marina office and hand over your dosh.... sorted!
 
for a mooring, it's slightly more complicated..... again read a local pilot book and/or the alamanc.... follow the local protocol.... some like you to contact via VHF to be allocated a mooring, some suggest just grabbing a buoy, some will need telephone contact....

make sure the mooring you pick up is suitabel for your boat in terms of both load carrying, and water depth!

Some will charge you a few quid for the night, some wont... some will offer a water taxi service (again read the pilot for the correct VHF channel to contact the taxi), and for some you'll be blowing up your tender.....
 
I've never stayed in Essex Marina on Wallasea and don't intend to! Everyone I know who has been there comments on the fact that the pontoons are in the river and unless you are there at slack water there is a current ripping through the pontoons which can be difficult. On the other side of the river is Burnham Yacht harbour which is much easier as there is no tidal flow (and a good restaurant to boot).

You might ring them first but anyway you just cal them up on VHF Ch80 (or from your mobile) when you get near and they ask length and beam and give you a berth number - the helpful ones also say which side to but usually fenders on both sides are necessary.

I felt like you but after you've done one then the rest are easy! Good luck.

Sailing there depends on tides - if you can hop across the Raysand Channel near HW then you will save a lot of time and the flog down to The Swin and Whittaker and back up the Crouch. Look at this site courtesy of Tillergirl and download the chartlet for depths over the Raysand.

Good sailing!
 
Thanks all! Exactly the info we needed, Tillergirls site looks very useful, I'm offline until later today so I will have a look this eve.

Thanks again!

Mark
 
[ QUOTE ]
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On the other side of the river is Burnham Yacht harbour which is much easier as there is no tidal flow

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And as of yesterday there were quite a few berths vacant.


[/ QUOTE ]

At their prices, I'm not surprised /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
For a night I would go to Burnham. Essex Marina is a controlled crash landing. I kept a Sonata there for a year and had so many fenders the boat looked like a dodgem car. Plus there is nothing to do when you get there.

If you want peace and quite you might want to hang a left before you get to Burnham, down the roach and just drop anchor in any number of places.
 
Go past Essex marina, and the commercial Baltic Wharf. You will see the Ferryboat Inn peeking over the sea wall. There are a line of 6 or so swinging moorings (all drying), and a launching ramp over the wall. If you anchor about 40 yards out fom that line of moorings you will be in about 2.5m of water at LW. Anchor up there, and row ashore to the pub, OK grub, fizzy beer.

There is a footpath leading along the sea wall both ways, and you can walk to Essex Marina to the bar there, or carry on into the wetlands bird reserve. Its a lovely walk on a sunny day. There is also a road down the side of the pub, and its a 2 mile walk to Canewdon where there are a couple of pubs and 2 shops well stocked.
If you walk down through the marina and out to the road, turn right towards the Creeksea, and there are loads of blackberry and sloe bushes. If you turn left you go along the footpath through the farm and can get to the wetlands that way too.

The marina is tricky, as others have said.

If you like birdies come to our place of rest at Bridgemarsh. No pub, but very peaceful, and a pontoon to latch onto.

Best of luck, welcome to the Crouch.....
 
no No NO!!

Go on up the river to North Fambridge. You can go into the marina or (better) moor up on the hammerhead. The Ferryboat Inn there is as good for food or beer as any other on the river
 
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