Southwold to Wells

Rivers & creeks

Rivers & creeks

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We're planning this trip; it's 63nm so I'm guess about 11 hours with a speed through the water of 5.5knots? I can't see any way of having less than 5 hours of foul tide - what do people think? The harbour guide says that you can anchor but we're long keel so I don't see how unless there are deep parts where we can anchor in a minimum of 1.4 metres - it's a sandy bottom there isn't it? Any tips for the passage, I guess arriving from HW-2 to HW+1 is necessary? When we've visited by land it seems a great place for a week with the kids and potentially a cracking journey in the prevailing winds.
 
It took us nigh on 16 hours in Erbas a few years ago. Left Southwold at lunchtime and arrived off Wells about six thirty I the morning and had to anchor off for a couple of hours to wait for enough tide to go in

Doubt there's anywhere you could realistically anchor but you should be fine alongside the pontoon.

Lovely place, look forward to going again one day
 
I arrived a couple of hours early too, but anchored off in sand until the HM called and guided another boat and myself in. HM told me there was nowhere to anchor. If you want to stay afloat aim for the town end of the pontoon or against the Albatross. Yes it's a sandy bottom and the best place in the world :) well kind of. You might be able to borrow a mooring if you have legs and can dry out. Get the dinghy out and explore the marshes, see Google maps and you might even make it to Blakeney!
 
Did Lowestoft to Wells a few years ago. I reckoned twas crucial to be at Wells SWM at HW. As far as I remember the flood is along the north Norfolk coast so it was with me when I turned the corner. The Wells harbour staff are the best I've come across; Give them a ring in advance to check if they still do but they advised me to radio in when off the bar and they would come out in the launch to pilot me in. They also ushered me to a berth alngside a bilge keel ketch at the pontoon so that I could have a lean against him at low water. There is a deeper pool a bit further in where some quite big (to me) boats tied up to the Dutch ship and stayed afloat. All the rest of the harbour dries out.
I was in a 27' long keeler then and had no problem. The harbour staff are used to accomodating all sorts and sizes of boats.
I had a good time in the town - it's quite quaint and not as gentrified as Southwold. I happened to be there when the annual carnival was on and the parade was good fun. The kids on holiday become crab catching enthusiasts. I had a contact in the local RNLI crew and got a guided tour - worth asking and sticking a bit of folding in the box.
Oh yes, seemed as though the north Norfolk coast had the highest density of pot buoys and they extended way out
 
Bru said:
It took us nigh on 16 hours in Erbas a few years ago. Left Southwold at lunchtime and arrived off Wells about six thirty I the morning and had to anchor off for a couple of hours to wait for enough tide to go in

Doubt there's anywhere you could realistically anchor but you should be fine alongside the pontoon.

Lovely place, look forward to going again one day
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Thanks for the replies. Bru - how come 16 hours?
 
Colvic Watson said:
Thanks for the replies. Bru - how come 16 hours?
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Not the fastest boat ever built :) and a weird mix of too much wind followed by too little! We weren't in a tearing hurry anyway. We could have left Southwold later in the day and hammered up the coast under motor to maintain a higher average speed but we were happy to make whatever speed we could under sail only starting the motor off the North Norfolk coast when the wind died away to next to nothing.
 
Bru said:
Not the fastest boat ever built :) and a weird mix of too much wind followed by too little! We weren't in a tearing hurry anyway. We could have left Southwold later in the day and hammered up the coast under motor to maintain a higher average speed but we were happy to make whatever speed we could under sail only starting the motor off the North Norfolk coast when the wind died away to next to nothing.
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Hello,
We have done this on our Kingfisher 30s which cruises at 5 kts and our cruiser at 20 kts. Now 5 kts is fine. We go from Ipswich and do the hop around Norfolk from Southwold. We stop at Sea Palling and anchor inside the sea defences no problem with our 1.4 m. We lay a decent kedge as the tide flows through the sea defences well.
It is about half way so the last 30 miles to Wells is pretty chilled.
The local pub (reefs bar) is vv dog friendly and has regular bands which is a bit of a crack. ( or was so last year)

Cheers, Col.
 
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In June 2016, I left Southwold at 11.15 and anchored in Blakeney (5 miles short of Wells) at 23.00 - boat speed on the day was between 4.5 and 5.2kts (25ft Hunter Delta).

On the North Norfolk coast, the stream turns east two hours before high water Wells so that's the best time to arrive at the Harbour WCB. What's more, you should be able to enter by then - I draw 1.5m (keel down) and reckon on 2m height of tide to go in (the HM will be pleased to advise; if early, anchor in Holkham Bay). A bump on the corner east of the lifeboat house is not uncommon (the shallowest part in my experience) but the level will be rising quickly. I'm told the pontoon has been dredged along its entire (extended) length and the HM is usually there to direct and take your lines. Other than along the main pontoon, there's nowhere to lie afloat (I've sometimes seen yachts in the outer harbour, with the windfarm vessels, presumably with the agreement of the HM - it's a longish walk to town from there).

Last year, coming from the Ore, I anchored for the night inside the sea defences at Sea Palling - I was directed offshore by the Guard Vessel supervising the roaming pipe sections, by the time I was clear my (motoring) SOG was down to 1.2kts against a very foul stream. As Colin K said, that made for an easy sail to Wells the next day.

The pot markers off Cromer and Sheringham are some of the most concentrated I've ever come across - I'd stay well offshore if motoring past at night. Beware entry (or exit) over Wells bar after a run of heavy northerly weather.

The Fleece (on the front) does a great breakfast and French's is the ranking Fish & Chippie. High quality baker, greengrocer & butcher on the main street.
 
I did this trip (from Lowestoft) in 2015. It took me 14 hrs (lighter winds initially and a shorter waterline.)

It was fairly straightforward but a couple of things: it makes sense to get out of the Caister Roads (Hemsby) before the foul tide sets in, it's fairly strong there so worth getting north of it in time. I didn't bother anchoring but Sea Palling could work if you need a rest.

Also I found worse weather towards the end of each trip - because you are going around the corner of Norfolk what initially was perfect flat conditions and reaching ended up as a larger fetch and wind on the nose. Perhaps obvious but something to consider.

Also worth noting is that slack water at Wells is two hours before HW so it makes sense to get there early and wait for depth if necessary, rather than arriving late and slogging against the east going tide. I got there early and ended up following one of the wind farm vessels in.

The pontoons are the place to be if you can't dry out (not sure if the HM would let you anchor where it's deep enough.) The tide in the harbour is pretty strong at the pontoons too.

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthrea...-the-Orwell)&p=5594822&highlight=#post5594822

Enjoy, it's a great trip and a lovely spot to hang out for a few days :)

Jon
 
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Just a quick addition to the already good advice and something that was touched on earlier, pot markers. Grrrrrr. Cromer is a minefield, keep about 5 miles offshore and you should be ok.
 
PaulRainbow said:
Just a quick addition to the already good advice and something that was touched on earlier, pot markers. Grrrrrr. Cromer is a minefield, keep about 5 miles offshore and you should be ok.
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Don't bet your last quid on it! I narrowly missed a string of pot markers a good five miles off in the dark.
 
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