Spitway - Pyefleet to Burnham

[englishrobs]

Going to be crossing the Spitway for the first time this weekend. Any advice for a first timer? We plan to leave Pyefleet just after low tide, heading for Burnham.

 

[ex-Gladys]

Go to Tillergirl's website and use this chartlet. ..

http://www.crossingthethamesestuary.com/Web Site Spitway download 2019 V1.pdf

You need to be east of the buoys for best water, but in my experience with 1.5 m draft I aim to be at the Spitway at LW if going to the Crouch or Medway (from Mersea) so I take the last of the ebb cross at LW and take the flood

 

[johnalison]

There should be plenty of water by the time you get there, but I imagine the Forum creepie-crawlies will tell you to go via the Ray.

 

[nigelm]

There should be plenty of water by the time you get there, but I imagine the Forum creepie-crawlies will tell you to go via the Ray.

Not this weekend they won’t , low water is midday ish so unless he has a hovercraft best stick to the wet bit

 

[Ali-alshira]

We usually time it to get to the Spitway at or near LW, so you get favourable tide in both rivers. It's more important to get the flood in the Crouch, though, because it's a longer slog if you have to stem the tide, so your timing should be fine. The Spitway channel is very wide and flat, so straying off the line is not a problem - see tillergirl's chartlet to confirm that. Don't worry about it, it's an easy one!

 

[englishrobs]

Marvellous. Thank you all.

 

[Daydream believer]

Earlier this year i crossed through the Spitway an hour before LW with 1.800 draft and it went down to just 300 mm below the keel. Southern end. I was dead on the line of the buoys.I am confident that my sounder was accurate because i touched off Sales point when not concentrating and just drifting about to waste time to get into Bradwell. Sounder read correctly on the shingle. It was me that was not watching it

 

[johnalison]

Sounder read correctly on the shingle. It was me that was not watching it

I know the feeling.

 

[ex-Gladys]

Earlier this year i crossed through the Spitway an hour before LW with 1.800 draft and it went down to just 300 mm below the keel. Southern end. I was dead on the line of the buoys.I am confident that my sounder was accurate because i touched off Sales point when not concentrating and just drifting about to waste time to get into Bradwell. Sounder read correctly on the shingle. It was me that was not watching it

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, the Buoys DO NOT show the best water, see Roger's chartlet on CTTE (Linked in previous post...)

 

[englishrobs]

Spot on with the advice, we crossed just after LW and had a good run into Burnham. Thanks for all the advice.