Stone Point Walton-on-the Naze

Bubblegtt

Bubblegtt

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Titchmarsh Marina
www.motacar.com
Just received an email from Titchmarsh Marina: I am pleased to inform you that the marina has organised the dredging and deepening of the channel at Stone Point in readiness for this Spring Bank holiday. We have taken some soundings yesterday and prepared a chart with our findings. here

Copies will also be available from the Harbour Masters office.
 
Hi, Great chartlet but can you clarify if the soundings are
1. the actual reading you had or have they been reduced to chart datum?
2. is your depth sounder calibrated to depth under the keel (and if so what is your keel depth)
3. what does .6 tide at Harwich mean (I presume it was .6 of the difference between low and high water) but was it springs or neaps?

Just wondering that if I come in my yacht drawing 1.8m will I be able to make it given lowest depth at 1.5m.
sorry if I am being dim by asking these questions.
 
Bob Stays said:
Hi, Great chartlet but can you clarify if the soundings are
1. the actual reading you had or have they been reduced to chart datum?
2. is your depth sounder calibrated to depth under the keel (and if so what is your keel depth)
3. what does .6 tide at Harwich mean (I presume it was .6 of the difference between low and high water) but was it springs or neaps?

Just wondering that if I come in my yacht drawing 1.8m will I be able to make it given lowest depth at 1.5m.
sorry if I am being dim by asking these questions.
Click to expand...

These soundings were not done by me, but by Titchmarsh Marina, I am just passing on a bit of information from their email to berth holders :)

Should you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact the Habour Master on 01255-672185 or via e-mail to harbourmaster@titchmarshmarina.co.uk
Click to expand...

I hope that helps
 
It is only a guess but yesterday afternoon low water at Harwich was shown as 0.66m.So the dredging is likely to have been done at low water and the depths shown were when Harwich low water was 0.6m or thereabouts.
This is just an assumption on my part.Based on this you need a good metre of depth at harwich to get in if the water is flat calm.Depths at Harwich are as low as 0.2m this month and 0.13m in July so you need to look at the tide tables for Harwich carefully.I draw 1.7 and usually come in /out at half tide.Bear in mind that chart datum at Pye End is not much over a meter so you need a reasonable rise of tide to start your entrance anyway.People with more info will probably be along shortly.
 
My interpretation is that the 0.6m tide shown on the PDF is included in the soundings, giving a minimum depth of 0.9m, which is about the same as at Pye End. From the pre-dredging chart, it looks as if you need keep well out going past No9.
 
With kind permission from Chris Titchmarsh, of Titchmarsh Marina, here is the last email that was sent to berth holders:

Dear Berth-holder,

We have produced this brief information sheet in response to all the enquiries we have received regarding the likely causes of the issues at Stone Point and to explain what has been going on behind the scenes.

Historically this channel has never required dredging. In 1999 a scheme to use dredged material from the Harwich Harbour channel deepening programme was initiated by the Environment Agency and supported by Tendring District Council. 200,000 tonnes of sand and gravel was pumped ashore by Harwich Haven Authority and placed at Walton Hall marshes, to the S.E of Stone Point. This material did not as predicted "move landwards towards saltmarsh by waves washing ashore" but moved N.W initially infilling the Swatchway and then filling Walton channel. Stone Point re-formed and extended west with a sand bar forming across the channel to Island Point.
The Environment Agency officer who originally campaigned for the use of soft-engineering to improve and protect Stone Marsh is on record as saying that "with hind sight, hard engineering was also required to retain the recharge material on the beach."

To address this matter in July 2012 Harwich Haven Authority carried out an initial plough dredge and subsequently the marina and the Hamford Water Management sub-committee, representing all users of the Walton Channel, have united in a campaign to negotiate a full dredge of Walton Channel.

During the last few months we have attended many meetings and put considerable effort into trying to secure funding for a channel dredge at Stone Point.
On 30th April 2013 at a meeting at Clacton Town Hall, members of the HWM sub-committee met with 4 councillors from TDC, 2 representatives from the Environment Agency together with representatives from Natural England, Harwich Haven Authority and Walton & Frinton Town Council. It was made apparent that despite all previous assurances and although sympathetic to our plight no financial assistance was available.

Titchmarsh Marina organised for a dredge to be carried out immediately and offered £6,000 to the HWMC towards the costs. The dredging and deepening of the channel at Stone Point was completed in readiness for the Spring Bank holiday weekend 2013.

Hamford Water Management sub-committee has negotiated a further dredge to be carried out by Harwich Haven Authority during the week of 24th June, when a plough dredger will be operating within the channel.

HWM sub-committee is now negotiating with other users to secure additional funding for this work. An additional £7,500 has been promised bringing the total raised to date to £13,500. At a recent meeting with Essex County Council it was agreed that the final figure raised would be declared and an application for match funding would be considered.

HWMC would welcome any donation that interested parties would wish to make to assist with this costly dredging project.

We will continue to keep you informed

With kind regards
C.D. Titchmarsh
Marina Manager
Click to expand...

It's a shame that the Environment Agency will not foot the bill to rectify the mistaken belief of "their officer" that the "soft engineering" of dumping 200,000 tones of sand and gravel would be a good idea, without backing it up with "hard engineering"

Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
 
Had a trip round to Titchmarsh this weekend.

Going round on Saturday 1 hr before HW did not see less than 13ft, (keel offset 3ft) the 'scour' just behind Stone Point spit showing 24ft!

Exiting today 3 hours before LW not less than 4.8 ft (Keel Offset 3ft) although not a keel :)
 
I had a poke around there on Sunday afternoon and found 2.5 to 3.0m depth (No keel off-set) The tide gauge at Harwich showed 2.51m at the time.
 
We went to Titchmarsh from the Orwell this weekend, out on Sunday, back on Monday. There was no real problem with depth at Stone Point but the eddies and surges were disconcerting and there was a line of white water across much of the channel when we went in which was just before HW. Our friends who had entered about 1.5 hours earlier said there had been 2 foot standing waves there.

Coming out on Monday about 2.5 hrs before HW it was much calmer but there were still strong eddies, far worse than I have seen in previous years. OK if you are clear of other boats but interesting if not.

We saw Sirenia looking very smart to leeward as we sailed in between No 2 and Island Point.
 
We went in today at about half flood. Least depth we saw was by no.9 buoy, 2.8m but looking at the marina's survey it seems I should have given the buoy a wider berth.
 
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