SW Sunk Beacon

[RMA]

On 4/5/03 Paul McCarthy asked about depths near the SW Sunk Beacon.

If it helps I went across from the Barrow Deep to the Black Deep at about 0855 last Saturday (7/6/03) and found a least depth of 1.8 metres. I crossed about 75 yards south west of the beacon and maintained a course across the ground of 135ºM. I reckon it was about 3 hours after high water, which was at 0549 at the Whittaker Beacon and 0557 at the Shivering Sands.

I reached the least depth very soon after passing the beacon, certainly within about 150 to 250 yards, after which the depth steadily increased.

A bit worrying at the time (I told myself that I would turn round when it got to 2 metres) but it was fairly calm and the boat only draws 2’3” (0.7m) with the keel raised.


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[AndrewB]

Thanks RMA, planning on going that way this weekend and that's just what I needed to know.

In recent years depths on the banks seem to change remarkably quickly, faster than the charts keep up with, and its helpful to have up-to-date information on the short cuts.

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[Gunfleet]

They certainly do change quickly. That's a lot more water than I found in a very similar position a year ago. But I suppose one look at the Deben charts (for example) would prove that. Keep us informed!

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[AndrewB]

Oh! I took this as implying it was much shallower than my chart shows. If RMA found 1.8m at 3 hours after high, this is equivalent to a drying height of about 0.8m NAP. My 2003 Stanford's chart shows the gat to the SW of the beacon as not drying.

RMA, please could you clarify?

 

[Gunfleet]

Experience has taught me that the chart on the Sunk cannot be trusted. It needs to be read with a great big dose of reports by other sailors! My last couple of crossings the depths were so far out from the chart I decided I wouldn't cross again until I heard reports from other sailors it was open again. As far as I know the Admiralty doesn't survey it.

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[AndrewB]

Thanks for that. Looks like I won't be going that way, then.

Agree, there's a clear case for a Thames Estuary Depths forum. They go up and down faster than diesel prices!

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[Toutvabien]

Crouch/Blackwater to North Foreland/Calais

Well we always used to cross by SW Sunk about 2hrs after LW going South from the Crouch towards North Foreland and all stations West. It sounds from RMA's very helpful report that the depths have indeed declined making this route difficult in anything other than calm conditions. What alternative route would the team suggest across the Estuary, getting over Sunk Sand sounds potentially problematic.

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[RMA]

Re: SW Sunk Beacon (re AndrewB)

All I can tell you is what my echo sounder recorded. I do not know how accurate it is, other than to say the boat takes the ground just about when it says it will. The keel offset is set to zero. There is of course no guarantee that I found the deepest water.

Using this route and Fishermans Gat saved me about an hour on a trip to Ramsgate.

What we need is for some brave soul to go and paint a depth gauge on the old beacon itself – any volunteers?

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[Gunfleet]

Re: SW Sunk Beacon (re AndrewB)

Not me. Horrible ghastly place. Everytime I went past it I wanted to be somewhere else. Now I've a faster boat I'd rather sail round!
ps the glong glong of the spitway bouys in fog give me the same feeling. Am I alone in being easily spooked on the sands?

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[AndrewB]

SW Sunk Beacon: Update

I went that way on Saturday (14th) and passed across about 2½ hours after high tide at Whittaker. No problems with the depth (I draw 6½ft), though with a fresh E wind there were overfalls. But it looked nastier than it was.

Unlike you, we crossed on a course of 180 deg over the ground, to keep slightly west of the beacon throughout, until back in deep water. It seemed much shallower to the east, and of course easy to get carried that way on the ebb.

 

[Gunfleet]

Re: SW Sunk Beacon: Update

Hi Andrew, this course you took, 180 deg over the ground W of the beacon - how far were you from the beacon itself?

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[AndrewB]

Re: SW Sunk Beacon: Update

Passed about 150m to the west. As RMA says, the shallowest area was an east-west ridge about 200m south of the beacon. The saddle seems to be roughly on a transit between the beacon and the Barrow no 6 (red) buoy.

PS I now see that in his last post RMA describes his depth sounder as a having a zero keel offset. If he was reporting depth below keel, rather than the water depth, then my findings may be compatible with his.

 

[mjpmjp]

Re: Crouch/Blackwater to North Foreland/Calais

A couple of weeks ago I left the Blackwater (Nass) 1 hour before HW then through spitway across north of Middle Sunk to Sunk beacon (not the SW Sunk) then striaght south through Fishersmans Gat. Found no shortage of water - miminum 10' at least at around 2/3 hours after, then sailed direct to Oostende. came back same way without any problem. l left the beacon around 1 cable to the East of our track.

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