SW Sunk Tower

[Toutvabien]

Has anybody any idea how much water there is by SW Sunk Tower this year? My usual route across the Thames Estuary from Burnham on Crouch to N Foreland is to cut across to Fishermans Gat by SW Sunk tower. I have heard tell that there now be dragons living there and that the water level at around LW is next to nothing. As this changes rapidly I'd be gratefull for any recent experience. Last time we went past last season the depth was about 2 metres an hour after LW, which to us ditch crawlers is an ocean's worth. My information is that this generous amount of water can no longer be relied upon, any comments?

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[Gunfleet]

Since no one has answered you I will. I haven't been across the sw sunk for a year now and don't intend to until I have a chart with a very recent survey in my hands (seems unlikely) or someone braver than me has found a lot of water there and shows me where. Last time I crossed there was a lot less water than charted. A pal tells me you can cross the sunk a couple of miles further up, as a sort of northern crossing to the Fisherman's Gat but I'm not even going to try that, my last crossing made me so windy. If you're on the Crouch you're probably better placed than most of us for local info on estuary crossings.

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[peterb]

Sunk Sand

Depths on Sunk Sand are quite a problem. It appears that survey work is now the responsibility of PLA, but that they are only surveying the shipping channels. I suspect that if we want Sunk Sand (and other Thames Estuary banks) to be surveyed, we'll have to do it ourselves. The survey shouldn't be a big problem, but getting PLA or UKHO to take any notice of it will be!

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[mikeb]

Re: Sunk Sand

I havent been there since the end of May last year. I crossed immediately south of the tower and calculated 0.3m at Chart Datum which would be about what you found if it was neaps. I now have a different boat that draws 1.5 so I will not be using it until a good survey done.

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[BootleBumtrinket]

Re: Sunk Sand

I bottled last year when faced with a line of little breakers where the little gut just to the SW of SW Sunk should be, and went further east, feeling my way across the flat bit of the main Sunk

Have a look at the Admiralty mini charts for north and south Thames Estuary, and they both give completely different interpretations, although they claim to be based on the same survey!

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