SYH to Brightlingsea(and back)

D

Denek

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 Jan 2013
Messages
321
Location
Thurleigh bedfordshire
Visit site
Hi all.
A few weeks ago I asked for advice about sailing into and spending the night in Hamford water and the advice was top rate and appreciated and we had a great weekend.
We are now planning our next slightly more ambitious sail from SYH to Brightlingsea for a long weekend over the bank holiday ( weather permitting) I have not looked at tides etc yet but if anyone has any advice it would be welcome.
Thanks in advance.
 
hi Denek,

I live in Burnham-on- Crouch but my boat lives in SYH. My advice for your intended passage is to aim for LW at Stone Banks or thereabouts in both directions. This way you will work your tides in the Wallet and at both ends of the passage, There should also be more than sufficient water at the Spitway unless you draw well over 6 ft. or move at well over 6 kts. You can do more elegant calcs, but for me this rule of thumb works several times every year.

Peter
 
PeterWright said:
hi Denek,

I live in Burnham-on- Crouch but my boat lives in SYH. My advice for your intended passage is to aim for LW at Stone Banks or thereabouts in both directions. This way you will work your tides in the Wallet and at both ends of the passage, There should also be more than sufficient water at the Spitway unless you draw well over 6 ft. or move at well over 6 kts. You can do more elegant calcs, but for me this rule of thumb works several times every year.

Peter
Click to expand...
SYH to Brightlingsea
 
The tide rises to the South
and Falls to the north.

Leave SYH at LW (or thereabouts)
Take the tide to Brightlingsea.
Arrive HW (ish)
Depending on how fast you are and the hight of the tide you can save yourself a whole mile and cut the corner at Colne Bar.
The harbour staff at Brightlingsea ch68 are extremely helpful. They come out in a boat and escourt you to your berth. Call them as just before you drop sails outside the “gate" and again when you can see the moorings.

CYC has a lovely view of the harbour
The University club is cheaper
The Yachtsmans does good food
The legendary Kovalam is now deceased
The Rosebud is a bit of a walk but the food is very good. (the chef is ex posh London)
 
The harbour publishes some useful pilotage info on their website https://www.brightlingseaharbour.org/visitors/navigation-advice/
If you follow that you’ll avoid the spit off BSC.
The harbour has been dredged to a target depth of 1m below CD in entrance channel and 0.75m below CD at pontoons. Bathymetric survey is on the weblink; charts haven’t yet been updated with this survey info. Bottom is soft mud, so on lowest tides keels may settle into this.
 
Take the tide down the wallet (Stone banks at LW is good advice)
Don't go through (or anywhere near) the spitway
Obey buoyage so you don't hit Colne Bar
Call Brightlingsea harbour on 68 as you come in - they'll normally show you to a berth.

We go to B'sea a couple of times each year but at £30 for no water and no electric, Pyefleet is quiet and free. And with no Kovalam - even more enticing!
 
High water is later at Brightlingsea, so you have all the time in the world to get there. If you have LW around Harwich, there will be plenty of water over the Colne Bar and it is unnecessary to go all the way round the buoy much after half tide. Near HW you will see boats rounding the point very close inshore but I usually cross about halfway to the buoy. The bar is very hard, so don't try it anywhere near LW; I know someone who crossed at full pelt in a Carter 30 and came off worst. The usual course would be via the North Eagle. This area can be quite confusing visually with little to see around you, so just make sure you know where you are.
 
Cantata said:
Whaaaat? Really? Disaster!! Was hoping to get there later this month, always looked forward to it when we visit Brightlingsea. Might the closure be temporary?
Click to expand...

Afraid ....no

But there is another curry house up Tower street which is very good..
Although the waiter hasn't read any books on customer service
 
Cantata said:
Whaaaat? Really? Disaster!! Was hoping to get there later this month, always looked forward to it when we visit Brightlingsea. Might the closure be temporary?
Click to expand...
Afraid that it is now an ex-Kovalam, it is no more, it has gone to meet the great Curry Maker in the Sky...it's snuffed it!

Sadly it shut about a year ago. From what I understand there had been some financial issues despite it being very busy throughout the year. A great shame as it was probably one of the better Curry Houses in Essex.

The Rosebud is a bit of a hike from the waterside, but the grub is pretty good, or you could always consider the Thai Restaurant at the Brewers Arms which is getting a lot of rave reviews and has been in situ for about 3 years now. A final possibility is Vines Bistro in the High Street, never been there myself, but have heard very good reviews of the quality and quantity!
 
The Raj (or whatever it is called these days) in Tower Street changed hands reasonably recently - at least some time in the last few years. We've been a couple of times this year (having not been for some years previously) and the food has been really good, a step up from what it used to to (not that it was bad before). The service can be a bit brusque and overbearing though.
 
All the pilotage advice about taking the tide down the Wallet is good, it can be a slog otherwise and then you have to avoid Colne Bar. We always try to arrive nearer to HW, certainly enough to give us the opportunity to cut the corner at the bar. Pyefleet creek opposite the entrance to Brightlingsea is a great anchorage, and you can get excellent seafood from the oyster/fishery ashore, they'll leave it in an outside chiller for you if you're there over a weekend. There are some visitor moorings in the creek (big white buoys) which the fishery lets out but the mud gives excellent holding anyway.
 
Old Harry said:
SYH to Brightlingsea
Click to expand...

Oops, my internal autopilot was thinking of standing on to Burnham - sorry!

Whether headed for B'sea or Burnham, leaving SYH at LW means you've lost the tide down the Orwell and through Harwich. You'll still make it, but it's harder work.

My other approximation for East Coast sailing is to classify a number of ports together as "half tide ports" - these are ports which a 6 foot draft boat can enter at or above half tide, springs or neaps, and that rule also applies to the Brightlingsea passage. Saves lots of sums with the tide tables. There are plenty of other ports in this class.

Peter
 
Last edited:
We are based at Fambridge, if I’m keaving for home from the Orwell then it’s always a couple of hrs before LW from Woolverstone & Syh both , I’ve been back on my mooring just before HW Fambridge.

In fact we will be popping up that way in a couple of weeks time
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top