The Wash & east coast

[MCL]

Sorry if this thread comes up more that once, I am still trying to get the hang of the forums.

I have a small bilge keel trailer sailor with a draft of just 0.45m. I am just 30 miles away from fosdyke, so would like to launch at the EA slip.

My questions are what is the drying height/depth of the welland at CD? Or is that question not possible to answer due to it depends how much water is coming down the Welland?

My concern is having to stay out in the wash for the best part of 12 hours, I was hoping that I would be able to feel my way back up the Welland at LWN. Not sure if I could use the slipway then?

If this is not possible can anyone recommend a sailing spot on the east coast that meets the following requirements:

Slipway suitable for car (essential)
Trailer parking (essential)
Slipway access +/-2 HW (desirable)
A pontoon nearby to tie up for single handed launching (desirable)
Less than 2 hour drive from Rutland (desirable)


Thanks!

 

[Herald]

At that draft shouldn't be a problem certainly at neaps and potentially springs as well. The shallow bit getting in tends to be by the black buoy, but with height of tide and your draft shouldn't present a problem. With a 1m draft you can happily start to go up the cut at HW -3.

All the way up to Fosdyke should have plenty of water, and I would suggest you should be ok for the slip, albeit I have never used it.

You certainly won't have to stay out in the wash for 12 hours but will need to make sure you time it right so as to carry the tide either way. You can always anchor in Clay Hole if needed to wait for the tide.

Re alternative, I guess it depends how far you want to travel. North Norfolk provides you with a great option and some fantastic scenery to explore and ideal with your draft.

 

[MCL]

Thanks for the info, sounds like I might be able to use it as my local sailing spot after all.

LW at Tabs head tomorrow is 1122 at 1.5m, Im planning on taking my kayak up to fosdyke to have a little splash around the area for an hour to see whats what. Will give me an idea if I need waders and a shovel to get through the mud in fosdyke slip!

 

[ssjpiv]

Fosdyke

Hi,

The slp at Fosdyke is fairly mudded up and therefore a decent amount of tide is needed for it to be useabal with a car.

I always start to come back in at around -3hrs which is normally fine although if its spring tides with a fair bit of chop you may want to leave it a bit longer for getting over the previously mentioned Bar.

The tide fair travels up the Welland much more than the haven you really always want it working with you.

Drop me a PM if you have any further questions I sail out of the Welland a fair bit and spend alot of time in the wash.

 

[Sixpence]

Hi Mark
Got your PM but thought you had probably been approved before I got here to answer, so the only thing I would add to what's already been said, is it might be worth spending some time watching what the tidal flow does, before going for it. Trust me, it can be wicked at the wrong state. Been a few years since I was in the area, and I think others know it far better than me so I'll leave further advice to people like George, who guided me on my first trip on his boat.
Nearly came a cropper myself once when I came in too early, should have turned to head out to sea and used the current to help reverse onto my mooring instead of trying to turn after the pontoons and power into the tide

 

[MCL]

I went to Fosdyke at LW today to see how long the slip was, unfortunately most of it is covered in mud, it looks like it will only be usable at HWN or maybe HWS +/-1 (if im lucky).

My search for a suitable slip continues, I keen for more info on the surfleet slip, the slip at chapel hill and one of the guys at fosdyke thought there might be a slip in boston on the salty side?

Or maybe I should consider mooring my little 14 foot boat at fosdyke for a season.

Any info gratefully appreciated.

 

[Sixpence]

Hate to be the one to put a damper on your hopes, but I don't really think you're going to get much joy out of Surfleet. The only slip I know of is on the non tidal side, and to get onto tidal waters you have to go through a lock at Seas End. You can only get through that by appointment and then only at high tide, it basically just connects the tidal to non tidal and allows free flow, so you would have to nip through pretty sharpish, which would be hard to do at the best of times.
To be honest, in a 14ft trailer sailor I would be more inclined to look further afield, maybe Wells in Norfolk, where you can launch and recover a bit safer, and enjoy a days sailing without the added hastle of the long journey down stream from Fosdyke before you get anywhere worth sailing.
Hope this helps, and in time I'm sure others who know the area better than me will advise, just they get on here less than I do