The Wash

[dylanwinter]

I really want to poke the slugs bow around some of the creeks and mud banks at the bottom end of the Wash - The tides at Fosdyke might be a bit feirce for the slugs modest 5 knot top speed - but I was wondering about King's Lynn. Is there anywhere there to keep a boat for a few weeks. I was poking around on google earth and can't see much -in the way of yachting activity

Dylan

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

I can't answer your question Dylan (there will be others that can - cue Tommyrot and Alexrunic!), what I can tell you is that KL isn't much of a place to write home about.... saying that, i'd be very surprised if their isn't somewhere to leave her... the place is a living museum to the victorian and pre/post-war commercial sea going industry and is a maze of small slips and creeks with rusting hulks.... there are possibly better places to go though, but I only know them by land, not their navigability.

Don't take this as negative though... there are parts of the Wash that are an absolute joy.

 

[dylanwinter]

King's Lynn versus Wells

I can't answer your question Dylan (there will be others that can - cue Tommyrot and Alexrunic!), what I can tell you is that KL isn't much of a place to write home about.... saying that, i'd be very surprised if their isn't somewhere to leave her... the place is a living museum to the victorian and pre/post-war commercial sea going industry and is a maze of small slips and creeks with rusting hulks.... there are possibly better places to go though, but I only know them by land, not their navigability.

Don't take this as negative though... there are parts of the Wash that are an absolute joy.

Wells is great - lovely place to spend the winter

but its 40 miles from there to the bottom of the Wash and I need somewhere to dum,p the slug - noth that concerned about what it looks like - v happy to sit the boat on the mud beside a wall.

the problem with fosdyke is that it seems that there is not really anywhere to hide from the lousy weather should things turn against me - all you can do is to run up to the pontoons and tie up - nowhere I can drop the anchor to ride out a blast

The entrance to KL looks as though there are some places I could hide up while something nasty blows through

really looking forward to getting to know the Wash though

Dylan

 

[PaulGooch]

Dylan, there's a marina in Wisbech. The Nene is pretty sheltered as soon as you enter the mouth of the river. There are also some waiting buoys in the entrance to the Wisbech channel, right next to the wreck that's adjacent to the RAF Number 4 buoy.

 

[dylanwinter]

aha

Dylan, there's a marina in Wisbech. The Nene is pretty sheltered as soon as you enter the mouth of the river. There are also some waiting buoys in the entrance to the Wisbech channel, right next to the wreck that's adjacent to the RAF Number 4 buoy.

now thats a good idea

I will have a look

D

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Not only that, its only a short drive for me, so I could come and buy you a lunch time pie and pint!

I also add that Wisbech is a pretty little typical Norfolk fen town, and much nicer than KL.... a good farmers market, and a few interesting signs of its time as a major sea port, with interesting old merchant houses.

 

[dylanwinter]

hiow long does it take to get out to sea

Dylan, there's a marina in Wisbech. The Nene is pretty sheltered as soon as you enter the mouth of the river. There are also some waiting buoys in the entrance to the Wisbech channel, right next to the wreck that's adjacent to the RAF Number 4 buoy.

no probs with dropping masts etc

how long does it take to get from the marina to the mouth of the river?

are there any restrictions on entering and leaving regarding depth or locks?

How fast does the tide run up the river?

Looks quite promising.

Dylan

 

[fergie_mac66]

Years ago had a berth at boston in marina to starboard just through lock club moorings to left

was a nice club not been for years was a few salty mud berths just before bridge and lock had to check with harbourmaster for vacancy . Hve to time it right for the bridge and lock Into foss and witham.

go up on the tide , then mast down , lock and bridge together Is a pain to get right as at high tide the bridge is too low, so window before high tide . Then window again after hide tide . rush to get up to first window if miss then hang around for few hrs for second window, If late and go for second window have to push tide . Marina 2 mins walk from town center and boston stump Can see stump from trust hut at Wainfleet .
Thats how it was might have all changed now though this has opened

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/7955210.stm not found any pics

Cant say about Kl nice there but only been by car . Lock at Denver was a long way up I think 17 mile

 

[Tommyrot]

Can't help much with Kings Lynn, it never appealed much during 6 years of sailing from Boston!
Only place I've seen where I'd tie up is where the local fishing boats are based (Boal quay?). Wouldn't be keen to leave it there long though...

Fosdyke is easy enough as long as you time arrival at the pontoons to coincide with slack water, come in a couple of hours early (cos you're hungry and heading for a pub meal) and a 10hp Honda outboard will just about hold position against the current and stop you going under the bridge.

So I've heard....

Boston is easier (noting the points mentioned in the posts above), and the channel is well-lit, giving the chance of a night run.
For an overnight stay, there is usually a spare mooring or 2 against the wall just downstream of the swing bridge. I was there for 6 years with little trouble, but it's not quiet between the docks and the road.

Wisbech is pleasant enough, and the run up the river is more scenic than most of the rivers in the area, as they are usually enclosed within high banks.
Having the bridge open and stopping the traffic on the main road is a bonus.
Arriving at the bridge too early has the same drawbacks as Fosdyke.

Don't forget to dry out on the sandbanks in The Wash if the weather is settled.
Miles from anything that could invade on your peace and solitude..... apart from the seals.


Forgot to mention the new Black Sluice lock.

They opened it.
A few boats passed in and out with crowds watching.
They all went home.

It's rarely moved since, and I heard that there might have been some problem with the mechanism which means it can't without lots of £££££'s being spent.

 

[PaulGooch]

no probs with dropping masts etc

how long does it take to get from the marina to the mouth of the river?

are there any restrictions on entering and leaving regarding depth or locks?

How fast does the tide run up the river?

Looks quite promising.

Dylan

From the marina to the river mouth is 9 NM.

There are no locks, just the swing bridge at Sutton Bridge. They'll swing it with four hours notice, or if you can drop the mast easily, you'll get under it with a big window, maybe not HW springs. There are waiting pontoons at Sutton Bridge (seaward side of the bridge) if you needed to swing the bridge, or you wanted to stop and drop the mast. Chances of sailing along the river would be slim anyway.

There are a couple of places in the channel where you won't pass at LW springs. One spot in the river near Wisbech that get very low at a really low Spring.

One of the guys from the harbour/marina office is pretty knowledgeable about the area. He has (had) a sailboat and he does all the charting and stuff for the ever moving channel.

The tide runs fast, up to 4 or 5 knots in extremes i think, about the same as Kings Lynn. You would need to make use of the tides with a top speed of 5 knots, but you'll need to do that in The Wash anyway, tides can be pretty strong there too.

If it took your fancy, you can get from Wisbech to Peterborough, with the mast down.

The marina has water, diesel and electricity. Toilets, showers and laundry too and is secure.

 

[PaulGooch]

<snip>

Don't forget to dry out on the sandbanks in The Wash if the weather is settled.
Miles from anything that could invade on your peace and solitude..... apart from the seals.


<snip>

You mean like this :

We parked there on purpose, honest

 

[dylanwinter]

bingo

From the marina to the river mouth is 9 NM.

There are no locks, just the swing bridge at Sutton Bridge. They'll swing it with four hours notice, or if you can drop the mast easily, you'll get under it with a big window, maybe not HW springs. There are waiting pontoons at Sutton Bridge (seaward side of the bridge) if you needed to swing the bridge, or you wanted to stop and drop the mast. Chances of sailing along the river would be slim anyway.

There are a couple of places in the channel where you won't pass at LW springs. One spot in the river near Wisbech that get very low at a really low Spring.

One of the guys from the harbour/marina office is pretty knowledgeable about the area. He has (had) a sailboat and he does all the charting and stuff for the ever moving channel.

The tide runs fast, up to 4 or 5 knots in extremes i think, about the same as Kings Lynn. You would need to make use of the tides with a top speed of 5 knots, but you'll need to do that in The Wash anyway, tides can be pretty strong there too.

If it took your fancy, you can get from Wisbech to Peterborough, with the mast down.

The marina has water, diesel and electricity. Toilets, showers and laundry too and is secure.

sounds good - I can live with dropping the mast - slug only draws 18 inches or so.

The fast tide is good as long as the best can beat it - but it sounds as though the fosdyke tides would win against the slugs 5 knot max speed.

The shallow keels mean that I can usually get out of the worst of the tide.

looking along the rivr it seems as though there are several hidey holes I could get into well out of the wind and the way.

I will go and have a look next time I go to the boat

Thanks

learned a lot in a very short time

Dylan

 

[PaulGooch]

looking along the rivr it seems as though there are several hidey holes I could get into well out of the wind and the way.

Unlikely to need any hidey holes Dylan. Once you're into the river a little way the banks are quite high and a few turns means the wind never gets chance to make things rough. Although it can get a little lumpy as you first enter the river, if it's really windy, but then you wouldn't want to be out anyway.

With an 18" draft you'll never have to worry in the river between Wisbech and the sea (unless it's drastically changed in the past year or so). You should also be OK in the channel, apart from very LW springs.

If you do go there, i'll tell you where the channel low spots are, most of them will still have my keel marks on them

 

[Tommyrot]

You mean like this :

We parked there on purpose, honest

It's compulsory!

 

[fergie_mac66]

Not likly to affect you on the Nean or Welland but the environment agency used to lower the foss water levels at boston lock with the result that the marina and the club had to close 'tween oct an easter. the reason they gave was potential floods , dont know whether that is still the case .

http://www.visitwelland-glen.co.uk/text/201/black_sluice_lock.html

 

[dylanwinter]

can I drop the hook

so can I just drop the hook in the channel

even at night provided I light the boat

is there much traffic?

D

 

[fergie_mac66]

Years ago going out from boston I have got stuck a couple of time high and dry at springs
when I didnt make it down to tabs head , problems with lifting mast .
Its mainly all sand and soft mud but you wouldn't want to get caught on the channel edges as can be a bit like Wainfleet , steep sides , better get another opinion as I' only been up to the bridge on the Welland a couple of times 15 and more years ago no real traffic at low water tho but I would have though it was possible to drop the hook but would have to be ready to shift when the tide makes as biggish boats/ships going up channel , or used to .

 

[fergie_mac66]

Once landed on a shopping trolley near lock at Boston , when I stopped on a salty quay berth , missed second lock window !

 

[JKay]

Years ago had a berth at boston in marina to starboard just through lock club moorings to left

was a nice club not been for years was a few salty mud berths just before bridge and lock had to check with harbourmaster for vacancy . Hve to time it right for the bridge and lock Into foss and witham.

go up on the tide , then mast down , lock and bridge together Is a pain to get right as at high tide the bridge is too low, so window before high tide . Then window again after hide tide . rush to get up to first window if miss then hang around for few hrs for second window, If late and go for second window have to push tide . Marina 2 mins walk from town center and boston stump Can see stump from trust hut at Wainfleet .
Thats how it was might have all changed now though this has opened

All still the same I can contact the Boston motor yacht ciub and get a deal for Dylan if he so wished

 

[JKay]

You mean like this :

We parked there on purpose, honest

Eh Ken ain't that where "Sixpence" normally parks