To Snape or Not

Seashoreman

Seashoreman

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 Apr 2012
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2,474
Location
Aldeburgh, Suffolk. River Alde
www.pianotuning.uk.com
I attempted to go up river to Snape on Saturday, enthused by my barge sailing friend, but turned back at Brick Dock for fear of hours mud-struck (again). This week the AYC boatmen are putting in a bunch of new withies already loaded and ready to go. They are only duty bound to go as far as Iken Church (for dinghy races). That leaves the tricky troublesome reaches.
The point is that they can get the sticks and mark the way to Snape Bridge, BUT who cares? Who pays? Who wants to go there?
I have discussed this with the President of Aldeburgh Yacht Club and will, as suggested write to the secretary and hopefully it will come up at a meeting.
Does anybody care that this may or not happen? Only interest will keep such waterways open. It is tricky to follow the marked route but surely worth it?
Any feedback will assist in my campaign. (Save the Withies, you must have heard of it? )
(If you have never been to Iken (Cliffs) or the Maltings you have missed the magnificence of Suffolk Rivers)
Actually turned at Little Japan, a correction
 
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We had a fantastic trip up to Snape in our previous boat - catamaran - and recommend it. Summer at the quay is great for people watching and peaceful at night. The trips boat in and out of Snape can be followed to Iken - is he still running?
 
Lazy Kipper said:
We had a fantastic trip up to Snape in our previous boat - catamaran - and recommend it. Summer at the quay is great for people watching and peaceful at night. The trips boat in and out of Snape can be followed to Iken - is he still running?
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Trip boat is certainly running, but knows the route. I need support for withies, keep the channel open.
 
sailorman said:
been to The oaks once in my Co32, prior to that attempted in our Prelude with no echo sounder, the memsab & i had a discussion as to the nxt withy, she was correct but i knew best, we spent some hrs surrounded by mud
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You Sailorman must have heard of the Marmalade Club? Mostly to do with being stuck up river with someoneslses wife. Still running in Thorpeness, but they have no idea what it means.
BUT, is it worth the effort to keep my river navigatable? Without markers its virtually impossible.
 
Overnighted once at Iken Cliffs, a wonderful spot, a real jewel of the East Coast. We puttied briefly a couple of times.... But if you don't then you are not trying ;-) it would be a real shame if the withies went.
 
Never done it but always wanted to. Would be a shame if I never got a chance, so fully backing your efforts Seashoreman.
 
We have gone some way up twice, but the tide timing was not right so had to turn back, we would love to get up at least as far as Iken sometime.
 
our garmin showed the channel fairly accurately up till the last 1/2 mile That was 6 years ago so I guess the channel will have moved a bit now though and the withies did help
 
There used to be about 6' at LW at the cliff. I haven't been there for some 30years but the children used to play on the rope swing on the trees but I suppose it has gone now, like the ones at the Rocks. Even taking a flubber to Snape seemed quite daring.
 
We got up to the bridge last year, the section beyond Iken Cliff was beginning to defeat us, but we saw the trip boat coming down & waited for them to return & followed as close possible, then went back down following the track created on the chartplotter. Picked a buoy up off the beach at Iken and spent a very pleasant afternoon & evening, only somewhat ruined by having to get our dogs ashore at midnight, at low tide. Very sticky & deep mud beyond the sand which took a lot of washing off (me and the dogs).
 
Used to go up there and stay at Snape overnight when we used to sail out of Woodbridge.

Then again we had a swing keel Southerly 115 at the time and we used to literally "touch and go" with the keel.

Still, we were normally the first up there !
 
I'd love to see it kept withied, if that's any help! If it's a question of cost I would have thought the businesses at the Maltings might all benefit even in a small way - could they be collectively asked to cough up?
 
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Went up there two years ago. We left Aldburgh soon after low water and basically went up with the tide; we could not have done it without the withies and even then we grounded twice and had to wait for the tide to rise. We all thought it was well worth the effort, but of course some boats are more suitable than others.Snape.jpg
 
We went up last September. It was ok as far as Iken church, then the withies started to become ambiguous - broken off so you couldn't work out which side to go. We had a dispute about one, but Gordon was helming, so we went to starboard of it (his choice) and ran aground. The tide was still rising, so we floated off, went as far as the beach at Iken cliffs and chickened out of the last bit, so that we could do the troublesome bit still on a rising tide. We went my side of the same withy, and ran aground again, so my previous smug "I told you so" had to be retracted! We got off quickly, but a following boat was stuck at the same withy for a good 30 mins.

It was a lovely trip, and we will attempt it again sometime!
 
I decided not to take my fin keeler up there so went in a friends twin keel Konsort.We had a lovely 3 days at Snape with other boats(six of us from Woodbridge Cruising Club).We found one or two withies ambiguous near the top but they are needed as a part of east coast tradition.
 
Seashoreman,

Are you sure that they are not going to put in the rest of the withies this year? The annual race to Iken Church mark is on the 17th (earlier than usual) so they do need all the withies that far in before that as every one of them counts as a mark of the course - even the traditional ambiguous one - and so they all have to be left to the correct side all the way there and back (dull for the dinghies but fairer if you are a keelboat sailor). As a member I would have thought i might have heard if AYC had decided not to bother with the higher withies this year.

If it is true I would think that your best bet is to lobby members of the club to cancel what can only be a modest cost-saving. To be honest if Peter W is already onside then you are halfway there!

I have never spent the night at Iken Cliff but it is certainly my ambition to do so one day. I have only ever been as far as Snape once (in a powerboat) and that was as a teenager.
 
Charlotte Anne said:
Seashoreman,

Are you sure that they are not going to put in the rest of the withies this year? The annual race to Iken Church mark is on the 17th (earlier than usual) so they do need all the withies that far in before that as every one of them counts as a mark of the course - even the traditional ambiguous one - and so they all have to be left to the correct side all the way there and back (dull for the dinghies but fairer if you are a keelboat sailor). As a member I would have thought i might have heard if AYC had decided not to bother with the higher withies this year.

If it is true I would think that your best bet is to lobby members of the club to cancel what can only be a modest cost-saving. To be honest if Peter W is already onside then you are halfway there!

I have never spent the night at Iken Cliff but it is certainly my ambition to do so one day. I have only ever been as far as Snape once (in a powerboat) and that was as a teenager.
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Charlotte,the boatmen told me yesterday that they have been asked to put withies in but only up to the Church, presumably for racing. This is why I thought I would seek responses on here.
I used to live in The Maltings and have kept a keel boat up there for a few years, when you know the craziness of it you see the logic of the bends and depths.. At that time George Gooderham used to encourage yachts and barges up to the quay. In fact after the big barge matches the deal was a free crate of beer to the first one who sailed up without using motor.
The trip boat knows its way through constant repetition. I only get up there 2 or 3 times a year and now its becoming guesswork.
I intend to write to AYC, Alde and Ore, The Gooderhams and Slaughden Sailing Club to revive this tradition, for that is all it is, not an obligation.
It is heartening to get positive feedback from the forum and I may well quote a few phrases that have been posted.
 
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