Video of Crossing the Deben Bar - 2014

[PeterR]

If you havn't been over the bar yet this year you may find this video useful. All the buoys have moved a bit but the main noticeable difference is that West Knoll has been moved North about 25 metres. According to John White this is to help keep people away from the western shoals which is where all the groundings occurred during 2013. The effect of these changes is to make the track between Mid and West Knoll much closer to the eastern spit than I remember. John says he thinks the southern tip of the eastern shoal is curving in towards the channel and that is certainly what it looked like from the state of the water. Despite being well aware of the risks of being swept onto the spit on the ebb we found that we were being swept east in the last 100 metres or so. It was difficult to find a good transit to ensure staying on track but on the video I found keeping Mid Knoll on with the gable end of the second white house to the left of the Martello Tower should keep you exactly on track. The definition is not really good enough on You Tube to see this so I added a marker to indicate where West knoll is. How easy it is to pick that up in real life I am not sure - you might need binos.

Having spoken to a number of people who have made the crossing this year it appears that the depth of water in the channel is about the same as last year. However, you only need to stray off line by a little to loose up to half a metre. Some people have recommended keeping Mid Knoll on with the left hand edge of the Martello Tower however we found that would have taken us well to the west of West Knoll. Given that the Trinity House chart indicates that transit ought to work it implies either that the buoys were not exactly in their marked locations when we went out or that the tide is moving the buoys about quite a bit,

 

[Bru]

Thanks for that Peter, looks quite um exciting! Very useful to see it before going there which we plan to do some time this year hopefully

 

[Koeketiene]

Thank you - very informative.

Planning a trip to Ramsholt this year.
Drawing 7', crossing the Deben Bar fills me with trepidation.
The fact that the channel seems narrower this year even more so. :ambivalence:

 

[Leighb]

Thanks, very useful, I will review it again when we are planning to go that way.

 

[Oldgeezer]

Many thanks - very useful.
I wouldn't want to hit the bar doing 10kn!

Going in on the next spring tides (30th) so if I dont get delayed at the Ramsholt Arms (different bar!) all should be well.

 

[Cantata]

Useful video and comments, thanks.
The buoys are on long chains and will certainly be more than a few yards off position once you're significantly away from HW.
However we have noticed a possible (and very small) discrepancy with published buoy positions and have a query out with Trinity House, connected with comments about the transits....you are right that the transit with Mid Knoll and the Martello Tower is no longer the best - as you say aim a little to the left of the tower.

 

[tidclacy]

Peter where did you obtain the Trinity House chartlet, I cannot find it on their website?

 

[Cantata]

Peter where did you obtain the Trinity House chartlet, I cannot find it on their website?

It is only on the East Coast Pilot website, www.eastcoastpilot.com. It and the Ore entrance chartlet are created out of a special arrangement between Trinity House and Imrays. Although it's been referred to as a 'Trinity House chartlet', it's actually an Imray chartlet, from the Trinity House survey.

 

[tidclacy]

Yes I have got the ECP one but 4.22 minutes in on the Video is another different chartlet or am I confused?

 

[Cantata]

Ours from the Trinity House survey is at 4:13, the one at 4:22 is on John White's own website, debenestuarypilot.co.uk. He does a kind of one-man survey to get that produced.