Wallet-Swin Spitway Depth

[Renegade of Ipswich]

Sailing on Saturday 4th October on our UFO34 Renegade of Ipswich (google for our website), we ran into nasty squalls in the Wallet. Fortunately we had three reefs in and the genoa furled at the time. It's the second season I've held a share in the boat and I was impressed just how magnificently Renegade coped in the stiff gusts and big seas on the beam.

We were bound for Burnham via the Wallet-Swin Spitway but given the conditions and proximity to LW, we diverted to Brightlingsea. It caused some debate as to the depths in the spitway. My digital Admiralty charts (2011) indicated a minimum 1.8m. The Admiralty charts onboard indicated 1.1m. A recent Sailing Today article (the very next page I read after the passage) indicated 0.9m!

Searching the web, the most recent information I found was a 2012 chartlet of the spitway produced by Roger Gaspar (Crossing the Thames Estuary) which seemed broadly in line with the 2011 charts’ view. I was also interested to read that 100 years ago, the spitway was two miles further East, directly opposite Clacton!

Whichever depth was correct, we concluded we made the right to decision not to cross in the conditions!

 

[tillergirl]

At the risk of being pompous I suspect you made the right decision. A couple of times this year I have nearly got down there in survey mode but for a variety of reasons never made it. But on route to the SW Sunk survey back in June, I collected some data while passing through. On the way back I deliberately did the direct track between the two buoys (something I never bother with normally). When I crunched the data on return it suggested the worst was 1.3m at LAT. However, I was sailing - yes really sailing - got the video to prove it and thus was heeled slightly to starboard which would reduce the depth slightly. So hopefully 1.3m is pessimistic. I haven't read the ST article - is it recent? I don't know if we will have some settled weather next week, if so I can give it a go albeit that it is late in the season.

Although it is late in the season, there might be some value in re-doing the survey. I sent off my SW Sunk data to the UKHO and have recently had a nice exchange of emails with the East area manager. As a result of finding that nice deep swatchway this year, they have decided to ask the PLA to survey the area in time for new data to be included in a fresh edition of chart 1975 which they will publish in March 2015. Chart 1975 is the base chart from which the leisure folios, Imray and all the plotter people get their data. So that is really good news.

 

[Renegade of Ipswich]

Hi Tillergirl

Thanks for your reply. The ST article was in the recent October issue. Nice to know I was not being unduly cautious!

 

[FullCircle]

Good news Roger thanks

 

[ex-Gladys]

The Spitway is different this year. There's a bit more water, at LWS I saw about 0.8 under 1.5 keel. Last year was less, but the configuration is different. For the years I've sailed it (ok only the last 10 or so) it's always shelved quickly from the South, reaching a shallowest point not too far from the Swin buoy, and then shelving more gently to the north. This year, it appears to me to be less of a ridge, and probably two cables or so relatively flat at the shallow depth before deepening off. Not a place to be with any significant chop at LW

 

[Cantata]

Similar to my own experience - I have usually tended to use a route further east than the buoys as per Tillergirl's earlier surveys and never been concerned about depth (1.2m draught). However I would be less confident near LW with a swell running, but then that's always been the case.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

ask Moodysabre about going through the Swin spitway when there is a big sea running..... don't think he'll do it again in a rush!

 

[MoodySabre]

ask Moodysabre about going through the Swin spitway when there is a big sea running..... don't think he'll do it again in a rush!

At midnight with no moon. My son still has nightmares about it!

 

[Marmalade]

We've done exactly the same (abandoned to Brightlingsea) in the past - discretion being the better part of valour...

 

[Bru]

Well there was that time when it was 'orrible and rough coming down the Wallet and I didn't much fancy the Spitway... so I went down the Ray'sn instead

 

[Gargleblaster]

I made three trips across the Spitway in September always near Low Water Neaps. Because I am lazy and like to cut corners I always pass a cable of more to the East of the Buoys and never had less then .9 metre under a 1.8 metre keel. Fortunately in relatively calm conditions and no more than a .5 metre chop/swell.

 

[tillergirl]

Finally read that ST article. Can't see where they got 0.9m from. Think that is probably scribble.

 

[Tomahawk]

Teamsurv have a datalogger on workboat the windfarm.

If the project is still going..... it will have an up to date survey...

 

[Renegade of Ipswich]

Thanks all for your replies. Confirms our decision.

Regards
David

 

[tillergirl]

Teamsurv have a datalogger on workboat the windfarm.

If the project is still going..... it will have an up to date survey...

Trouble is they are generally just collecting data on a common track rather than 'surveying' the whole area. I'll probably leave it until next season now.

 

[Ianqv]

Evening all....

The OP is indeed correct that everything has moved East.
We follow this track when going through at low water..... we've never seen less than 2m.

 

[xyachtdave]

Evening all....

The OP is indeed correct that everything has moved East.
We follow this track when going through at low water..... we've never seen less than 2m.

You've not been through when that giant radioactive crab is on its way back to the Blackwater from Whitstable then?
Knocks about 6ft off!

 

[tillergirl]

Evening all....

The OP is indeed correct that everything has moved East.
We follow this track when going through at low water..... we've never seen less than 2m.

Looking at that base chart, it is a bit of an eye opener how out of date the UKHO chart is.

 

[Black Diamond]

In the interests of recycling I thought I'd resurrect this thread. It's been a decade since I've been through the Spitway and have an upcoming LW transit. I've had a bit of a search round but haven't found anything current regarding depths, and had a look at Roger's chartlet from 2022, so wondered if any ECF parishioners have any recent intel?

 

[Cantata]

My experience last year with several crossings is that Roger's chartlet still applies. Looking back over the years it's not an area that changes quickly.