We through Havengore yesterday....

[NealB]

Jos and I brought Arendala, our old Seamaster 34 motor boat round from Limehouse to Fambridge, via Havenegore.

We left Limehouse on Wednesday (when it was still summer), passing about a dozen tall ships, and a Brazilian war ship, as they headed up to the Pool.

We had Stangate Creek all to ourselves, for a very still night, disturbed only by a few distant rumbles of thunder.

We awoke yesterday morning to heavy rain, and a definite chill in the air, but decided to stick our noses out towards the lumpiness off Sheerness, to find a fresh NW'ly, of, I'd guess, an invigorating force five (as forecast).

Having got that far, we thought we may as well continue, so we rolled our way along the Essex shore, to the South Shoebury buoy, then headed in for the wreck beacon in poor visibility: we didn't spot it till it was about a couple of cables off.

The main point of pilotage interest was that the very, very helpful lady on Shoebridge radio was emphatic that we needed to leave the beacon, then the posts, all to port.

As we approached the last of the posts, the same very, very helpful lady on Shoebridge radio, called with a very cheery "well done"! We felt as Sir Robin must have done, as Suhaili doubled Cape Horn.

We passed through the bridge at 1300.

I must admit that I wasn't able to note soundings on the way across the sands, as we don't have a plotter on board, so I was focused just on finding our way in through the rain and chop, but I wasn't worried about depths at any point (though Arendala only draws 2.67 feet).

It calmed down from the posts, and we enjoyed a wet, calm, passage all the way down the Roach then, pushing the strong spring ebb, up the Crouch to Fambridge.

I met a couple of very dubious looking local characters on the Fambridge pontoon: introduced themselves as 'Bru' (Pagan) and 'Chris' (Tomahawk).

All in all, a very satisfying trip.

 

[Bru]

I met a couple of very dubious looking local characters on the Fambridge pontoon: introduced themselves as 'Bru' (Pagan) and 'Chris' (Tomahawk)..

Dubious indeed

I regret we didn't emerge from the comforts of the cockpit tent until after you'd tied up (neatly done I must say!) and that hospitality was in unusually short supply aboard the good ship Pagan

Normal service will soon be resumed when I've got her ship shape again after the depredations of three months in the yard refitting!

Well done on the trip, it wasn't the ideal conditions by any means

 

[NealB]

Thanks, Bru....

We were in a bit of a hurry, anyway, it being my parents' blue sapphire wedding anniversary (that's 65 years), so we were already cutting it a bit fine for a family get together.

Plenty of time for time for a spot, or two, of hospitality, as Arendala is coming ashore for a while next week.

 

[Bru]

I'll stock up the No.1 Beer Hold and the Spirits Locker in readiness

 

[ChattingLil]

Are you coming back?

 

[NealB]

I'll stock up the No.1 Beer Hold and the Spirits Locker in readiness

Now ... that sounds like a good plan.

I'll bring replenishment stock.

 

[NealB]

Are you coming back?

Hi Lisa,

No.... sadly, after 10 years, Limehouse is now way too expensive for us to justify, as we rarely get up there nowadays.

 

[ChattingLil]

Yep. They've successfully priced out the leisure BHs. ��. Bad bad bad. Ludicrous situation.

 

[NealB]

Yep. They've successfully priced out the leisure BHs. ��. Bad bad bad. Ludicrous situation.

The face of capitalism in the capital, I guess!

 

[MikeBz]

We came through today from seaward. Crossed the Broomway 1.5 hours before HW Southend (6.2m predicted, PLA reported 4.4m 2 hours before HW, spot on predicted). Briefly saw a min of 0.9m approaching the one and only withy - 4cm to spare under the keel assuming the sounder calibration is spot on. The seaward most of the 4 in line steel posts is no longer there.

 

[Cantata]

............. The seaward most of the 4 in line steel posts is no longer there.

Oh rats, that's the post we used as a waypoint on the Havengore route chartlet we produced for ECP3 and ECP4. Another book update coming up!! Must get over there again although I fear it won't be this year now.

 

[MikeBz]

It's not much of a worry in practice, there is 'plenty' (relatively) of water out there and it's a short non-critical hop in between the wreck beacon and the line of posts. I checked with the very helpful lady in the bridge whether the recommendation was now to leave the posts to port on the way in not stbd as our favourite pilot book recommends and she confirmed to port - I'm not convinced it makes any difference. With only one steel pipe withy remaining it's a bit hard to judge the best line after the last in-bound post - I suspect our line was sub-optimal since our min depth was beyond the Broomway and near to the withy. Still quite pleased to be in so long before HW and anchored in the Yolkesfleet with plenty of flood still to come. As the lady in the bridge said it was a 'huge' tide.

 

[NealB]

It's not much of a worry in practice, there is 'plenty' (relatively) of water out there and it's a short non-critical hop in between the wreck beacon and the line of posts. I checked with the very helpful lady in the bridge whether the recommendation was now to leave the posts to port on the way in not stbd as our favourite pilot book recommends and she confirmed to port - I'm not convinced it makes any difference. With only one steel pipe withy remaining it's a bit hard to judge the best line after the last in-bound post - I suspect our line was sub-optimal since our min depth was beyond the Broomway and near to the withy. Still quite pleased to be in so long before HW and anchored in the Yolkesfleet with plenty of flood still to come. As the lady in the bridge said it was a 'huge' tide.

The Lady in the Bridge (good name for a film, maybe, the heroine played by Meryl Streep), was emphatic that we HAD to leave the beacon and posts to port on our way in.

In fact, another boat went through about 15 minutes before us, and Meryl called them up saying, "leave the posts to your left, I repeat, to your LEFT".

I agree with you: my feeling is also that the precise route is not that critical. In poor visibility, with gusty winds and without a plotter, our course was far from being entirely accurate, and we wandered around a fair bit.