Which Almanac?

[gilesfordcrush]

Hello all,

I'll be venturing out of the River Crouch this summer. I'm very much at the start of my sailing adventures. I've got my Day Skipper Theory and Practical, and plenty of enthusiasm. I need to get an almanac, but would like some advice. Is is a simple question of getting "Reeds Eastern Almanac" or does the "Reeds PBO Small Craft Almanac" have what I need? I've got an East Coast Pilot and also the Crossing the Thames Estuary books.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Giles

 

[NormanS]

I'm sure I'll be shot down for this, but the only thing in the Almanac that really needs to be up to date is the tides. So save your money and get a set of tide tables, a a set of Sailing Directions relevant for your intended sailing area.

 

[johnalison]

I'm not even sure that you need an almanac. We usually get by with the free tide tables from Harwich harbour or elsewhere when sailing locally, and when we started many years ago just had the odd chart and Jack Coote's version of East Coast Rivers. Most of the time, you will probably be sailing cautiously within the buoyed channels. It would be better for your soul if you spend most of your nights at anchor, for then you will suffer much as we used to, and no book can guide you to the best spots. Apart from the odd spot like the Spitway and Pye End, the height of the tide need only be approximate, and tidal streams usually play fair in the rivers, changing at Walton Pier a bit earlier than the height. By the end of the season you will know more than the books say.

 

[dunedin]

You've got the Pulot Guide (essential) so just add the Absolute Tides app on your phone (it's great)

 

[GHA]

Either reeds or cruising association almanacs are wonderful if you're doing big miles in unfamiliar waters but as others have said, maybe not necessary just yet.
http://www.visitmyharbour.com has masses of info if you haven't come across it yet as well.

 

[LittleSister]

You probably don't need an almanac, in the sense that you can usually manage without one, and the Reeds etc. are great if you're going further afield but are rather big and cumbersome (and expensive) in a small boat. I do find the PBO almanac useful, not just for tides (local and further afield), but checking times of weather safety info broadcasts, and much else (though I can't actually remember what now!).

I used to generally get the big Reeds every few years for a long trip, and keep that for port diagrams, etc. (and ballast!), and have a new PBO one each year. Haven't kept up with that system for a couple of years, for various reasons, and found on several occasions that my Harwich tide table alone didn't give me all I wanted.

 

[James_Calvert]

I'd actually recommend getting the full Reeds Almanac.

The Eastern version coverage stops at Ramsgate. Whilst it goes well north, you won't want to be exploring anywhere beyond Southwold for a while. However Dover, Boulogne and Calais would be easily within your scope for a first season.

It's a stupidly bulky book. But once you've got it, and found your way around it, you'll get to know what you like to have available in an almanac and what you can do without.

And when I bought mine it was well discounted and only £5 more than the more compact local versions like the Eastern version.

 

[LadyInBed]

Start here: http://www.visitmyharbour.com/harbours/east-coast/crouch-marinas/