Yokesfleet Creek Anchorage - bar forming?

[ZoeImogen]

For anyone planning on visiting Yokesfleet Creek on the Roach, (The one with the "Potton Creek" bouy at the entrance!) it appears that the channel has moved, and possible a bar is forming at the entrance. I would guess this is as a result of the changes made to Wallasea Island over the last 3 years.

We touched bottom briefly a 1.7m draft boat this weekend, in what both Imray and Navionics charts report as 7m of water. Whilst we haven't done a full survey, we do have NMEA data and it looks like the channel has moved westwards about 20m - if you follow the westward edge of the drying line you should be OK, but I wouldn't recommend doing this on a falling tide unless you're a motorboat or bilge keeler. The channel is not as wide as it used to be.

Navionics Sonar charts are more up to date, if you have them.

 

[MountainGoat]

Navionics Sonar charts are more up to date, if you have them.

Should be noted (OP is my partner), even sonarcharts show the channel east of where it actually is. We submit data but Navionics is currently experiencing a processing delay.

ETA: the western "drying" part where it claims to hit chart datum is 7 metres deeper than charted, where the eastern part is similarly shallower. The channel has definitely migrated upstream.

 

[CLB]

For anyone planning on visiting Yokesfleet Creek on the Roach, (The one with the "Potton Creek" bouy at the entrance!) it appears that the channel has moved, and possible a bar is forming at the entrance. I would guess this is as a result of the changes made to Wallasea Island over the last 3 years.

We touched bottom briefly a 1.7m draft boat this weekend, in what both Imray and Navionics charts report as 7m of water. Whilst we haven't done a full survey, we do have NMEA data and it looks like the channel has moved westwards about 20m - if you follow the westward edge of the drying line you should be OK, but I wouldn't recommend doing this on a falling tide unless you're a motorboat or bilge keeler. The channel is not as wide as it used to be.

Navionics Sonar charts are more up to date, if you have them.

Was that you that we followed in yesterday? We were in a small all-white motorboat. Just after low water. If it was, we also noted that it got very shallow around where you went aground, but just a short distance later deepened quite a bit. That does somewhat confirm your theory of a bar forming.

 

[ZoeImogen]

Was that you that we followed in yesterday? We were in a small all-white motorboat. Just after low water. If it was, we also noted that it got very shallow around where you went aground, but just a short distance later deepened quite a bit. That does somewhat confirm your theory of a bar forming.

We raised anchor and departed early yesterday morning (0815BST) having spent the night, so doesn't sound like us. I'm afraid "small all-white motorboat" doesn't help, as it was quite busy on Sunday!

We touched so gently that I don't think it would have been obvious to onlookers what had happened unless they spotted a burst of stern drive - from what you've said, sounds like someone else didn't get away with it so easily!

 

[CLB]

We raised anchor and departed early yesterday morning (0815BST) having spent the night, so doesn't sound like us. I'm afraid "small all-white motorboat" doesn't help, as it was quite busy on Sunday!

We touched so gently that I don't think it would have been obvious to onlookers what had happened unless they spotted a burst of stern drive - from what you've said, sounds like someone else didn't get away with it so easily!

Yes I know that small white MoBo is not very descriptive, but if it had been you, I think it would have been enough. We were following the boat into the creek just after low water and they run aground. Came to a dead stop and had to back out. They waved us past and then turned and left. It was very shallow, around 1.3m I saw on the gauge as we entered. I may not have been right in the deepest part of the channel of course.

 

[MountainGoat]

Yes I know that small white MoBo is not very descriptive, but if it had been you, I think it would have been enough. We were following the boat into the creek just after low water and they run aground. Came to a dead stop and had to back out. They waved us past and then turned and left. It was very shallow, around 1.3m I saw on the gauge as we entered. I may not have been right in the deepest part of the channel of course.

There's a lot more water if you pass the entrance buoy on your port side. At low water, it now seems you need to be properly shoal draft to pass it on the eastern side.

 

[CLB]

There's a lot more water if you pass the entrance buoy on your port side. At low water, it now seems you need to be properly shoal draft to pass it on the eastern side.

We did have the buoy on our port side. We were closer to the buoy than the yacht, but maybe not close enough, or maybe too close.

 

[MountainGoat]

We did have the buoy on our port side. We were closer to the buoy than the yacht, but maybe not close enough, or maybe too close.

That's concerning! Sounds like the track we took in, a few hours before low water on Sunday. I don't recall being concerned about the depth readings I was getting back (tide had 2m to drop), so I guess the deep channel, where it exists, is probably only a few metres wide.