Crossing the Wash

[Neil TNC]

Many thanks, any chance of meeting up with you in the spring?

 

Joshua

 

Yes, especially of you speak better French than us!

we do not know when it will be yet, depends upon flows in the Loire, combined with the tides.

[cotswoldsman]

Thanks everybody.

 

Some useful information given but nobody interested in forming a group to do the crossing

 

I will look at the feasibility of going it alone, with a pilot of course.

 

Paul

 

Hey Paul I am up for it!!! Need some excitement...

[monkeyhanger]

Thanks everybody.

 

Some useful information given but nobody interested in forming a group to do the crossing

 

I will look at the feasibility of going it alone, with a pilot of course.

 

Paul

I was considering it for sometime in July-keep adding posts, maybe others might fancy it. Jack

[Naughty Cal]

Im looking forward to this

[benfordboy]

Im looking forward to this

 

Maybe a flotilla of tupperware / splitters / yogurt pots etc proper boats could hang around Boston & welcome the RNLI NB flotilla in.

 

We'd be up for it !

 

In the meantime I'll get my coat.....

[Naughty Cal]

Maybe a flotilla of tupperware / splitters / yogurt pots etc proper boats could hang around Boston & welcome the RNLI NB flotilla in.

 

We'd be up for it !

 

In the meantime I'll get my coat.....

 

Im waiting for some dates to be set. Im sure we would be up for being part of the "welcoming" flotilla. Not hanging around in Boston though, we will be out there in the Wash making sure its a little bit choppy

[NB Willawaw]

I've been looking at doing this trip and have been studying the charts and tide tables.

 

All the accounts I've read, talk about sitting on the sand at Black Buoy Sands waiting for the tide.

 

Not keen on letting the bottom of my boat sit, high and dry on who knows what, I've been looking at a way of doing it without grounding.

 

It seems to me that the problem is the high ground that makes up Black Buoy Sand - at HW you only have 2-3m of water over them.

Going from Kings Lynn to Boston on a falling tide, this becomes a problem.

 

I'm just looking to see if its do-able going from Boston to Kings Lynn in one tide.

Edited March 17, 2011 by NB Willawaw

[Marky_Mark]

probably similar to going down the thames estary to to go roud the isle of sheppy to the Meday etc. (from what ive read...!)

 

Has this ever been done >? i think you would have to be mad to do it in a Narrowboat, i have been Jetskiing in that area for the past 4-5 years and no matter how calm it is near the essex and kent coastlines its always choppy when you get a mile offshore,

[Naughty Cal]

I've been looking at doing this trip and have been studying the charts and tide tables.

 

All the accounts I've read, talk about sitting on the sand at Black Buoy Sands waiting for the tide.

 

Not keen on letting the bottom of my boat sit, high and dry on who knows what, I've been looking at a way of doing it without grounding.

 

It seems to me that the problem is the high ground that makes up Black Buoy Sand - at HW you only have 2-3m of water over them.

Going from Kings Lynn to Boston on a falling tide, this becomes a problem.

 

I'm just looking to see if its do-able going from Boston to Kings Lynn in one tide.

 

Black Buoy Sands is as the name suggests sandy

 

 

If you have a quick boat Kings Lyn to Boston is (just) doable in the one tide. Chugging along at the speeds you will be doing you will need both tides in the day.

[NB Willawaw]

True, until you find that somebody has left a piece of iron, anchor, piece of paving slab right under you or another projection coming out of the sand as the tide drops.

 

Allowing a boat to ground on an unknown piece of land, where you can't see beneath you until its too late, is not good boatmanship in my book.

 

Lots of boaters have done it - good luck to them.

 

I don't want to if I don't have to.

 

If I must wait for the tide, I would rather anchor in shallow water, between drying banks in shelter.

 

There appears to be a couple of suitable spots.

 

Anyway, I will probably be going in the Boston - Kings Lynn direction.

Edited March 17, 2011 by NB Willawaw

[carlt]

 

Allowing a boat to ground on an unknown piece of land, where you can't see beneath you until its too late, is not good boatmanship in my book.

 

Well that writes off just about everyone who boats regularly on the South East Coast then.

 

Most common question, on the Essex Coast? "Can it take the ground?"

[Naughty Cal]

It is actually surprsingly clean on the sand banks in the Wash with very little debris lying around. There are plenty of places to anchor up if you wish and these are marked on the relevant charts. Beaching the boat gives you a good chance to have a look at the bottom and do any tidying up that is necessary.

 

I shouldnt have thought a paving slab should give a steel hulled narrowboat too much to worry about

[NB Willawaw]

Its just about possible to get from Boston to Kings Lynn on one tide, but you end up punching the ebb tide flowing out of the Lynn Cut, which will be a couple of Knots even at neaps by the time I got there.

It gives you very little margin for error at narrowboat speeds. Not a good idea.

 

So, I suppose the upshot is that it will be necessary for wait for the next tide, either way and by either drying out on the banks or anchoring in a sheltered cut.

 

I could be at the RAF No.4 buoy about an hour after leaving Tabs Head and anchored in deep water in the sheltered Teetotal Channel about 90 minutes later, to wait for the rising tide again.

 

Whichever way you look at it, it means being exposed to weather changes for about a 12-hour window out there so would need to choose the day carefully.

[Naughty Cal]

Its just about possible to get from Boston to Kings Lynn on one tide, but you end up punching the ebb tide flowing out of the Lynn Cut, which will be a couple of Knots even at neaps by the time I got there.

It gives you very little margin for error at narrowboat speeds. Not a good idea.

 

So, I suppose the upshot is that it will be necessary for wait for the next tide, either way and by either drying out on the banks or anchoring in a sheltered cut.

 

I could be at the RAF No.4 buoy about an hour after leaving Tabs Head and anchored in deep water in the sheltered Teetotal Channel about 90 minutes later, to wait for the rising tide again.

 

Whichever way you look at it, it means being exposed to weather changes for about a 12-hour window out there so would need to choose the day carefully.

 

If you leave Boston as late as you possibly can and enter Kings Lynn as soon as you possibly can you will cut your waiting time down considerably to about 8 hours.

 

ETA: If the weather is fine be a real Wash boater and head out towards the Roaring Middle.

Edited March 17, 2011 by Phylis

[NB Willawaw]

It depends on routing and timing in the month.

 

With a shallow draft narrowboat at neaps, which is when I would go, I couldn't leave it long after high water and still get over the banks, which is the most direct route.

Probably no more than 90 minutes.

 

With a 20 Knot powerboat, I would go further out and around, using the deeper channels.

[Naughty Cal]

It depends on routing and timing in the month.

 

With a shallow draft narrowboat at neaps, which is when I would go, I couldn't leave it long after high water and still get over the banks, which is the most direct route.

Probably no more than 90 minutes.

 

With a 20 Knot powerboat, I would go further out and around, using the deeper channels.

 

Are you seriously suggesting you are cutting across the banks and not going the buoyed route?

[NB Willawaw]

Absolutely.

The buoyed route is far too long. With my boat, I would go the shortest distance between the two points and use the tide to my advantage.

 

I wouldn't want to be out at the Roaring Middle in a narrowboat and I can use Wisbech as a port of refuge if I need to, depending on wind direction.

[Naughty Cal]

Absolutely.

The buoyed route is far too long. With my boat, I would go the shortest distance between the two points and use the tide to my advantage.

 

I wouldn't want to be out at the Roaring Middle in a narrowboat and I can use Wisbech as a port of refuge if I need to, depending on wind direction.

 

You may want a rethink.

[NB Willawaw]

Why ?

[Naughty Cal]

Because you cant just take short cuts to save some time on major rivers and estuaries.

 

This is exactly the reason so many narrowboatists get into trouble when they leave the safety of the canals

[NB Willawaw]

I disagree.

If I've made a considered Passage Plan and there is sufficient water and I'm aware of the hazards of the various routing options, I fail to see a problem.

 

Give me a navigational based argument !!

[Naughty Cal]

I disagree.

If I've made a considered Passage Plan and there is sufficient water and I'm aware of the hazards of the various routing options, I fail to see a problem.

 

Give me a navigational based argument !!

 

OK. The area across which you intend to navigate is very shallow, hence why the navigation channel is some distance further off the coastline and well marked. The sands are subject to constant changes in position and height hence why the channel buoyage is constantly shifting. The charts of the area are outdated almost as quickly as they are produced.

 

The areas marked yellow on your chart green (or light blue depending on which chart you have) are areas which are sometimes covered and sometimes not depending on the tide height. The numbers given are the drying heights (which is indicated by a line beneath the number) above chart datum. Chart datum is the level below which the tide never falls. Drying heights are heights above chart datum.

 

So for example, if you have an area with a drying height of say 0.5m and a tide height of 0.7m you will only have 0.2m of actual water depth and that is assuming that the tide has not been affected by other factors such as surface pressure and weather patterns.

 

I dont have my charts for the Wash to hand right now but I do know that you will be very lucky to have sufficient depth to cross that area safely. If you want your NB to be a permenant feature on the wash go for it, If not use the route everyone else takes which is marked for a reason.

[howardang]

Because you cant just take short cuts to save some time on major rivers and estuaries.

 

This is exactly the reason so many narrowboatists get into trouble when they leave the safety of the canals

If the weather is quiet and settled, the boat is well found, the underkeel clearances have been calculated and are sufficient and the timings allow for the passage to be made safely, yes you can take such short cuts, with the appropriate care. It is just as calculated as taking the ground in open water without knowing exactly what is under you.

 

Howard

[Naughty Cal]

If the weather is quiet and settled, the boat is well found, the underkeel clearances have been calculated and are sufficient and the timings allow for the passage to be made safely, yes you can take such short cuts, with the appropriate care. It is just as calculated as taking the ground in open water without knowing exactly what is under you.

 

Howard

 

Willawaw doesnt want to take the ground which seems strange given his chosen route

[carlt]

OK.If you want your NB to be a permenant feature on the wash go for it, If not use the route everyone else takes which is marked for a reason.

I think you've strayed into egg sucking territory, here, Phylis.

 

Whilst you follow the buoyed channel you will see experienced sailors zipping around the shallows, relying on their navigational skills, local knowledge, charts and depth sounder.