All site content
© East Coast Sailing:
Colin Jarman, Garth Cooper, Dick Holness,
Roger Gaspar. All Rights Reserved
The long-
The plan is apparently to stock basic chandlery together with staple food supplies, remaining open until October, then opening again next spring.
Clearly the venture will only succeed if local and visiting yachtsmen make use of
the place – it’s the low, hut-
Work has been carried out to tidy up and improve the piles of rubble that were dumped along the Stumble causeway between the mainland and Osea Island (River Blackwater) in February.
According to Rod Brown-
However, in view of the raised ‘banks’ on either side of the roadway, we would still
recommend extreme caution if navigating in the area and to take note of the yellow
special buoys that are still in place. This view is backed up by River Bailiff Nigel
Harmer who told ECS that he could “understand why Rod Brown-
The whole question of the legality of the rubble being placed along the causeway is still in the hands of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) who have ‘an ongoing investigation’ running.
BRIGHTLINGSEA PONTOON COMPLETED
A new berthing pontoon has been completed in Brightlingsea Harbour.
The pontoon lies between the fishermen’s pontoon and the town jetty. The western (outer) end is lit with a green light Fl.G(2+1) 15s in position 51°48.240’N 001°01.342’E and the eastern (inner) end is at 51°48.221’N 001°01.395E.
For further information call the Harbourmaster on Ch 68.
LOWESTOFT TRAFFIC SIGNALS FAIL
The navigation traffic signals controlling vessels exiting the Royal Norfolk & Suffolk YC marina at Lowestoft have failed.
According to Associated British Ports (ABP), the lights are displaying three vertical reds and cannot be changed. Anyone wishing to leave the yacht basin is, therefore, required to seek permission from Lowestoft Port Control via Ch 14 or phoning 01502 572286 and to navigate with caution in the vicinity of the marina entrance.
BRIGHTLINGSEA WINS JET SKI PROSECUTION
Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners have successfully prosecuted the driver of a personal watercraft (PWC).
In the judgement, Jamie Toomey was found guilty by Colchester Magistrates Court of riding his jet ski more than 15kn within the area covered by Brightlingsea’s 4kn speed limit. He was fined £65 and ordered to pay costs.
Robin Cole, the Brightlingsea Harbour Master, said: “Mr Toomey rode his jet ski at a speed in excess of 15kn within the harbour area. On the day of the offence, it was a beautiful autumn afternoon and the harbour was extremely busy. The jet ski was spotted passing perilously close to other boats and was therefore a danger to other harbour users. All craft navigating within the harbour are expected to obey the harbour byelaws.”
WOODBRIDGE AND ORFORD BUOYS MOVED
Trinity House has announced today (02/05/12) that the Woodbridge Haven and the Orford Haven light buoys have both been repositioned.
The Woodbridge Haven buoy has been moved 250m in the direction 225º to position 51º58’.105N, 001º233’.696E.
The Orford Haven buoy has been moved 490m in the direction 029º to position 52º01’.850N, 001º28’.210E.
These details are also available at www.eastcoastpilot.com.
REVISED WEST MERSEA CHARTLET PUBLISHED
A revised chartlet showing the buoyage in the entrance to Mersea Quarters, past the wreck of the Crebe, is now available from this site.
The chartlet, drawn for East Coast Sailing by Roger Gaspar, should be carried by anyone planning to enter or leave West Mersea. Click here to view.
SOUTHEND PIER LIFTING OPERATION
A heavy lifting operation will take place at Southend Pier ‘on or about’ 8th May when a large structure – the Southend Pier Visitor Centre – will be taken from Tilbury docks the Haven Seaforth barge to a position off the pier, guided by the tugs Racia and Zeepia.
Over the afternoon HW (around 1545H), the 190-
Listen on VHF Ch 68 and all vessels are requested to pass the area so as to cause minimal wash.
A series of security exercises are due to be carried out on the River Thames between the Estuary and Chelsea Bridge from 0800H on 8th May to 1800H on 10th May.
The exercises will involve Royal Marines vessels, HMS Ocean and Royal Navy helicopters. They will be directed against a variety of target vessels, each identified by a green flag.
London VTS will be managing traffic in the exercise areas and skippers are reminded to keep a listening watch on the appropriate VHF channels.
For the full Notice to Mariners, click here.
The temporary wreck marking buoy over the Crebe, close to the Nass Beacon outside West Mersea, is to be changed by Trinity House to a lit port hand buoy. This is expected to be done on Wednesday, 19th April and, at the same time, No.2 PHB is to be repositioned.
West Mersea YC has advised us that No.1 SHB has also been moved and lit.
Full details of these changes can be found in our Week 17 Notices to Mariners, here.
The buoys marking the channel along the north side of the Nass and through the Leavings towards Tollesbury on the River Blackwater have been overhauled and several have been repositioned.
Ron Fry of Tollesbury Marina gave us this information following his work on the buoys:
(Please download the chartlet here to make understanding these changes easier.)
No.2 PHB has been moved to a new position closer to the first shallows on the Nass inbound. No.4 is currently missing and No.6 is in its former position on Shingle Hills.
No.1 SHB has been moved to the No.3 position and No.3 has been sited to mark the spit now formed by the North Channel. Eventually, the East Cardinal ‘Indigo’ buoy will be repositioned to take the place of No.1 on the end of the spit, but Ron is waiting for a suitable lifting vessel to become available.
We will be producing an update to the chartlet covering this area as soon as the exact positions of the buoys are known, which will be when Ron manages to launch his own boat and go out with a GPS!
He says also that the marina waiting buoys have been relaid. They are now white conical buoys with 2.5m mooring lines and bright orange pick up buoys labelled ‘Marina’. Three are in position with a fourth off station, but due to be moved.
The buoys marking the entrance to the Ore and Alde have been put in place for the season, reports Harbourmaster and East Coast Pilot Honorary Port Pilot John White.
Taking account of shifts in the channel over the winter, the new buoys have been positioned as follows:
Oxley: 52°02’.15N 001°27’.80E
Weir: 52°02’.423N 001°27’.655E
BRIGHTLINGSEA WATER TAXI CHANGES
The Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners (BHC) have taken over the running of the water taxi service.
There are no changes to the system for calling the taxi -
Details of the Water Taxi service schedule can be found here.
We have received several reports from East Coast Sailing readers concerning a yacht that has sunk in the River Orwell approximately 50m ESE of Trimey SHB.
The yacht is sitting upright and it is thought that her masthead will be visible at all states of the tide, provided the water is smooth.
The area is frequently used by water skiers and this may be a further incentive for giving the wreck a wide berth.
The rigging of cable car cables across Bugsby Reach on the River Thames has been postponed by the contractors yet again.
The action has forced a clearly embarrassed and irritated PLA to issue an explanatory Notice to Mariners that you can read here. The key point is that once the South Tower is complete, and only then, an NtM will be issued giving a minimum of five days notice of the weekend on which the cables will be rigged.
Blackwater River Bailiff Nigel Harmer has confirmed that lit navigation buoys have been placed in Lawling Creek as shown on our chartlet dowloadable here.
Nigel has also confirmed that four yellow buoys have been established to try to keep boats clear of the rubble and metal scrap that now lines the Stumbles roadway to Osea Island. Details are given here. He also reports: “To date, Maldon District Council hasn't heard anything from the MMO regarding their ongoing investigation into the activities surrounding the dumping alongside the causeway.”