sail from Burnham Overy Staithe to Gibraltar point next summer

[Colin Morley]

Dear Adventurers.

I am now keeping my boat at Burnham Overy Staithe on the north Norfolk coast. Next summer I am planning to sail across the Wash to Gibraltar point and back the next day. It is about 18 miles direct. So should take about 4 hours but of course depends on the winds and tides, anyway easily done in a day. The plan would be to leave just before a high tide reasonably early in the morning because you can only get out of BOS around high tide. I have not looked up the dates and times of tides yet. The trip will depend upon having the right weather. It would not be possible with a northerly wind because of the shallow nature of the coast where a northerly can build up a serious sea.

My questions at this time are: 1) is any one interested in joining us? 2) is there anyone at Gibraltar point who could advise us and guide us in through the channel?

[Michael Rogers]

I have to say, Colin, that my initial and speed-reading of your post was fooled by the lack of a capital letter for 'point', and I found myself thinking - Norfolk to GIBRALTER?? Swallowboats across the Bay of Biscay!! Even - er - braver than from Ellesmere Port to the Black Sea in a Mirror ("The Extraordinary Voyage of Jack Crow" - if you haven't read it you've missed a treat).

I think I'll include myself out (as Whatsisface Goldwyn was supposed to have said), but I hope you get some takers. Couldn't some of you clever guys replace your fish-finders with metal detectors, and get a fix on King John's treasure while you're there, so to speak?

Michael

[Peter Cockerton]

Colin

This is Andy Dingles stomping ground and he has done this trip before. We have talked about doing this passage ourselves and sort of pencilled in for this year but with boat changes never go around to it.. Andy is working overseas this week but i'm sure he can provide you with invaluable local knowledge and access to current channel drawings from his sailing club.

Let us know when your thinging and we will both probably join you in this trip.

Peter Cockerton

[Andy Dingle]

Colin.

I saw your post on my travels, in fact just as I was settling into one of my favourite watering holes in the Leeward Isles..  Isn't t'internet a wondrous thing,
As Peter points out Gib Point is in fact my home club for past 20 odd years and I'm therefore in a position to help you out with your adventure - and I thoroughly recommend it. Brancaster, Blakeney, Burnham, Thornham and Wells are all favourite weekend sails for us - as is Fosdyke Yacht Harbour. Kings Lynn now has visitor moorings which is quite an 'interesting' trip so I am told - not done it myself yet.
I'd be very happy to sail with you if I am free and you don't mind being seen with a girly Baycruiser!
You may have seen my previous posts, but I am actually moving into Grimsby and Cleethorpes Yacht Club on a pontoon next year - mainly as I just couldn't bear to see my shiny new BC23 covered in mud! But I will be sailing around as and when.

To help with your planning and info re our channel have a look at www.skegnessyachtclub.co.uk it's full of useful info to allay your fears, it is quite easy to get into especially for a BR.
There is a very useful Dylan Winter video of the creek on You Tube (keep turning left channel). For your info the late great Frank Dye would often sail from Wells to Gib in his Wayfarer.

Plan the trip over springs, as you know you will then get HW in early morning (to get out) and HW early evening (to get in). I'd think about mid June to Mid July to get max day light hours - I can help you/advise of the route if you would like  - but you should aim for the Parlour Channel and go up to Gib Point from there, unhelpfully Boston Port Authority has removed the chain of buoys marking the north channel but it is a very easy (straight line) sail north east to find our entrance buoys (lit at night), the DZ marker on the old bombing range is a good marker to aim for - in any case I can give you the waypoints.
The Parlour Channel is 'sort of' marked and is quite an interesting sail, there will be plenty of water even at LW for a BR.
You may prefer the northern route in which would be to head for Skegness and take the channel south. This would mean a longer sail for you but is the route most members use to get in and out.

Visitors mooring are available, and you can often raft up to some of the members boats (I can organise this for you).
Re admins, we have a small but functional club house with loo and shower. There are ample watering holes within a couple of miles (at Skeggy). I can probably arrange some transport to take you (us) if you don't want to walk - but it is a nice walk through the nature reserve (or cycle?!) or walk along the beach. Local pizza/chinese takeaway/chips etc are all used to delivering to boats as well.
There is hotel, BandB or camping available, or it may be possible for you and your crew to 'doss down' in the club house.

If you get weather bound - or for any reason you don't want to sail back, there is a reasonable slip you can use to recover if necessary.

Hope this is some food for thought for you.. You can email me on ketchpsalter at gmail dot com for further info. I am sure you already have charts but I have ample (paper) charts of the area that I will happily lend you.

Michael. I'm led to believe you would have to go inland as far as the Spalding area to find the much sought after treasure.. thanks to those Dutch drainage engineers and a few thousand fenland peasants with shovels!

There you go..  and thanks for putting this onto the map, so to speak, a really interesting and lovely area to sail. Often neglected by the AWB crowd, most just go straight from Yarmouth to Grimsby. And if it was good enough for Nelson ... 'nuff said!

Andy
Baycruiser 23 No.25 'Equinox'

Just had a thought - we have an annual 'event' day with bbq, cheap real ale, food, shanty songs, musicians etc with visiting boats from all over The Wash and Humber always held mid summer on springs so that would be a good time to do the trip - I am sure other boats from Burnham will be coming..?

[Colin Morley]

Dear Andy,

Thank you for all that valuable information. My crew is very keen on all this and particularly going to the yacht club summer event, which i understand is some time at the beginning of July. I will email the club to see what the date is going to be to help with our planning.
We would very much appreciate your help and, of course, sailing in company with you, and anyone else who wants to come would be fantastic. I have a friend with a Norfolk Oyster who would like to sail across the wash in company. So it looks as though the event will be on.
We have a holiday house at Burnham Overy Staithe so if you, and others sailed, to BOS we could put you up for a night or two.
For those who dont know BOS it is very tidal so it is relatively easy to get in and out around high tide but the creek and harbour dries to a trickle at low tide. It has a very good slipway for launching and also a good place for trailers. Not far away is Brancaster which has more water.

[Andy Dingle]

No problem at all Colin. Am looking forward to it. Even if the weather stops us getting across to the SYC event day - which, for the obvious planning reasons takes place whatever the weather - then we can arrange it for another time.

We'll be in touch a bit closer to the time and start to arrange things.

As Colin says, anyone else who fancies some adventurous sailing in a stunning area, full of seals, dolphins, porpoise, (very) occasional whale and a big wide open sky full of bird life then let us know.


Regards.

Andy
Baycruiser 23 No. 25 'Equinox'

[Colin Morley]

Thanks Andy,

Ok we will communicate about this in the new year. I am working overseas from January to mid march, so when I am back we will start sorting out the details.

Best wishes

[Andy Dingle]

Colin.

I have found Dylan Winters You Tube Video of him coming up our creek for your info.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUaUJ3Rfu5M

He talks about coming in via the Parlour Channel early in the film, but by the look of it he actually came down the north channel, but I think he actually came from Wells which would make sense. For your info Gibralter (I have no idea how it got that name) Point is also known as Wainfleet Haven.


Dylan came in very early on the flood - you would normally try and get in about an hour - hour and half before HW and you will have plenty of water. But you can see he didn't have much problem. In fact if you lifted your centreboard a bit you can actually take a direct course in at the top of the tide, but talk more of that later.
The stagings have now all been replaced and the old mooring arms all removed.

The chap with the odd looking hat is John Casey, the commodore and the chap to make contact with - his details are on the SYC web site.

Note the speeded up section at the end of the film how the big cat effects a three point turn, you won't see that in any sailing manual! All the big boats do that in the creek - although there is a small channel where you can turn in a more conventional way - 'though a BR won't need to do that.
The ugly chap with the shiny head in the canoe is moi - quite coincidentally. I had no idea I was on film. The laid back lady in the back seat not doing any paddling is 'er indoors. We were just exploring the river up stream.

Henry Irvings 'Tidal Havens of The Wash and Humber' is a very useful book you may find interesting, although a bit dated now. Maybe handy with Christmas bearing down on us rapidly.

Hope all this helps.

[Colin Morley]

Hi Andy and others,

Sorry that I have not come back on this but I have been working overseas for weeks and not yet got the BR20 back in the water.

My son and I are still keen to try this trip but the more I look at it the less feasible it appears to be. Of course it depends on the weather. At the moment we are dreaming about July 16th or 17th.

We can only get out of Burnham Overy Staithe harbour an hour or two around high tide. Then my rough calculations suggest it would be about 20nm into Wainfleet Haven. If we did about 4 kn that would take about 5 hours. In a good SW wind we could do it quicker than that but for the first 2 or 3 hours the tidal current would be on the nose. The problem is that we would arrive at the Haven almost exactly at low tide making it almost impossible to get in. If we then turn round immediately and sail back to Burnham Overy Staithe or Brancaster we may or may not arrive about high tide, if we are lucky. If we miss the high tide there is not much else to do than wait for the next one 11 hours later and slop around in the north sea tired and hungry

I would be grateful for any experienced advice before we set off and find we cant achieve our goal

[BobT]

Colin et Al,
I have family near Blakeney and have dinghy sailed there for years but never explored further afield. Dependent on dates, and work etc would be keen to take part in the trip.
Regards
Bob

[Andy Dingle]

All.

Re this trip - it is eminently do-able with a Bayraider 20 - I often did it to Wells, Hunstanton, Thornham etc in a Drascome Lugger from the Haven.

The tides are not that much of a problem because, as you know, springs give us a good time to get out with 10 - 12 hrs of sailing to get where you are going and get back in daylight hours.

I would leave as late as you can on HW springs to leave. Yes, you may get across to Wainfleet Haven early, but I doubt it will be that early. You can sail about waiting for the tide - if the weather is ok, nip out to explore the wind turbines! (actually quite interesting) or you can anchor and wait - even pull up on the beach and go get an ice cream! You can usually get in about two hours before HW.

The entrance to the haven is marked with lit buoys  (green cone, stbd marker) but there is a very useful marker - a tall yellow pole with a large triangle on top (marked DZ on the charrt) that is just at the entrance to the haven. The channel is marked with tall port/stbd poles.

At HW springs you won't have any problem with the channel that is quite clearly marked.
But have a look at www.skegnessyachtclub.co.uk for info. I have a hand sketch of the channel too if you need it.
You will need to stay overnight, but there are facilities in the club room you can use - kitchen, shower toilets..  If/when you go for it, give me a shout and I will help as much as I can.

I would recommend it.


Andy
(equinox25 at outlook.com - 07894 669680)

PS Sorry for not getting back to your query earlier - but I too have been embroiled in overseas toil - and other matters too onerous to mention - but I would be happy to help out.