SB Kingfisher

We know from Walter Tye’s book that Kingfisher was used in the mud digging for the cement works. His information was firsthand from the crew. Robert Simper says that Kingfisher was built by William Colchester in 1878 as a tiller-steered ‘stumpie’ (no topmast)1Kingfisher  – Topsail 44, Barges on the Deben by Robert Simper. However, the …

Captain John Washington

Off Harwich is a starboard hand buoy named for Captain John Washington. Some sailors know that he was an important figure in the history of the Haven. Washington was a sailor, explorer, cartographer, hydrographer, linguist, humanitarian, scientist, spy and engineer. His work on the port was a tiny part of what he achieved.

Stone Bank

Stone Banck is marked n 1686 Collins Chart and buoyed in 1821 probably for cement stone dredging. Part of the Medusa Channel.

Circa 1800 Log and Line with glass - available on ebay but expensive.

Knots by Log and Line

We use knots as a measure of speed on the water. How does this work, and how did it come about? The history of the “knot” is intimately tied to the method used for measuring it and this presents a variety of conflicting and confusing sizes and units. Conversions to metric units are given where …

Gunfleet Sand

Also see Gunfleet Old Light House and Beacon. Gunfleet Sand is a hard shingle bank extending from the Buxey Sand and running northeast towards a few miles off the Naze: it partially dries at Low water. Goldmers Gat separates it from the West Rocks to the north. The Swin Spitway at the south end separates …

Cork Sand

Cork Sand is situated between the Gullet/Stone Bank to the west, Roughs Shoals to the east, West Rocks or Goldmer’s Gat to the south and Harwich Deep Water Channel to the north. There is also a little used channel for small vessels between the Cork Sand and West Rocks. Just to the east is Cork …

1902-Chart-of-Ray-Sand-from-Messums-East-Coast-Rivers

Ray Sand Channel

Today, the Ray Sand Channel dries at about 0.6m or 2′ but it was not always so: it has changed depth from 13′ CD to 2′, a reduction of 4.5m over only 75 years: the channel now dries. The channel has little use today, other than a shoal draught shortcut between the Blackwater and Crouch. …

Babergh

This is positioned on the boundary of East Suffolk and Babergh local authorities. Not very imaginative.

Martello P - now NCI Coastwatch

Martello Towers

Between 1808 and 1812, twenty-nine Martello Towers were built along the coasts of Essex and Suffolk: eighteen still exist, with one over-built (R): eleven have been lost. The sources given below cover the history and current state of the Towers: the objective here is to show, on the overview map, the positions of current towers …

SB Three Sisters at Kirton Creek

There is little activity at Kirton Creek nowadays. However, it was once the mouth of the Mill River and, after enclosure, boasted a Brick Works. This was dependent upon barge transport which seemed quite challenging given the nature of the channel. A relic of that era is the hulk of a Thames Sailing Barge which is slowly being claimed by the mud.

1588 Mariner’s Mirrour

This was initially a translation of Spieghel der Zeevaerd published by Waghenaer. For some time they were known as ‘Waggoners“. the Shoe and Whittaker beacons are shown. Bawdsey Haven is not. Shoebury to St Peters is interesting. The inset table shows English Leagues to be 3 Nautical Miles as opposed to the Dutch four. 1588 …

Edward Vernon cr FI

Grog – Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon – Orwell Park

Edward Vernon served on Admiral Sir Cloudsesley Shovell’s flagship at the capture of Gibraltar. He was later captain of the ship that avoided disaster in the catastrophic loss of Cloudesley Shovell’s fleet on the Isles of Scilly in 1707. The Rum Ration He is known for his 1740 order that rum should be diluted with …

1915 USNO England East Coast Pilot Harwich extract

Google Books Has a good description of shoals. Shows SHMs such as Cutler being Red Cones. Some good Middle Ground Buoys at Gabbard. 19 feet into Harwich. Submarine Bells Description of Deben. The coast . The coast from Orfordness trends southwestward for 3 miles and is a low shingle beach , from thence it curves to the southward for 2 miles to Orford Haven ; this forms Hollesley Bay . From the entrance to Orford Haven is a beach running 2 miles in a southerly direction to Boathouse Point , and from this point it runs southwestward for 2 miles to Bawdsey Cliffs . Orfordness and the coast for some distance to the westward is steep – to , but in Hollesley Bay and off Bawdsey Cliffs the 3 – fathom contour extends 0.6 mile seaward .The objects upon this coast which will be recognized are Crouch lifeboat houses , a small cluster of huts painted black and used only for fishing boats . Shingle Street , a cluster of cottages at the entrance to Orford Haven , and five martello towers between the haven and Bawdsey Cliff . The Colonial College , a large brick building with turrets and a flagstaff , close northeast of Hollesley , and just south westward of it is a large bare field that from a distance somewhat resembles Bawdsey Cliff , and Hollesley Church are prominent objects in the well – wooded background . A large white house among wood inland and to the northward of Bawdsey Cliff , a windmill at Alderton , and Bawdsey Church , with its broad stunted tower , are all plain objects .  Coast guard.On the outer beach at 1.2 miles northeastward of Shingle Street is a small balck hut , with a flagstaff near it , the watch house of the coast guard , and at northeast extreme of Shingle Street is a large gray two – storied coast – guard house , with a flagstaff near it . Next to this house , there is a long , low , red building with a lookout turret in the middle .  Martello Tower ( W. ) on Boathouse Point is East Lane coast – guard station , surmounted by a flagstaff , and the chimneys are whitewashed .  Rocket stations . There are life – saving rockets at each of the above coast – guard stations .  Bawdsey Cliff is of a reddish color and bears upon its face numerous marks of land slips .  Bawdsey Manor , a conspicuous brick house , stands at the south west extreme of Bawdsey Cliff , and close eastward of it is a flagstaff . A glass house stands a short distance northeastward of the manor and is conspicuous in the sunlight .  Bawdsey Sea Mark , an obelisk painted red and white in horizontal bands , stands near the northeast end of the cliff .  Woodbridge Haven , or the entrance to the River Deben , is immediately westward of Bawdsey Cliff .  The coast from the entrance trends southward for 4 mile to Tower T Point , from thence it assumes a south – southwesterly direction , and consists of cliff , alternating with grassy bank , for a distance of 1.2 miles to Felixstowe Point , when the high ground trends more westerly .  From Felixstowe Point a low shingle beach extends 2.5 miles to the southwestward to Landguard Point , where it forms the eastern side of the entrance to Harwich Harbor .  The golf pavilion , a white house , 600 yards southward of Tower T , and Felixstowe Hotel , surmounted by a clock tower , and standing on the cliff at Felixstowe , are conspicuous from seaward .

1817 Norie Sailing Directions Nore to Orfordness

Sailing directions for the river Thames, from London, to the Nore and Sheer… – Google Books Extract THE SWIN AND KING’S CHANNEL Buoy on the Middle, No 3, black3 fathoms starboard. Whitaker Spit buoy, red, with staff and triangular vane3 fathoms larboard. South buoy of the Swin Spitway, blacklarboard. Gunfleet beaconlarboard. Gunfleet buoy, No. 9, …

1892 – The Coasts of Essex and Suffolk by Frank Cowper – Extract Harwich area

Page 96 FROM THE COLNE TO HARWICH. …Trinity House. This serves as a land-mark, but will not be of any use to us, as its only advantage, beyond being a mark to tell ships out at sea what point of land they are off, is to clear the Longsand Head fifteen miles away out at …

*History of British Buoyage

Navigation buoys have existed for centuries but, by the nineteenth century, differing systems caused confusion and prompted attempts to develop a common scheme. Growing trade, steamships, ship and buoy lighting technology increased the complexity of the problem which was not resolved, due to politics and war, until the late twentieth century.

Great Suffolk Swim

From Facebook October 3, 2016 If we wanted to swim the whole Suffolk Coast it looks like 44 miles in total. This could be divided into nine sections with the longest being 6.5 miles. Sections could be attempted when conditions were right, maybe one every few weeks. It can almost be done River to River …

Swim to Wadgate Ledge

  The post is 2450m from P Tower. Probably, at least 3000m will need to be swum. At 2m/100m this would take an hour. The tidal stream is stronger offshore, and one would be swimming across it. The image of the flood at Wadgate Ledge, on a not especially strong tide, gives an impression of …