East Coast Tidal Pilotage Association / Passage notes
Thames Estuary swatchways & Spitway pilotage
The estuary rewards a carefully timed passage, but its shortcuts run through an unusually mobile landscape. Treat every plotted line as a question to be checked against the latest chart and local information.
- WATERS
- Wallet Spitway · Whitaker Channel · Ray Sand · Havengore
- REFERENCE
- Check the correct tidal reference and local differences for each leg.
- AUTHOR
- Commodore Alistair Finch, RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Examiner
The Wallet Spitway and Whitaker
The Wallet Spitway offers a passage between the Wallet and the approaches to the estuary. The Whitaker Channel is a separate route with its own marks and shoals. Identify the channel you intend to use on an up-to-date chart, check the latest buoy positions and prepare an alternative before committing. A former track or a buoy photographed last season is not a reliable leading line.
Spring ebb streams can run strongly through the wider approaches. Use a current tidal-stream atlas and the appropriate reference port to estimate set and rate for the particular position and time; the stream does not necessarily turn at high water. A strong wind opposing the ebb can raise short, steep seas on shallow ground. If the forecast and observed sea state make the crossing doubtful, wait or choose sheltered water.
Ray Sand and Havengore
Ray Sand is a shallow, shifting area, and the water available on a charted line can differ from a previous season. Allow for the actual tidal curve, atmospheric effects, waves and the vessel’s motion as well as draft. Our twelfths calculator is a way to examine an assumption, not an authority for the crossing.
For Havengore, establish current access restrictions, bridge operating arrangements and opening availability directly with the responsible authority before planning the passage. Military activity, bridge status, depth and local conditions can all affect access; never assume an opening or passage is available.
Buoyage changes
Annual review and maintenance may bring relocations, but changes can occur at any time. Read current Trinity House notices alongside harbour and local notices, and amend the chart before departure. Confirm each mark by its characteristics and position, not colour alone.