Snape with a fin keel

**ditchcrawler** · 18-02-10, 15:33

We have club cruise planned for mid may and will be in Snape 17th/18th May(Springs).I can get up and down the river I reckon but do any of you learned gentlemen have any knowledge or experience of staying at Snape at low water with a fin keeler.Although my official draught according to Moody is 1.52m in reality it is nearly 1.7m.
Is it possible to stay rafted out and sit on the bottom(hard or soft?) or more practical to lie up against the barge or just not go at all.

**EdWingfield** · 18-02-10, 15:43

I tried it last summer with a wing keel drawing 1.0m. Perhaps 33% of withies were missing. After running aground numerous times I gave up at Iken Church and anchored. I went on in the dinghy to Iken Cliff.

Here is one frustrated ditch crawler.

Better luck to you.

**MoodySabre** · 18-02-10, 15:52

My build certificate shows the measured draught at 5'6" which loaded up is a good 1.7m.

My 1998 East Coast Rivers gives a number of 01728 688303 for the office at Maltings Quay and perhaps they can answer the question. If there is space along the quayside you could always stand-up but how far you would sink is a lottery.

**sailorman** · 18-02-10, 16:18

Originally Posted by ditchcrawler

We have club cruise planned for mid may and will be in Snape 17th/18th May(Springs).I can get up and down the river I reckon but do any of you learned gentlemen have any knowledge or experience of staying at Snape at low water with a fin keeler.Although my official draught according to Moody is 1.52m in reality it is nearly 1.7m.
Is it possible to stay rafted out and sit on the bottom(hard or soft?) or more practical to lie up against the barge or just not go at all.

we have been as far as "The Oaks" just above Iken Church in out Co32 & anchored overnight ( 10kg Bruce

)

**nortonmotors** · 18-02-10, 17:56

I went up 4 - 5 years ago and, for the first time ever, stayed overnight.
Never having seen the bottom there, all the usual preparations to lean on the wall (anchor & chain in the scuppers, boom out, etc..) and off to the Plough as soon as she's grounded.
Preparations were all in vain, the mud was absolutely flat from bank to bank and she sat bolt upright in soft mud, halfway to her marks.
She's long keel and 4' draft

**Shamal** · 18-02-10, 20:55

We tried this a couple of years ago in a centreboarder, only intending to go as far as Iken.

The withies were confusing to say the least, and the channel tortuous and we ran aground a few times. Most frustrating as barges still make the trip !

Not sure i'd try it again now with a fixed keel, unless the withies have been improved.

**Lazy Kipper** · 18-02-10, 23:36

Up to Iken church it's fairly easy, except you have to be there earlyish in the tide to make the rest of it. After that it's run aground time. There is a handy solution though, there is a really nice chap who runs a river trip service in season, just wait for him to get to Iken and as he turns round, follow him in. But in a boat with your draft I really wouldn't risk it, you are going to have to time your run for the top of the tide and that far up river tides are unpredictable and you may easily get neeped. We did it in a cat with less than 1m draft and still ran aground a dozen times, some of the switch backs are not at all obvious. Some of the channel banks are very steep and drying out after running aground could be a bit hairy.

Once there you'd have no problems though. Tie up to a big barge and you would go anywhere and the mud is fairly gooey.

The anchorage at Iken is a different bet, utterly peaceful and a nice dinghy motor up to Snape. The holding at Iken is so good it's the only time we haven't dragged; and we're famously bad at anchoring.

**Karouise** · 19-02-10, 09:04

[QUOTE=ditchcrawler;2423948] or more practical to lie up against the barge QUOTE]

Heard horror stories of laying alongside a barge in Maldon.

Boat touches bottom before barge and sinks in a bit, barge continues to go down until touches bottom and then slides sideways pushing you over the wrong way.

Now all the weight is on your lines no matter how much lean you set up before touching bottom.

**Jan Harber** · 19-02-10, 11:58

In a fin keeler this is quite a risky undertaking. As others have mentioned, many of the withies have either been broken off and/or have missing topmarks which makes it hard to know which side to leave them. To counteract this, you need to go up early on the tide while the marks can still be located. The nearer you get to the top of the tide, the more difficult it becomes as by then even the taller withies may be submerged, particularly at springs. This applies whether you are going up or down the river.
With a fixed keel the chances of getting neaped are quite high so if you must, it would be better to go before the top of springs, definitely not when they're taking off.
Currently the big, old fishing vessel Nadir, the little barge Cygnet and the trip boat have berths at the Maltings quay. Nadir is permanent, Cygnet and the trip boat come and go.
The bottom is mud but is only level near the quay wall, there are some variable holes. Barges, bilge keelers, centreboarders and the occasional shallow long keelers often stay overnight but I have never seen a fin keeler dried out there. Would advise you stop at Iken and go up in the dinghy.
Have a look on www.eastcoastrivers.com for my blog with photos of trip downriver from Snape on the barge Adieu last summer.
BTW what makes you think only gentleman can advise on staying at Snape?
Jan Harber