Destination Woodbridge Suffolk
Trying a slightly different approach this year with flexible options built into the beginning and end of the itinerary – see the Cruising Notes section below. This flexibility may suit members who cannot do the whole week. If you would like to download the full itinerary, cruising notes and appendices including a chartlet of the Deben entrance, please click here.
Outline Itinerary
Fri 20 Jun – Burnham
Sat 21 Jun – Ramsholt (River Deben) or Harwich
Sun 22 Jun – Woodbridge
Mon 23 Jun – Woodbridge
Tue 24 Jun – Felixstowe Ferry
Wed 25 Jun – Suffolk Yacht Harbour (SYH)
Thu 26 Jun – SYH (contingency day)
Fri 27 Jun – Brightlingsea (or River Crouch destination)
Sat 28 Jun – URYC
Sun 29 Jun – (contingency day)
Cruising notes
The full content of this page plus several useful appendices can be downloaded in PDF format here.
Friday 20 June – HW Hullbridge 20.20
Depart Hullbridge 17.30 – 19.30 (Sunset 21.19). Drop down to Burnham, recommend staying on a buoy – easterly moorings.
Saturday 21 June – HW Burnham 09.04. LW Harwich 14.16. LW Woodbridge Haven 14.05.
Depart Burnham 08.00 sail to Harwich Harbour entrance (31.5 miles) just after low water (14.16), faster boats with a favourable wind can depart 09.00. Continue past Felixstowe and head for the River Deben (7 miles) with the aim of arriving Woodbridge Haven no earlier than 17.00. Enter River Deben with close reference to the entrance chartlet. Continue to Ramsholt (4 miles), pick up a buoy, stay overnight. For a mooring contact Harbourmaster George Collins, who is normally about during the day. Tel 07930 304061 or try VHF channel 77.
For members who don’t want to sail directly to the River Deben, enter Harwich Harbour circa 14.30 – 15.00. Stay overnight Shotley (or Half Penny Pier Harwich raft up on an inside berth).
Sunday 22 June – HW Harwich 09.29. HW Woodbridge 10.01. LW Woodbridge Haven 15.10
Depart Ramsholt 08.30 or 07.30 if wind North-westerly. Sail to Woodbridge (5 miles), motor the last half mile through the moorings to the marina and enter 09.30 -10.00. Stay overnight.
For boats departing from Harwich/Shotley; you have 2 options.
Option 1; (My favourite) leave just after dawn (04.00) and punch the flood tide to the entrance of the River Deben and enter before high water (09.20) and pick up a mooring at Ramsholt. later that evening proceed to Woodbridge.
Option 2; At 15.00 take the period of slack water to leave Harwich Harbour then sail against the tide for 7 miles to the entrance of the River Deben (Woodbridge Haven LW 14.05) and enter the river no earlier than 18.00. Then take the flood tide to Woodbridge (8 miles) arriving two hours before HW (22.20) – see appendix one for the depth of water over the sill – with care in the approach channel, smaller yachts can enter from 19.40.
Monday 23 June
Day in Woodbridge – 19.00 evening meal in the Cumberland Fish Bar (restaurant).
Tuesday 24 June – HW Woodbridge 12.00. LW Felixstowe Ferry 17.10.
Depart Woodbridge 11.30 – 12.30, drop down to Felixstowe Ferry (7.5 miles) stopping at ‘The Rocks’ for a late lunch and potential swim if the weather is fine, otherwise continue to Felixstowe Ferry arriving by 17.00, pick up mooring as directed by the Harbour Master. For shore access a water taxi operates, callsign Deben Ferry, VHF channel 08. Stay overnight.
Wednesday 25 June – HW Woodbridge Haven 12.10. HW Harwich 12.21. HW SYH 12.30.
Depart River Deben 09.00 – motor sail against the flood tide until clear of Woodbridge Haven then sail with the remaining 2.5 hours of flood tide to Harwich Harbour, enter the river Orwell, destination Suffolk Yacht Harbour (SYH) plan to arrive before 13.00 (total 11 miles). Stay overnight. BBQ evening meal.
Thursday 26 June – LW Harwich 06.40. HW SYH 12.15.
Day in SYH (also a contingency day) potential for numerous shore outings including walks, the Ship Inn Levington, nearby beach a short walk downstream from the marina suitable for swimming 1 hour either side of HW. Taxi outing to Landguard Fort.
Friday 27 June – LW Harwich 07.24. HW Brightlingsea 14.25, HW Burnham14.39, URYC 15.08.
Depart SYH 06.00 – 06.30 taking last of the ebb and slack water period to clear Harwich Harbour and then take the first of the flood tide to Brightlingsea (27 miles) alternatively, should the weather forecast demand, destination Burnham (36.5 miles).
Members wishing to get back to URYC early, it’s viable to reach URYC before the ebb commences on Friday 27th. However, for these yachts, especially if there is a strong Westerly wind, stopping overnight at Burnham makes more sense.
Saturday 28 June – LW Swin Spitway 09.00. LW Bradwell 09.47. HW URYC 15.51.
Depart Burnham by midday and sail 7.5 miles to URYC.
For yachts at Brightlingsea there are two options: Option 1 Depart 06.30 and definitely before 07.00 to Whitaker Channel (9 miles) then sail 22 miles to URYC arriving circa 13.00 – 14.00. Option 2 depart 09.30 and sail via Raysand Channel arriving in the Whitaker Channel circa13.00 (9.5 miles) then sail to URYC (15 miles) arriving at URYC just after HW (15.51) target arrival circa 16.00 – 17.00.
Sunday 29 June – LW Spitway 09.40. LW Brightlingsea 09.52. HW Burnham 16.08. HW URYC 16.32.
Contingency day: For example, if delayed by adverse conditions during the week, it is perfectly practical, given a favourable wind direction, to sail back from Suffolk Yacht Harbour directly to URYC. Depart circa 08.00 from SYH and aim to arrive at Hullbridge by 17.00.
Alternatively, if stuck at Brightlingsea until Sunday 22 June due to Westerly winds: depart Brightlingsea by 07.30 to sail back via the Swin Spitway. Otherwise depart 11.00 sail against the flood tide out of the Colne, via the Benchhead Buoy before turning to take advantage of the flood tide toward the Raysand Channel with the aim of timing your arrival at the Whitaker Channel end of the Raysand channel at 13.30. Then you will have a full 3 hours to reach URYC before high water with the aim of arriving at Hullbridge no later than 17.30.
Please download the full itinerary, cruising notes and appendices please click here.
For first timers to Woodbridge, check out this video:
Height of water over the sill at Woodbridge Tide Mill Yacht Harbour
On a Sunday afternoon, during the next two months, we will have an informal cruiser sailors meeting to discuss this and other cruiser sailing plans for the year.
Woodbridge 2019 Summer Cruise