A description of the sands, shoals, buoyes, beacons, roads, channels, and sea marks on the coast of England: from the southforeland to Flamborough head, being furnished with new & exact droughts of the sands, acording to the said descriptions / by John Seller, hydrographer to the Kings most excellent Majestie, and are to be sold by him at the Hermitage staires in Wapping.

Directions to sayl from the Nower to the northward through the Swin.

From the tayl of the Nower, or thwart of Shooberry∣ness, to the Black-tayl, the course is E. N. E. * 1.1 but if

the wind be westerly, you may keep along the Essex-shore, and you may wear off and on the Sand, in six or seven fathom water; or keep the Hill to the westward of Bemfiet, open of Hadly-Land above Lee, and that Mark will lead you down to Black-tayl.

Thwart Marks for the Black-tayl, are the tuft of Trees upon the Kentish-shore, called Challock-Trees; right over the Isle of Sheppy, commonly called the Lands-end, from the Black-tayl to the Shoo beacon, the course is North-east, and you may borrow off and on upon the Sand, in 6, 7, or 8 fathom water, until you come to the Shoo-beacon, for there it is deeper, and steep to the Land. * 1.2 This Deep is called the Shoo-hole, where you shall have 10, 11, 12, or 13 fathom, accord∣ing as the Tyde is; by which depth you may know where you are, and the Hole is not above half a mile in length: Right against the Shoo-beacon, the tayl of the East-barrows-head, * 1.3 extends from the eastwards very far, so that the Channel is narrowest in that place, and is not a mile over.

From the Shooe to the Whitaker-beacon, the course is N. N. E. if the wind be westerly, you may borrow upon the Sand in six or seven fathom; and when you are right thwart of the Whitaker-beacon, the Mouth of Bornam-water will be directly west from you, and the spire Steeple, that is three miles to the northward of Bornam, will bear North-west, half northerly. From the Whitaker to the Buoy of the Buxey, * 1.4 or the entering in of the Spit, the course is North by East about 5 miles; you may borrow upon this Sand, in five, six, or seven fathom, which will carry you clear within two middle Grounds that lyeth between you and the East-barrows; on the westermost middle Ground, there is ten foot at low-water; but on the eastermost, there is not so much, for in some places it is almost dry: At the South end of this Middle-ground, there lyeth a Buoy, which is almost a mile below the Whitaker-beacon; * 1.5 if the wind be ••asterly, you must be careful to give the Buoy a Birth, for the tayl of that Sand is flat, and tayleth over towards the Whitaker, (being to the North-west of this Buoy) then edge over to the eastward, and you shall have the deepest water toward that Sand, about seven, eight, or nine fathom, according as the Tyde is; this Sand is steep also, so that if the wind be northerly, that you are forced to run down, stand not over to that Sand, until your water shoal, for you shall have eight or nine fathom, and the next cast aground, but you may stand over to the westward Middle-ground into five or six fathom; the North end of the eastermost Middle∣ground, * 1.6 doth tayl or joyn to the East-barrow-head, and there it is flat, with a Tayl a good length over to the northwards: The North-east Flat lyeth near North∣west from the Buoy of the Buxey, and then the Trees on the North side do bear North-west from you.

When you are thwart of the Buoy of the Spits and Buxey, * 1.7 you may steer out N.E. by East, down the Kings-Channel; or, if the Wind will give you leave, to borrow upon the Gunfleet in 7 or 8 fathom water, then that depth will lead you down to the Buoy at the East end of the Gunfleet.

Also by this means you shall be sure to keep clear of the Middle-ground that lyeth between the Gunfleet and the eastward Sand, which is called the Heaps, which at low-water hath but ten foot in some places. This Middle-ground reacheth a great length; when you are at the South end of it, the Naze-land will bear North from you, and Orford-ness N. N. E. When you are at the North-east end of this Sand, then you will be thwart of the Buoy on the North end of the Gunfleet, and Harwich-Church will be open and shut of Harwich-Cliff; from whence, if you be bound for the North-Foreland, you may steer E. N. E. and East by North, till you bring the Naze-land to bear W. N. W. from you, and then you may be sure you are northward of the tayl of the Sonk; but if the wind be southerly, bor∣row close aboard the tayl of the Sonk.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Black-tayl
• * 1.2

  Shoo-hole.
• * 1.3

  East-Bar∣row-head.
• * 1.4

  Buoy of the Buxey.
• * 1.5

  Whitaker-Beacon.
• * 1.6

  East-Bar∣row-head.
• * 1.7

  Spits and Buxey.