Practical Boat Owner – August 2019

http://www.pbo.co.uk

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n 2019 Panerai Classic

Week, 13-20 July, Solent,

britishclassicweek.co.uk

n Gerrards Cross Sailing

Association’s Brittany

Cruise, 13-21 July,

starting from St Peter

Port, gxsa.org.uk

n Thames Traditional

Boat Festival, 19-21 July,

at Henley,

tradboatfestival.com

n Western Boat Show,

19-21 July, at Bristol

Harbour,

westernboatshow.co.uk

n Conwy River Festival,

20-21 July & 26-28 July

at Conwy,

conwyriverfestival.org

n Ramsgate Week 2019,

21-26 July, at Ramsgate,

ramsgateweek.com

n Tattinger Royal Solent

Yacht Club Regatta,

26-28 July, at Yarmouth,

royalsolent.org

n Bridlington Sailing

Coble Festival 2019,

27-28 July, at Bridlington,

bridlingtonharbour.com

n 162nd Gorey Regatta,

27-28 July, at Jersey,

goreyregatta.org.

n Cowes Classics Week

2019 , 27 July-2 August,

at Cowes,

cowesclassicsweek.org

n 72nd West Highland

Yachting Week, 27

July-2 August, at various

locations in the West

Highlands, whyw.co.uk

n Gerrards Cross Sailing

Association’s Devon

Cruise, 28 July-4 August,

starting from the River

Yealm gxsa.org.uk

n Rolex Fastnet Race, 3

August, starts at Cowes

and ends in Plymouth,

rolexfastnetrace.com

n Shetland Boat Week,

5-11 August, at

Lerwick Harbour,

lerwick-harbour.co.uk

Send your diary dates

to [email protected],

see more online at

http://www.pbo.co.uk/events

DIARY DATES

NEWS

Sailors using any boat with
retractable keels or retractable
weighted centreboards are
being urged to ensure
manufacturer’s instructions are
always followed to secure them.
The Marine Accident
Investigation Branch (MAIB)
has issued a safety bulletin
following the fatal capsize of an
RS Venture Connect on Lake
Windermere on 12 June. Initial
findings reveal the retractable
keel-restraining Velcro strap
was not in place, allowing the

keel to move freely in its

housing and retract entirely.

Although the assistant

instructor was able to swim free

from the boat, the disabled

crew member was trapped and

died, despite efforts of the

safety boat crew.

The MAIB is also advising that

procedures and drills for

recovering a capsized boat

include the scenario where the

keel or centreboard has retracted

from its ‘lowered’ position.

RS Sailing has contacted all

registered owners of RS

Venture Connect boats to

remind them to make sure the

keel security strap is correctly

fitted prior to use.

The RYA’s Sailability manager,

Joff McGill, said it would work

closely with its partners in the

boating industry to highlight the

MAIB’s safety bulletin.

Boaters cruising the inland
waterways of England and
Wales are being urged to pick
up and recycle a piece of
plastic at every place they visit.
It is part of a new campaign
by the Canal & River Trust to try
and prevent plastic waste from
finding its way into the world’s
oceans. Every year, the trust
spends more than £1 million to
help keep its waterways free of
plastics and other discarded
waste material.
Working with Coventry
University, it has now carried
out research into the litter found
on the waterways it manages.
Data from 25 sites reveals that
plastics make up 59% of the
rubbish found and that, overall,
570,000 plastic items reach the
seas each year via the trust’s
waterways.
Volunteers are also being
asked to adopt short stretches
of their local canal to help keep

it rubbish and plastic free.

For more information about

the Plastics Challenge visit:

canalrivertrust.org.uk

Plastic challenge for

inland boaters

Warning to

secure

retractable

keels and

centreboards

Jim Batty/Alamy

Jan Butchofsky/Alamy

The restraining strap (circled) was not secure, allowing the keel to

move in its housing, says the MAIB

The RS Venture

Connect is

popular with

families and

disabled sailors

Around 14 million plastic items

end up in the trust’s canals and

rivers each year

Ships operated by the

Norwegian cruise line

Hurtigruten will soon be

run on a combination of

electric power, natural gas

and biogas.

Biogas will be used to

power six of their ships by

2021. Large battery packs
      will also be installed on
      the vessels.

Biogas powers

cruise ships

MS Nordnorge will run on

battery-LNG-biogas hybrid

propulsion

MAIB Publications