E
ntries are open for World Cruising
Club’s new ARC Channel Islands
2016 rally following a launch event at
the Southampton Boat Show.
Run in association with RYA Active
Marina and with the support of Hamble
School of Yachting and Practical Boat
Owner magazine, ARC Channel Islands
offers a mix of preparation advice and
support from a lead boat, combined with
a cruise-in-company and social activities
ashore. The fleet will set sail from Premier
Marina in Gosport on Saturday 20 August
for the first leg to Cherbourg. The rally will
visit Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney,
with each stop allowing time to explore
ashore and meet up with other crews
over a rally meal or sundowner on arrival.
The overall route and daily schedule is
adaptable for prevailing weather
conditions and rally staff will be on hand
throughout, offering a tour of Guernsey
and a visit to the Second World War
military hospital, as well as a ride on the
Alderney railway. The fleet will return to
Gosport following an overnight sail from
Alderney, and conclude the rally with a
farewell dinner on Saturday 27 August.
The first 10 boats to sign up will be
entered into a prize draw to win a set of
charts and pilot books worth £270,
courtesy of Imray. All confirmed ARC
Channel Island entries can save up to
30% on selected Imray charts and pilot
books once they have signed up to the
rally. Due to space restrictions, ARC
Channel Islands is limited to 25 boats
and places will be allocated on a
first-come, first-served basis. The entry
fee includes all berthing for the duration
of the rally, GPS satellite tracking of
each yacht, the support of a lead boat
and World Cruising Club staff on hand
throughout the rally.
The boat fee based on LOA is:
8.23-12m, £570; 12.01-14m, £630;
14.01-18.29m, £690. The crew fee for
RYA members for the whole rally is:
£145 for adults; £75 for children aged
6-18. Single-leg crew fee, £75. RYA
non-members will pay an increased rate
to include membership. To find out more
call the World Cruising Club on +44 (0)
1983 296060, email mail@worldcruising.
com or visit http://www.worldcruising.com/
arcchannelislands.T
he application for the Navitus
Bay Wind Park for the South
Coast of England has been
refused development consent by
the Secretary of State for Energy
and Climate Change.
Navitus Bay Development
Limited’s proposed wind farm
would have been located off the
Dorset and Isle or Wight coasts in
popular sailing waters. Both the
Application Development for a
wind farm of up to 194 turbines
and the Turbine Area Mitigation
Option – reduced from 153sq km
to 79sq km and with a maximum
of 105 turbines – were refused
development consent. The
Secretary of State appears to
have based her decision primarily
on the impact the proposed
development would have had
on the Dorset and East Devon
Coast World Heritage Site and
Areas of Outstanding Natural
T
he Met Office
and Met Éireann
have announced a
pilot project to name
wind storms that are
expected to affect
the UK and Ireland.
The UK and Ireland’s
national met services,
the Met Office and Met
Éireann, operate to
maintain public safety
through severe
weather warnings and
forecasts. In recent
years, the naming of
wind storms that
affected Ireland and
the United Kingdom
(such as the ‘St Jude’s
Day’ storm) has
highlighted the benefits of establishing a formal system
for the naming of mid-latitude storms. Tweet @metoffice
using #nameourstorms followed by your suggestion;
provide your suggestions through the Met Office
Facebook pages; or email [email protected]
with ‘nameourstorms’ in the subject line.
A list will be compiled and storm names will be taken in
alphabetical order, alternating between male and female
names. A storm will be named when it is deemed to have
the potential to cause ‘medium’ or ‘high’ wind impacts on
the UK and/or Ireland, ie if a yellow, amber or red warning
for wind has been issued by Met Éireann and/or the
National Severe Weather Warning Service. (NSWWS).Navitus Bay Wind Park refused development consent
Beauty, rather than socio-
economic considerations or
the potential loss of amenity.
The Royal Yachting Association
(RYA) welcomed the decision,
saying it had raised concerns to
the Planning Inspectorate about
the impact of phased construction,
operation and maintenance vessel
traffic on the usability of SouthCoast ports and the western
Solent by recreational boaters.
The Navitus Bay Wind Park
application is the 11th offshore
wind farm application examined
by the Planning Inspectorate.
The refusal followed a
six-month examination.
In a statement, the Challenge
Navitus opposition group said:All aboard the new ARC
Channel Islands 2016 Rally
The ARC Channel Islands route‘The government followed the
examiners’ recommendation of
refusal, so this is not simply a
political decision.
‘This proposal was in one of
the worst locations of all the new
offshore wind farms and we are
relieved that the government has
agreed that the plan was ill-judged.
With so many valid reasons for
opposition, and unprecedented
levels of objection, it would have
been irrational to allow this
scheme to proceed.
Stuart Grant, project director at
Navitus Bay, said the company
was ‘clearly disappointed’ by the
decision. He added: ‘During the
past five years the project team
has carried out comprehensive
stakeholder and community
consultation. We will now discuss
the options available with our
shareholders and update
stakeholders in due course.’Name UK and
Ireland’s wind
storms this winter
News
A storm hits Brighton MarinaAn artist’s impression of the proposed Navitus Bay Wind Park