Motor Boat & Yachting — November 2017

TAKING A

BEARING

MEL BARTLETT: A year to remember

Fifty years ago, a little boatyard

on the banks of the River Nene –

40 miles from the sea, in rolling

farmland south of Peterborough

• built its first boat. It was a 19ft
  cabin cruiser called the Fairline 19.
  This year has been a good year
  for significant anniversaries. It’s
  also 50 years since homosexuality
  was legitimised, pirate radio was
  banned and – by the most curious
  coincidence – Radio 1 was born.
  We could also, if we felt like it,
  have celebrated the 60th birthday
  of the Fiat 500, or saluted the 75th
  anniversary of the second battle of
  El Alamein – the one that prompted
  Churchill’s “not the beginning of the
  end but the end of the beginning”
  speech, which turned out to be
  the turning point of World War II.
  On a more sombre note –
  deserving the silent savouring of
  a single malt, perhaps, rather than
  chugging Prosecco – it’s also 75
  years since the disastrous convoy
  PQ 17, 80 years since the death of
  Marconi, and 100 years since the
  bloodbath of Passchendaele.
  But there’s an older and much
  happier anniversary to celebrate
  before this year is out. It’s the 150th
  birthday of the Shipping Forecast!
  The Met Office had been set up
  in 1854 to investigate the possibility
  of forecasting the weather, but
  after hurricane-force winds
  wrecked 200 ships around the
  British Isles in a single day, it was

soon asked to put its developing

expertise to practical use.

Back in the pre-radio era, its

shipping forecasts were transmitted

by visual signals displayed on

headlands and harbour walls, but

in 1909 they were supplemented

by wireless telegraphy and then,

in 1924, by voice broadcasts from

the newly formed BBC.

Since then, the Shipping Forecast

has become a reassuring symbol of

British life for millions of people –

a steady pulse that connects even

the most inland townie to the sea,

and the inspiration behind prose,

poetry, paintings and pop songs.

Personally I blame the lunchtime

forecast. As a twenty-something

professional yottie, I was hooked on

the story of Brummie middle-aged

farmers that preceded it. I’ve since

drifted from The Archers, but I still

fall asleep to the distinctive rippling

theme tune that introduces the

midnight forecast, just as I did then.

The only difference is that now,

I don’t wake up with a jolt a few

minutes later to find a pencil stuck

to my cheek, a damp pad of blank

METMaPs in front of me and a

plummy voice intoning “severe

icing in south-west Iceland.”

But it’s real purpose, of course,

is the same as always – a free and

reliable source of safety information

that needs no special equipment

whether you’re off the Azores, the

Skagerrak – or the Isle of Wight.

The current HQ of the

Shipping Forecast is a far

cry from days gone by

Fusion Signature

8.8in speakers

These will play a big part in your time on board

Car buyers are taking hifi very

seriously these days. Take a look at

the options list for the Audi A3 and

you’ll find a Bang & Olufsen surround-

sound system that sees 14 speakers

installed in this humble hatchback,

driven by a 15-channel 705W amp.

It’s hardly surprising, then, that

owners are demanding far more from

the systems installed in their boats.

Fusion is responding with a new

addition to its Signature Series

speaker range. Previously only

available in 6.5in and 7.7in sizes,

buyers can now select an 8.8in

version. Available in Sports White

and Sports Chrome, they combine

CURV cone composite technology

with a silk dome tweeter and full

sealed crossover components.

Better yet, a dual-colour defused

lighting option means they glow in the

dark, either blue or white depending

on the polarity of the wiring. Fusion

says this ‘adds to the immersive

experience the Signature series

delivers.’ I’m not sure about that,

but it’ll certainly look cool! Price

from £399. Contact http://www.fusion

entertainment.com

Quatreau SmartTap

This drinks station is one tall drink of water

Do you drink water out of the tap

straight from your fresh water tank?

Me neither. It’s probably fine, but

those of us with delicate stomachs

defer to bottled water unless

it’s been boiled in the kettle

before pouring. Which

means plenty of trips

to the supermarket

and lots of space

in the fridge taken

up by innumerable

small bottles of

Evian. How great

would it be if you

could just turn on the

tap like you do at home?

Well, now you can (at least if you

have push-button electric taps at

home). UK-based The Pure H2O

Company says that the standard

in-line filtration system reduces

impurities in the water so effectively

that the result is 99.99% free

of contaminants and impurities,

which is purer than all bottled water

brands. But it’s not just purity that

the tap delivers. Chilled water is just

the touch of a button away, as is

sparkling or boiled water (there’s

an optional boiled water safety

lock to protect young children

or stupid adults).

At £1,499 plus VAT, it’s not

cheap, but it is really convenient

and will put a stop to the familiar

bottled water avalanche every

time you open the fridge after

a rough trip.

Contact http://www.pureh2o.co.uk

84

NEWTECH BOAT MASTER

Rock out with Fusion’s latest glow-

in-the-dark speakers

Purer than bottled

water straight from

the tap – chilled or

boiling hot