Boating New Zealand — December 2017

22 Boating New Zealand

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S

park has switched on new mobile

coverage in Okiwi Bay, a popular holiday

spot in the Marlborough Sounds.

 Okiwi Bay has never had mobile

coverage. Holidaymakers and mariners will be

connected via a small-scale metro cell solution,

located on the community hall. Radius of the

coverage is about 300m, and offers visitors to

the area the ability to make a call, send a text or

check the weather forecast before heading out

on the water.

 Local community support has been

the driving force behind the installation.

Spark worked with the Okiwi Bay Residents’

Association and Marlborough District Council in

agreeing on a location for the Metro Cell.

 Says Paul Deavoll, Spark’s Head of South

Island: “We’re pleased to be able to find a

solution for residents, visitors and, in particular,

boaties using the area, who can now keep in

touch when getting on and off the water. It’s an

added element of safety.”

VOR’S ‘CLEAN SEAS’ PLEDGE

T

he Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) has used

the first of seven Ocean Summits it is

hosting around the world in 2017-18 to

launch a programme to gather data from

parts of the oceans that are otherwise inaccessible

to scientists.

The Ocean Summit in Alicante – held four days

before the recent start of the 2017-18 edition of

the race – brought together politicians, scientists,

business and sport to tackle the problem of ocean

health, with a specific focus on plastic pollution.

The programme comprises three elements:

All of the yachts will send data back from the

oceans every 10 seconds – recording temperature,

barometric pressure, wind speed and direction.

This data will be passed on to NOAA and the

European Centre for Medium Range Weather

Forecasts. It will contribute to more accurate

weather forecasts and climate models.

Secondly, during the four most isolated legs in

the race, all seven yachts will carry drifter buoys

equipped with satellite communications to transmit

information on ocean composition and currents.

Thirdly, the Turn the Tide on Plastic team

skippered by British yachtswoman Dee Caffari will

carry instruments onboard to test salinity, dissolved

CO^2 and Chlorophyll-a (algae), and for the first

time ever, microplastics, directly in the sea water

around them.

The next Ocean Summit is scheduled for 

7 December in Cape Town.

Okiwi Bay now has mobile

coverage along the boat

ramp and surrounding area.

Photo: Di Buckingham

CALLING

OKIWI BAY