NEWS
continue with the race.
Greenings is not the first
Clipper Round the World
Race yacht to run aground.
In 2015, LMAX Exchange
ran aground around 42
miles off Rio de Janeiro in
Brazil. In this instance the
yacht was repaired and
after completing the next
leg (to Cape Town), went
on to win the overall race.
In January 2010, the
Clipper 68 Cork ran
aground on the Gosong
Mampango reef in the Java
Sea off Indonesia. The crew
were evacuated and the
yacht abandoned after it
was decided that attempts
to salvage her wouldn’t be
economical. On this
occasion, the team
continued the race in a
chartered Challenge 67
yacht, Aurora of London.
The founder of the Junk Rig
Association (JRA), Robin
Blain, has died.
The 76-year-old, who was
often seen in his trademark
blue denim cap, was always
happy extolling the virtues of
a junk rig.
He started Sunbird Yachts
with Alan Boswell in 1976,
when they built the Sunbird
32, the first purpose-
designed, junk-rigged,
production boat.
The JRA was set up after
Sunbird Yachts’ first
Southampton Boat Show in- ‘They realised how
few people recognised the
virtues of the junk rig, so
they had a working model of
the rig on their stand, so that
passers by could see how
easy it is to handle,’
explained Annie Hill, the
JRA’s chairman.
‘Robin also offered a
service to convert existing
boats to junk rig and ran a
brokerage specialising in
junk-rigged boats. There
was a lot of interest in the
rig, and this realisation
encouraged Robin to form
the Junk Rig Association.’
Hill said for many years, in
essence, Blain was the
association, assisted by his
wife, Mandy. Together, they
dealt with inquiries all over
the world, organised rallies,
accepted JRA subscriptions
and collected and ran an
excellent library of books
about the junk rig.
‘Anyone who had anything
to do with Robin became a
friend. Generous, convivial,
unassuming and always
ready to go well out of his
way to help people, he was
a gift to “junkies”
everywhere,’ she said.
‘Surrounded by like-
minded people, and wearing
his blue denim cap and
his JRA sweatshirt, he
was in his element, offering
suggestions, giving advice,
making introductions
and chatting about all
things junk’.
Blain was recently
presented with the Hasler/
McLeod Award by the JRA
in honour of his work in
preserving and promoting
the use of a junk rig
and his dedication to
the association.Unmanned
vessel gets
first UK
registration
Tributes paid to the
founder of the Junk
Rig Association
Marine surveyors have
to decide whether
to salvage GreeningsRobin Blain was
rarely seen without
his trademark
denim capASV GlobalJunk Rig AssociationIn a glimpse of the future, the
UK Ship Register has signed
its first unmanned vessel,
C-Worker 7, to the flag.
The vessel can be used
under direct control,
semi-manned or completely
unmanned, and has been
built by ASV Global, a leading
supplier of unmanned and
autonomous marine systems.
C-Worker 7 will be used for
a variety of coastal and
offshore tasks, including
helping with subsea
positioning, surveying and
environmental monitoring.
Doug Barrow, the director of
the UK Ship Register, said
that by supporting emerging
technologies such as
autonomous systems, the
register is ‘helping to keep
the UK at the forefront of the
global maritime industry’.
‘The UK Flag is growing, as
we have invested in
resources to meet the
demands of that growth. We
have the support of the UK
government and the wider
UK maritime industries to
continue our expansion,’
he added.
ASV Global, which has
designed and built more than
80 vessels for the oil and gas,
scientific and defence
sectors, said the Maritime
and Coastguard Agency had
been crucial in helping the
company ‘reach this pivotal
milestone, recognising the
prominence of unmanned
systems in the maritime
environment’.
‘We are delighted to have
achieved the first registration
of a semi-autonomous vessel
for maritime operations,’ said
Vince Dobbin, the company’s
sales and marketing director.C-Worker 7 will stand out as
she goes about her surveying
and environmental work