Practical Boat Owner - June 2018

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Regional News

News from your cruising area

SAR TRAINING FOR JERSEY COASTGUARD

Training in the roles and factors involved in a major maritime

incident has been delivered to the Jersey Coastguard.

Run by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Maritime

Search Planning and Mission Co-ordination course also

involved the Maritime Operations Centre.

Jersey Coastguard’s Aaron Gavey said the courses ensure

protocols and procedures are in line with national and

international standards, and gives the public ‘peace of mind’.

The webcams can be accessed

at vision-link.co.uk

Kaskelot last visited Plymouth

in May 2017

Trinity House

EYE ON THE NEEDLES

NCI Needles on the Isle of

Wight has two new web

cameras providing real time

information on sea state at the

Needles Channel and

Scratchells Bay. Vision-Link

Ltd donated the cameras, with

connection charges paid for

by Needles Pleasure Cruises.

KASKELOT RETURNS

Plymouth’s historic Sutton

Harbour will be hosting the tall

ship, Kaskelot, when it visits

the city in August for a

month-long stay. A series of

open days will be held on

board the three-masted

barque, as well as training

days and workshops.

SOUTH COAST AND CHANNEL ISLANDS

Poole RNLI will shortly be

moving into their new fl oating

boathouse by the port’s old

lifting bridge.

Work is still ongoing to fi t

out the facility, which will allow

the station’s two inshore

lifeboats to be kept out of the

water on a cradle, ready to

launch 24/7. This will not only

protect the vessels, but help

cut down on maintenance.

The fl oating boathouse –

one of only four used by the

RNLI – will also provide more

easy-to-access storage space,

a safer work environment for

the station’s mechanics and

comfort and privacy to

rescued casualties.

WEST COAST, WALES AND IRELAND

Better protection is to be

given to Northern Ireland’s

marine heritage.

The Marine Antiquities

Scheme (MAS) encourages

the voluntary recording of

items found underwater.

Initially, it was only available in

England and Wales, but has

now been extended to

Northern Ireland.

Funded by The Crown

Estate, MAS has a website

and app where users can log

their fi nds and discover if they

need to report them to the

Receiver of Wreck.

Wessex Archaeology, which

manages MAS, then

researches the item, and the

data is made public.

MUMBLES MODERNISATION

The navigation and control systems at Mumbles Lighthouse in

south Wales have been modernised. The work, which improved

the power system supporting both the main and standby 15-mile

LED lights, will extend the station’s life by 20 years.

De-silting work at

Canning Half Tide Dock in

Liverpool has fi nished.

Around 14,000 tonnes of

silt was removed in six

weeks, increasing the

water depth to around

7m, and making it more

accessible for visiting

deep draught vessels.

The £1 million project was

carried out by the Canal &

River Trust.

NEW FLOATING BOATHOUSE FOR

POOLE RNLI VOLUNTEERS

The new

boathouse is still

being fi tted out

PROTECTING

ANTIQUITIES

FLOOD GATE IMPROVEMENTS FOR LYDNEY DOCKS

Boaters can now enter and depart the inner moorings during high

water at Lydney Docks, Gloucestershire, following the restoration

of the inner fl ood gates by the Environment Agency.

Needles: Greg Balfour Evans/Alamy. Kaskelot: Rick Tomlinson

Dave Riley/RNLI

Mumbles Lighthouse