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