The Border Force is keen to make presentations on what they do and how we can help. These presentations last about an hour, typically in an evening. Many of our local clubs have already been visited but if yours has not then please contact Alan Prime on 07876 257850, 03000 591208 or alan.prime@homeoffice.gov.uk
Adam Taylor of Medway Council announces, with regret, they have had to temporalily close Rochester Pier owing to safety issues with railings on the top section of the pier. The Council is working on solutions and will update us as soon as they know more.
A rare sight! Waverley, the last sea-going paddle steamer, made her annual visit to the Medway on Sunday. Plenty of passengers by the look of it.
Please make sure your club or organisation is represented at our business meeting on Tuesday at 7pm at Strood Yacht Club. Directions to the club are here…
Yes, the Medway has one of the finest (if not THE finest) collections of heritage vessels in the world! MSBA Chairman Brian Corbett is passionate about the Medway being a leading centre for British, European and World Maritime Heritage. He has drafted a paper to encourage the agencies involved with the River Medway to meet, as an interested and integrated forum, to share in and mutually benefit from, the River Medway attaining its rightful status.
There are big changes going on at Queenborough Harbour. Peel ports have issued a notice to mariners: NtoM No 29 of 2018 (Updated) – Queenborough Harbour Lifting of Commercial Moorings and Laying of New Yacht Moorings
Wayfarer Southern Areas at Medway YC
© Richard Janulewicz / www.sharkbait.org.uk
Clifford Mickleburgh has announced the Cruising Association Kent Section’s 2018/19 programme of “Winter Warmer” talks:
More information on the CA Kent Winter Warmer 2018 – 2019 programme…
We are all invited to these excellent talks, which are held at 8pm at the Dog and Bear, Lenham, near Maidstone. It’s a good idea to book a meal (by 5pm please) on 01622 858219 for 7pm before the talk. A special CA 7-choice menu is available for £9.95.
The first presentation on 11 October is by Pam & Mark Bathurst of the Medway Queen Preservation Society. The Medway Queen was launched in 1924 and entered service on Thames estuary routes in May of that year. She was used as a minesweeper in WWII. Few ships associated with Dunkirk have fought so hard and escaped destruction so tenaciously and for so long as the Medway Queen. After the war she returned to her old route until 1963. From 1966 until 1974 she was a nightclub in the Isle of Wight. The hull rebuild was undertaken in Bristol with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund and completed in late 2013. Medway Queen was towed back home and is now moored at Gillingham Pier where she can be visited.
This weekend sees the Wayfarer fleet descend on Medway Yacht Club for their Southern Area Championships and event number 6 of the Craftinsure sponsored Travellers and National Circuit Series.
A mixed bag of weather is expected by the 20 or so boats expected to enter with south westerly winds of force 4-5 with showers and sunny intervals on the Saturday followed by a westerly force 4-5 veering to the north west and reducing slightly accompanied by sunny intervals on Sunday. Of course, this being England, it could, and probably will, all change by the weekend.
The Medway Yacht Club is experienced at putting up the Wayfarers, having successfully hosted several Area and National Championships for the Class over the past decade. It is also home to one of the largest and most active Wayfarer racing club fleets in the Country. Aside from the racing, competitors will enjoy supper in the clubhouse and suffer the Commodore’s slightly dodgy but very funny quiz on the Saturday evening.
The Craftinsure Travellers Series has been very well supported in 2018. After the fifth event, 62 boats from 24 clubs have competed in at least one of the regattas. The best represented Club to date has been Medway YC and this statistic is unlikely to change over the weekend with at least a dozen local boats due to take part. The Series itself is currently led by Andrew and Tom Wilson from Datchet SC, from Bill Whitney and Lisa Whitney/John Shelton from Shoreham SC and then Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall from Wilsonian SC. All of these are expected to attend and be at or near the front of the fleet; Brian and Sam will be especially keen, as usual, to do well and put one over their near neighbours at the MYC.
Adam Taylor from Medway Council is looking for volunteers to recover life rings which have been caught under both piers, the life rings cost over £55+ and he’d really like to get some back. Please contact Adam at adam.taylor@medway.gov.uk if you can help.