Month: December 2020

RYA Cruising Conference goes virtual, Sun 21 March

The RYA’s annual Cruising Conference will take place as an online event next year on 21 March 2021. The conference promises to cover the issues that matter most to cruisers, including post-Brexit guidance, training insights, real-life stories from fellow cruisers, as well as the latest developments in safety and more. 

Although the event cannot be held in-person this year the conference will still deliver informative and eye-opening talks from a range of speakers. There will also be opportunities for the audience to get involved and a chance to put questions to the experts.

https://www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/news/Pages/rya-cruising-conference-goes-virtual-for2021.aspx

https://www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/news/Pages/get-ready-to-book-your-place-at-the-rya-s-first-virtual-cruising-conference.aspx

Sailing to and from the UK – new Government regulations

We don’t normally feature news that is not specific to the tidal Medway and Swale but this has just been passed to us from Peter Norris, MSBA committee member and Director of Network Yacht Brokers. There are new Customs and HMRC rules that come into effect from 31 December 2020.

Notice 8: sailing your pleasure craft to and from the UK – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Peel Ports gets tough on dangerous boaters

Peel Ports have issued the following statement: “On the 26th of April 2020 a water craft collided with another vessel causing it to sink and causing serious injury to one of the occupants. Police attended the scene and the defendant was breathalysed and found to have a levels of alcohol in his system exceeding the amount permissible for driving a vehicle on the road, resulting in his arrest. The injured party maintained that the defendant had been performing ‘doughnut’ turns around her vessel but had lost control of his vessel causing it to collide with hers.

“The Port of Sheerness Ltd brought prosecution proceedings against the defendant pursuant to the Port Byelaws alleging that the defendant had failed to navigate his vessel with the requisite level of care and that he had been in charge of his vessel whilst unfit by reason of drink, contrary to byelaws 22 and 33 respectively. The defendant was summoned to appear before magistrates sitting at Medway on the 10th of December 2020. At this hearing the defendant pleaded guilty to both allegations and was ordered to pay fines, compensation and costs totalling £3,950.”

UPDATE: The “water craft” referred to in the Peel Ports Notice was a small motor cruiser, not a PWC (jet ski). The other vessel was a dinghy.

IMPORTANT: LNG Vessel Transit and Manoeuvres

Peel Ports have asked us to notify boaters that a recent near miss incident involving a small fishing boat and an LNG vessel has highlighted an issue surrounding the movement of such ships and the proximity of small boats. LNG vessel movements are extremely sensitive for a number of reasons; the size of the vessel, the level of tug assistance required, the complexity of the berthing/unberthing manoeuvre and the very nature of the cargo they carry. When an LNG ship is transiting the River Medway or in the process of manoeuvring on/off the berth at Isle of Grain all vessels are required to keep well clear and maintain a safe distance.

The chart above shows the potential turning circle of an LNG ship and indicates the amount of sea room that needs to be kept clear for the turning manoeuvre. The area highlighted may alter depending on the size of the vessel and if the adjacent LNG berth is occupied by another ship, however, the zone marked is based on the largest LNG vessels expected (345m). When the ship is fast alongside the established LNG berth exclusion zone and associated rules apply to all craft as per Medway NtoM 02 of 2020.