Month: December 2017

CA Winter Warmer talk, 11 Jan 2018

Our next Winter Warmer is on Thursday, 11 January 2018, “Engineering Our Way Across Europe” by Patricia & Neil Lynn aboard Sea Griffin. In 2010, we decided to bring Sea Griffin from the Baltic to the Mediterranean using the inland route. It is of course a tourist delight; you only have to watch the Viking Cruise advertisements on TV. But how do you do it? What did the old and new engineers have to do in order for us to make this trip? This talk will attempt to show some of the engineering we saw and used along the way: the canals, locks, bridges, forts, factories and tunnels. And of course, there is the history that went with it. In other words, what did Europe do in order to use its waterways as an industrial transport network, a source of energy and now, as an amazing recreational facility. And two summers later, the system took us to the Black Sea.

The Cruising Association Kent Section Winter Warmers are held at 8pm on the 2nd Thursday of each month at The Dog & Bear Hotel, The Square, Lenham, ME17 2PG, which is 8 miles east of Maidstone, just off the A20 in the village square. All are welcome. There is a small charge of £3. Many eat beforehand and it helps speed up service if you telephone the pub on 01622 858219 and order your meal before 5pm.

Further CA Winter Warmers will be as follows:

  • 8 February 2018: Members’ Confessions, what went right or wrong?
  • 8 March 2018: Jeremy Batch on 110 Years of Cruising

Nominate an RYA Youth Champion by 19 Jan 2018

The RYA is turning the spotlight on 2017’s most promising young sailors, windsurfers and powerboaters by opening nominations for the RYA Regional Youth Champion Awards. These awards are a fantastic opportunity for clubs, class associations and individuals to recognise the outstanding achievement and performance of young people across the range of activities that the RYA represent.

Make your nomination now

RYA Director of Sport Development Alistair Dickson said: “After a highly successful 2017, we are delighted to open these awards which highlight the hard work and determination of some of our most talented young sailors, windsurfers and powerboaters. They also help to emphasize the endless support of our many volunteers who work so hard at the club level to give youngsters the best possible start to their future sailing careers. Winners must have shown success on the racecourse at local, national or international level.”

Nominees must be under 19 years of age at 31 December 2017. From the nominations received, each of the RYA regional committees will select a regional winner. RYA Scotland and RYA Northern Ireland conduct a separate awards process. All award recipients and their families will be invited to the RYA Dinghy Show for the official awards ceremony. Nominations will close on 19 January 2018.

Gillingham Marina Coach Trip to Boat Show, 10 Jan 2018

LONDON  BOAT SHOW OPENING DAY COACH TRIP WEDNESDAY 10 JANUARY

Coach and Ticket Price – £28
 COME AND SEE US ON STAND WD004

Gillingham Marina is running a coach trip to the newly revamped London Boat Show on 10 January and everyone is welcome to join us for this hassle-free day.

The price includes a ticket and the coach journey from Gillingham Marina at 08.30 and departing from the show at 16.00. The Quarterdeck restaurant and bar is offering bacon rolls, tea and coffee prior to boarding the coach in the morning (07.30 to 08.20) and supper on our return. The trip and supper relies on numbers so please book your places as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Click here to download the booking form. Final place confirmation will be given on the 2 January 2018.

Ticket Only Offer
We are also promoting a ticket only offer with savings up to 55% on tickets. Please purchase your tickets by clicking here and using the ticket offer code EPTOB8XPWL.

The ticket offer is 2 for 1 which allows two tickets from £15 to use any one day between 10 – 14 January 2018. (Normal price £20 per person for advance Preview Day tickets and £15 per person for advance Standard Day tickets.) Please contact the office to see if we can pair people up when only one ticket is required.

Chatham Interface Land Proposal – please respond before 22 Dec

Please add your response to the Chatham Interface Land proposal using this questionnaire. Please share it on social media too.

PLEASE NOTE: For your views to count, you must send your response, ideally using the questionnaire, to Medway Council. Email planning.policy@medway.gov.uk

The Council say they want to retain the Dockyard slip, but will it just end up boxed in with inadequate parking and facilities like Gillingham Pier slipway?

There are two parcels of land involved in this planning proposal, which covers part of the Chatham Historic Dockyard. Let’s keep the housing on the landward part. The riverside part is not huge and is the only green space next to the river with access to the water, with far greater amenity value to the community. Lying between a busy shopping centre and a world class visitor attraction, it would not be an attractive place to live. The area gets very busy in the summer when events are on; traffic and parking will always be a problem. Having a residents’ parking scheme would create the problems that can be now seen at Gillingham Pier where overflow shoppers vie for parking spaces with residents and anyone wanting to use the Pier. Or will the Dockyard slip be abandoned and left unusable like Commodore’s Hard?

Please suggest in your response how the slipway and its surroundings should be used. How about a first class public slipway with a community clubhouse? Maybe nautical themed bars and restaurants nearby should be welcomed if they are not too close and the a pontoon would encourage boats to visit, thus boosting the local economy.

MSBA member clubs, the Royal Navy Sailing Association and the Royal Engineer Yacht Club are based at the Historic Dockyard where they use the slipway to access their moorings. Let’s support them by expressing our concerns to the Proposal:

 

CA Winter Warmer talk, HM Coastguard, Thurs 14 Dec

Jeremy Littlewood has been in HM Coastguard for 7 years as a Watch Manager at Thames and London Operations Rooms and now 2 years as Senior Coastal Operations Officer in East Anglia managing Coastguard Rescue Teams and Major Incident Response. Jeremy will give an overview of the activities and capabilities of HM Coastguard afloat and  ashore and give a presentation and discussion about safety equipment that can be carried on yachts. Mince pies will be provided, apparently.

The Cruising Association Kent Section Winter Warmers are held at 8pm on the 2nd Thursday of each month at The Dog & Bear Hotel, The Square, Lenham, ME17 2PG, which is 8 miles east of Maidstone, just off the A20 in the village square. All are welcome. There is a small charge of £3. Many eat beforehand and it helps speed up service if you telephone the pub on 01622 858219 and order your meal before 5pm.

Further CA Winter Warmers will be as follows:

  • 11 January 2018: Patricia & Neil Lynn, Engineering Our Way Across Europe aboard Sea Griffin
  • 8 February 2018: Members’ Confessions, what went right or wrong?
  • 8 March 2018: Jeremy Batch on 110 Years of Cruising

Laser weapon to be tested at Shoeburyness

The defence project will culminate in operation at full-power under test conditions at Farnborough in summer 2018 before it is transported to MOD Shoeburyness for long-range outdoor trials later in the year. Boaters have expressed concerns that this may endanger the eyesight of mariners on recreational vessels and commercial shipping in the Thames Estuary. Read more…

 

RYA Regional Cruising Conference, 24 Feb 2018

The RYA London and South East Region is putting on a conference that will appeal to many Medway/Swale boaters. It will be held at Newline Academy near Maidstone on 24 Feb 2018. This is likely to be a biennial event interleaving with the MSBA conferences, of which the next will be in spring 2019.

The RYA conference will be free to attend and is aimed at boaters connected with RYA affiliated clubs/associations and training centres. The day will be full of presentations and workshops that will cover a wide variety of topics for the cruising and racing sailor, such as:

  • “Tips & Tricks” for successful anchoring
  • Current Cruising issues including Brexit
  • Sail trimming
  • Motor cruising topics
  • Environmental challenges facing boaters today
  • and more!

The main focus will be on providing help and advice and there will be ample opportunities for attendees to ask questions of the presenters. Lunch and refreshments will be also be provided and will be free on the day.

Click here for more information and booking…