Month: August 2019

Rochester Pier closed until further notice

Rochester Pier is closed again pending repair. This time there’s a potentially serious issue that the concrete dolphin, which links the two brows, has broken and buoyancy has become compromised. There’s a possibility of the brows becoming twisted and causing damage to the pontoon.

UPDATE: Jetstream Tours (Jacob Marley) will be using Sun Pier instead until further notice.

High and dry on Nor Marsh

Drone photo by Gavin Parson.

This cabin cruiser has been high and dry on Nor Marsh for at least a month. The Sheerness inshore lifeboat was called out by the Coastguard on 27 July to investigate but there was no-one aboard. As the boat was a metre above the high water mark it must have already been there for some days.  Please let us know if you know anything about this vessel and we’ll pass the information on. Email info@msba.org.uk

RYA Training at Medway YC

Inti Guaschino, the new training manager at MYC, is offering the following courses. Members of MSBA/RYA affiliated clubs are eligible for MYC member rate.

 RYA Powerboat Level 2: 
29 & 30 August 
5 & 6 September
19 & 20 September (1 space left) 
26 & 27 September

RYA Safety Boat:
12 & 13 September
25 & 26 September (1 space left)

First Aid Course: 
17 September 

For further information visit MYC webpage 

Gridlink project begins at Kingsnorth

Photo by Wil Pretty.

If you’ve seen the big yellow jack-up rig in the Medway at Kingsnorth you may have wondered what’s going on. The rig is for probing the river bed prior to laying of a massive electrical cable. The GridLink Interconnector Project is a 1,400 MW high voltage electricity cable that will provide a link between the national grids of the UK and France.

The cable connects the National Grid 400 kV sub-station at Kingsnorth to the RTE 400 kV sub-station near Dunkerque, France. The converter stations change the high voltage direct current to alternating current and adjust the voltage to 400 kV for the connection to the sub -stations. The cable route passes through the Medway Estuary and Thames Estuary, before turning south-east to cross the southern North Sea to the French coast.

Missing person in River Medway: body found

Sadly we’ve had another case of someone choosing to end his life by jumping off the M2 bridge on Wednesday night and you may have seen the police helicopter and rescue services searching yesterday morning. We are asked to keep a look-out for a body and call the police (101) or coastguard (01304 210008, or VHF16) if we see anything, which may not be for some time.

UPDATE Wed 7 Aug: A body, confirmed to be that of 32 year old Billy Angell, was recovered today from the river near Medway Bridge Marina, just yards from where he entered the water a week ago.