Month: February 2020

Royal Naval Sailing Association to be evicted from Chatham

RNSA members at the historic slipway. Photo Kent Online.

Despite the Royal Navy’s proud 400-year association with Chatham, the RNSA has been given its marching orders from its modest base at the Historic Dockyard to make way for yet another housing development. The Sea Cadets and Sea Scouts who share the slipway and shore facilities will also have to go.

Read more of this shocking story at Kent Online…

Kelly Tolhurst is new Maritime Minister

Kelly Tolhurst MP.

As part of the Cabinet reshuffle, the Prime Minister has appointed Kelly Tolhurst MP, a marine surveyor by trade, as the new Maritime Minister. Kelly is also the MP for Rochester and Strood. She is also Patron of the MSBA, having been a long standing committee member.

Kelly became a councillor for Medway Council in 2011 and worked to get a River Medway strategy in place to encourage economic development and improve leisure use to replace declining commercial activity. One success was the restoration of Sun Pier, which now provides boat access to Chatham, below Rochester Bridge. Kelly is a marine surveyor and a keen Dragon racing sailor on the Medway, when time permits.

British Marine’s press release notes Kelly’s concerns about the MMO’s burdensome procedures for dredging of moorings on the Medway and effects on the leisure marine sector. With Mark Garnier MP she has set up an All-Parliamentary Party Group (APPG) for marine leisure

Derelict yacht sinks on mooring

Photo by Paul Woodward.

Following Storm Dennis last weekend, this derelict yacht that has been on the Peel Ports moorings at Borstal is believed to have sunk along with the two buoys to which it was attached. The resident family of cormorants have now lost heir home. Mariners passing between Medway Towns Rowing Club and Medway Bridge Marina should take care especially at low water.

Naked rower rescued from Medway

 Picture by Stacey Gallagher.

At 5pm on the wild afternoon of 15 February, during Storm Dennis, residents of St Mary’s Island spotted a naked man “sheltering in a tent” on a small rowing boat, anchored just a few metres from the shore. Apparently he was afraid to lift the anchor in case the dinghy was blown away in the extreme conditions. After a rescue operation involving the Coastguard, the RNLI all weather lifeboat, firefighters, police and ambulance crews, the man was brought ashore at 7.30pm.

More information at Kent Online…

Kingsferry Bridge update

Network Rail have told us that, while work is being carried out to reinstate the power at Kingsferry Bridge, the bridge can only be lifted when there is a fitter on site, which is usually from 6am to 6pm Monday to Friday.  Outside these hours, leisure craft will only be allowed through with commercial vessels. Because of the compromised state of the equipment at the bridge, the risk of failure is higher than normal. Failure would result in the closure of the bridge to trains, road vehicles and prevent it being lifted.  If a fitter is on site, it can be reinstated quicker than if an on-call fitter must be called in.

Effectively then, Kingsferry Bridge will be out of action for the next three weekends and only available from 06:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday.

World Champion Laser sailor visits Medway YC

Lijia Xu holds members spellbound at Medway YC.

On Saturday, Lijia (“Lily”) Xu with her coach Jon Emmett conducted a boot camp and gave talks at Medway Yacht Club. Among her many achievements, Lily won a gold medal in the Laser Radial class at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where she was the flag bearer for China at the closing ceremony.