MSBA Talk: Medway Islands by Adam Taylor, Fri 13 Jan, 7 for 8pm

For the second in our new series of monthly winter talks, Adam Taylor will give a fascinating presentation on the Medway Islands. Well known to the MSBA, Adam is a keen canoeist with 15 years experience of paddling a fourteen foot, Canadian (open) canoe. He has canoed in many places including the back country of Ontario, the lakes of Finland and Sweden and beautiful places here in the UK, but it is the islands and marshes of the Medway estuary where his heart is.

Adam’s presentation draws on many sources: census records, photos, Victorian technical plans, personal experience and several trips to the National Archives – to illustrate who lived on these islands, how the twin forts of Hoo and Darnet were built, the story of the pub which stood on an island in the middle of the estuary, how a WW1 German submarine ended up were it is now and a bit more.

We will also take a close up look at some of the flora and fauna of this huge, beautiful wilderness that is Medway estuary.

Rochester Cruising Club will be hosting the event. The club is easy to find on the Esplanade at the foot of Rochester Castle, postcode ME1 1QN. There is ample parking at the club and on the road outside. The bar will be open and a professionally prepared meal will be available at 7pm if you pre-order.

We will be having an “MSBA Special” of ham, egg and chips or sausage, egg and chips,or curry for £6 on the night. Desserts will also be available and the bar will be open. Please email info@msba.org.uk to order your meal.

Adam’s talk will start at 8pm. Non-RCC members are asked to contribute £3 at the door and sign the visitors’ book.

Yet more restrictions at Kingsferry Bridge

Yet more festive rail strikes will disrupt Kingsferry Bridge operations on 24-27 December and 3-8 January. Network Rail have a contingency plan to cover some of the disruption:

19:00 Sat 24 December to 07:00 Tues 27 December 2022 No bridge lifts

Tuesday 3 January 2023
00:00 – 19:00 Bridge lifts available
19:00 – 23:59 No bridge lifts

Wednesday 4 January
00:00– 07:00 No bridge lifts
07:00 – 19:00 Bridge lifts available
19:00 – 23:59 No bridge lifts

Thursday 5 January
Midnight – 07:00 No bridge lifts
07:00 – 23:59 Bridge lifts available

Friday 6 January
00:00 – 19:00 Bridge lifts available
19:00 – 23:59 No bridge lifts

Saturday 7 January
00:00 – 07:00 No bridge lifts
07:00 – 19:00 Bridge lifts available
19:00 – 23:59 No bridge lifts

Sunday 8 January
00:00 – 07:00 No bridge lifts
07:00 – 23:59 Bridge lifts available

Priority will be given to commercial shipping but leisure craft will also be able to transit the bridge. Please give as much notice as possible (call VHF channel 10) to avoid delays. If talks are successful and industrial action is avoided a cancellation notice will be issued.

MSBA Business Meetings 2023

If you are the representative of your club or organisation, please put these dates and locations of the next MSBA business meetings in your diary. Meetings start at 7pm, usually on the last Tuesday of the month.

28 March – Kent Boat & Ski Club
27 June – Gillingham Marina
26 September – Medway Cruising Club
28 November (AGM & Business Meeting) – Medway Yacht Club.

In order that we don’t lose touch, please advise any change in contact details to secretary@msba.org.uk

CA Winter Warmer Talk: Roger Clark, 12 Jan 2023

The CA Kent Section’s next talk is on Thursday 12 January 2023 at The Dog and Bear Hotel, Lenham, commencing at 20.00 when CA member Roger Clark will be giving us a behind the scenes look at the Southampton Boat Show. Roger has exhibited his Westerly Fulmar Concerto at the Boat Show in 2021, hopefully the weather will have improved by then. To register for the talk (cost £3) click the link here:   [BOOK VENUE]

If you have any difficulty with booking through Eventbrite please contact us and we will do our best to help. The hotel has requested that those wishing to eat before the meeting should telephone in advance and book a table. This meeting is open to members and non members.

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.

Bad news for EU VAT paid vessels

UK residents and the UK Marine Industry have been delivered devastating news by HMRC at a meeting recently held on 14 December 2022.  The industry bodies that participated in this discussion included: the Association of Yacht Brokers and Agents (ABYA), Royal Yachting Association, British Marine, the Cruising Association, as well as other key VAT marine industry specialists.

During the meeting, HMRC Representatives confirmed that the Financial Secretary to Treasury, Victoria Atkins MP, has refused to make changes to the current HMRC policy which would allow UK residents who purchased VAT paid vessels in the EU prior to the end of the BREXIT Transitional Period, i.e. 31 December 2020, to bring those vessels back to the UK, without being charged VAT again.

ABYA, along with other industry bodies, have been lobbying HMRC for the past three years for important and fair changes.  This plight became more rigorous over the past two years since it was announced, just two weeks before BREXIT, that grandfather rights allowing people to return their boats without being charged VAT again, were withdrawn. All despite promises made by HMRC previously, that they would be in place.

ABYA Chairman, Peter Norris said “The announcement today will have a significant financial impact on UK boat owning residents, as well as the UK marine industry, which is already suffering from increased costs and a shortage of product within the UK market place.  The decision by the Minister seems not to be aligned with Government policy as stated by the Prime Minster and his Chancellor, to try and grow the economy. Had these vessels been allowed to return, they would have invested money in the UK marine industry on services and berthing, which ultimately would have generated additional VAT income as well as additional corporation tax.”

When challenged at the meeting, HMRC refused to provide any information on how this impactful decision was reached, as well as what the Ministers reasons for refusing to implement the requested changes to the HMRC policy were.

ABYA, through its contacts at HMRC, have been calling for an urgent meeting with the Minster since her appointment in October 2022.  To-date, all have been blocked. All of the industry bodies present at the meeting, called for an urgent face-to-face meeting with the Minister, to discuss her decision and to seek an amicable way forward. 

ABYA Chairman, Peter Norris said “We need to explain to our Yacht Brokering members, both in the UK and Europe, what the justification behind the Minsters decision is, because they will need to articulately explain her reasons to our UK customers.  If the Minster refuses to discuss the rationale for her decision in a face-to-face meeting, then we, along with all the other industry bodies, will have no choice but to appeal through a freedom of information request, that we be given access to all of the documentation submitted to the Minster, as well as the minutes of the meetings held.  This will be followed by us then petitioning industry Ministers to seek the rational for her decision at the next available Treasury question time.”

HMRC Representatives at the meeting have agreed to provide feedback to the Minister that outlines the level of betrayal and frustration felt by all of the marine industry bodies in attendance.

Peter Norris Fellow ABYA,

ABYA Chairman  

 ABYAChair@abya.co.uk

Peel Ports charges amended

The MSBA has received an amended tariff. The only difference we can see is that the Conservancy Charge of £87.69 for pleasure craft applicable from 1 April 2023 is now shown as INCLUSIVE of VAT. This represents an increase of 14.2% over 2022, being the rate of inflation (the obsolete RPI, not the officially preferred lower measure CPI) as at October. Other charges have been raised by a nice round 15%.

https://www.peelports.com/media/1h0lagc1/port-of-sheerness-port-charges-2023-iss-b.pdf

Chatham Marina Lock Maintenance, 2-22 Jan 2023

As with previous years, January brings the planned maintenance required to ensure the lock continues to run smoothly, the annual lock maintenance for 2023 will take place between Monday 2nd and Sunday 22nd January.

The lock will have restricted access between Monday 2nd and Wednesday 4th January and after this the lock will be out of use, so access and egress will not be possible. Thank you for your understanding and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Even more disruption at Kingsferry Bridge

Yet more rail strikes will disrupt Kingsferry Bridge operations on 13th, 14th, 16th and 17th December, plus early the following mornings. Network Rail have a contingency plan to cover most of the disruption:

Tuesday 13th December 2022
Midnight – 06:00 Normal service will be maintained
06:00 – 07:00 No bridge lifts available
07:00 – 19:00 Contingency operator on shift – Bridge lifts available
19:00 – 23:59 No bridge lifts available

Wednesday 14th December 2022
Midnight – 07:00 No bridge lifts available
07:00 – 19:00 Contingency operator on shift – Bridge lifts available
19:00 – 06:00 (15th December) No bridge lifts available

Friday 16th November 2022
Midnight – 06:00 Normal service will be maintained
06:00 – 07:00 No bridge lifts available
07:00 – 19:00 Contingency operator on shift – Bridge lifts available
19:00 – 23:59 No bridge lifts available

Saturday 17th December 2022
Midnight – 07:00 No bridge lifts available
07:00 – 19:00 Contingency operator on shift – Bridge lifts available
19:00 – 06:00 (18th December) No bridge lifts available

Priority will be given to commercial shipping but leisure craft will also be able to transit the bridge. Please give as much notice as possible (call VHF channel 10) to avoid delays. If talks are successful and industrial action is avoided a cancellation notice will be issued.

HMS Challenger, 150 years on

Exactly 150 years ago today, HMS Challenger departed from Sheerness on a quest to explore the world’s oceans. Three and a half years later the ship returned, bringing with it the largest collection of examples of life from the deep sea.

Challenger’s circumnavigation encompassed nearly 70,000 nautical miles across the Pacific, Atlantic and Southern Oceans, and traversed the Antarctic Circle. During the voyage, the expedition carried out oceanographic experiments at over 500 stations, observing currents, water temperatures, weather and surface ocean conditions.

The ocean floor beyond the continental shelf was shown not to be a featureless expanse, as many had previously assumed, but instead was characterised by underwater mountain ranges, abyssal trenches and extended plains. The ocean itself consisted of warm and cold water zones, a finding that added to the understanding of ocean currents and the distribution of marine life.

Read more about HMS Challenger…