Not that anyone would ever argue with it, but the chain ferry has now been given formal right of way in the new General Directions for Cowes Harbour. as explained in the forward:- "One of the major changes will be the introduction of General Direction No. 6. Cowes Chain Ferry. This General Direction governs the … Continue reading Cowes General Directions and Harbour Byelaws 2014
Category: Commercial Shipping
OGA50 sailing in the Solent on Hester and Beeleigh
A short video by Keith Allso, who is a regular contributor of beautiful photographs to our Solent Group on Flickr
Code of Conduct for harbour directions published
Making harbour byelaws has been painfully slow in the past, and cutbacks in central government have made delays even more likely. To counter this, government has extended the powers of ports to make their own harbour directions. This caused great concern to some users, including the RYA. While RYA was unable to secure full consultation … Continue reading Code of Conduct for harbour directions published
ABP appoints Boskalis Westminster as dredge contractor
ABP has announced that Boskalis Westminster have been appointed to carry out the major dredging works in Southampton Water and the Nab Channel. Click here to see the announcement. 3 million cubic metres of spoil will be dumped off the Nab. SPS has expressed its concern at a recent habitat creation conference that this could … Continue reading ABP appoints Boskalis Westminster as dredge contractor
Successful SOLFIRE exercise
“VTS, THIS IS TANKER ALBION. WE HAVE HAD AN EXPLOSION IN THE PUMP ROOM. THERE IS A FIRE THERE. TWO CREW MISSING. WE HAVE ANCHORED CLEAR OF THE NAVIGATION CHANNEL “ This was the opening move in an exercise held last week in Southampton Water. Tests of the Solfire plan take place at regular intervals, … Continue reading Successful SOLFIRE exercise
The Fastnet – at night!
Even though it spreads right along the South Coast and across the Irish sea, we tend to think of the Fastnet Race as a Solent event. The image on the right shows most of the fleet, beating past the Lizard, round Lands End and up through the channel past the Scillies, or passing south of … Continue reading The Fastnet – at night!
Park and Sail in Portsmouth
A new park and ride ferry service from the Portsmouth International port to Gunwharf Quay has been so successful that an additional boat has been added. Is this a trend that could be copied eksehere in the Solent?
Important red diesel announcement
The RYA and BMF have been collaborating with HM Revenue and Customs to prepare a challenge to the EU commission regarding the use of red diesel by leisure craft. For more detail, read the RYA report.
Queen Elizabeth
Modern cruise ships have to call at many small ports where they have to be able to manoeuvre in small spaces. This means that, unlike the tankers and continer ships, they can operate without tugs. This video shows Queen Elizabeth in the upper swinging ground in Southampton
EVDS alternative to flares
An interesting appraisal by the RYA can be seen here . Bearing in mind the increasing difficulty of flare disposal, the RYA seems to be moving in favour of Electronic Visual Distress Devices, but only if combined with an EPIRB or DSC VHF.
Solent Protection Society 