HOT NEWS -Keep clear of power boats over the bank holiday weekend - on Saturday 31st July and Sunday 1st August a series of power boat races will be held in Dovercourt Bay and in the waters between the Medusa Channel and the Cork Sand. Harwich harbour Authority is warning that leisure vessels should NOT cross the race areas between the hours of 1115-1145hrs on Saturday 31st July and between the hours of 1500-1700hrs on both Saturday 31st July and Sunday 1st August. For safety, the advice of race marshal boats should be followed at all times. There is a marathon race from Harwich to Ramsgate and back finishing at Roughs Tower on Saturday, and small boat courses will be laid in Dovercourt Bay close under the beach. Spectator craft wishing to view the event should anchor in the area South of 51º 55’N and West of 001º 17.4’E. This designated spectator anchorage will be marked by a line of pellet buoys and will be monitored by a race marshal boat. Staff from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) will be present in the race control and will be monitoring VHF channel 71 and will be making regular safety broadcasts on VHF channel 16. All vessels should closely monitor VHF channels 71 and 16 throughout this period. A chart showing the offshore courses to be followed is attached. Details of each course can be found under this link >>>more

 

Testing conditions adds zest to the youth Powerboat final- two young hopefuls will now spend the next six weeks of their summer holidays honing their skills in readiness for the national finals of the Honda RYA Youth Rib Championship at PSP Southampton Boat Show on September 12th . Harry Lucas (13)  and Camille Redman Baber (11) are the winners of the RYA Eastern Region round of the competition  after a thrilling action packed final round at Canvey island on Saturday 17th July >>>more

 

Get signed up for the Disability Regatta - there's less than a month to go before the 4th annual RYA Sailability Regatta is held a Rutland Sailing club, 13-15th August, organisers are reminding sailors to complete and return their entry forms. Last year saw a record 72 boats and 94 disabled and able bodied sailors take part . >>>more

 Marine Conservation Zones and our contribution to their formation. The Marine and Coastal Access Act requires Natural England to establish a number of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) around the coast of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is claimed that these MCZs will, protect nationally important marine wildlife habitats, geology and geomorphology and will have a range of protection levels that reflect the level to which a particular habitat or wider ecosystem needs to be safeguarded. The zones are in addition to existing designated areas such as, Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), as well as designating new areas that are considered to need environmental protection. The key difference is that in designating MCZs and their level of protection account should be taken of socio-economic factors (including recreational boating and its facilities). Full report by Chris Edwards …>>>more

 

SCHOOLS QUEUE TO GET ONBOARD-Norfolk Schools Sailing Association (NSSA) activity centre at Filby is the latest Broads site to be appointed a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) OnBoard Centre. Picture shows Holly Hancock, the RYA’s OnBoard Development Officer (ODO) for North East Norfolk presenting centre manager and chief instructor Charles Winton-Hare with a plaque to mark the occasion. Watching are 22 eight to 11 year-old youngsters from nearby Filby Junior School, who gather for sailing instruction and practice each Wednesday after school at the centre. More…....more

Record turnout for Youth regatta - This year’s annual Suffolk Water Sports Association (SWSA) schools regatta attracted a record 170 entries from schools all over the county. Included were 50 youngsters who had entered the sport through the Royal Yachting Association’s (RYA) OnBoard youth participation scheme. Details…....more

 

 

Under 15s Battle High winds -Strong gusting northerly winds did little to dampen enthusiasm of the youngsters taking part in the second round of the RYA East Team 15 windsurfing championship at Lakeside Leisure, Peterborough recently (19th June) , report and results  can be read here >>>more

 

SIGN UP EARLY TO BOOK YOUR PLACE - entries have opened online for the 2010 RYA Eric Twiname Youth and Junior Team Racing championships, which are once again gearing up to be the highlight on the RYA Racing  calendar >>>more

 

ORFORD LIGHTHOUSE WILL GO DARK - it will cease to shine sometime in the autumn, lighthouse body Trinity House has announced. At the same time the light at Southwold will be beefed up to increase the range from its present 15nm to 24nm. Details can be found under the link >>> more     Have you ever wondered just how much traffic in on our patch of the North sea in the vicinity of the light and Harwich entrance . The attached shows the results of a 4 week AIS monitoring programme as part of the Trinity house survey into navigational marks . >>>more

 

 

Olympian dies sailing - Olympic gold medallist and multihull-world champion , Reg White , has died aged 74. A well known and highly respected East coast sailor. He died just after competing in a mid-week race at Brightlingsea SC in his Brightlingsea One Design  (BOD) details  >>>more

CEVNI Test on line - It is now possible to take your CEVNI test online, anywhere, anytime through the RYA’s new e-learning website; RYA Interactive (www.ryainteractive.org) The CEVNI test is the code governing navigation on the European inland waterways. It includes rules and signs that skippers of pleasure craft are expected to know and follow. A test of these rules is a required by anyone needing an ICC (International Certificate of Competence) endorsed for inland waters. The online test is an alternative to the paper based test that has been in operation since the 90s and vastly improves the ease of access for those living many miles from their nearest RYA centre. There is a practice test on the site so you can make sure you’re up to speed before taking the test and if you need a little training or revision, RYA training centres and books can provide help. When you’re ready to take the test for real, simply contact one of the RYA clubs or centres registered to offer the test and they can guide you through the process. For further information and a list of centres offering the online test, email interactive@rya.org.uk.

 

Team 15 -the start of the Team 15 windsurfing  competition sees a new club emerging at the top of the lists, full report >>>more