Rockley Cruising Club

September 2009 Newssheet

Presidents Cup.

Now most of us have returned from our summer jaunts, this is the time to put pen to paper and write something of your experiences for The President's Cup. This can be short or long, funny or serious. But please write something. All articles will be printed in 'The Bulletin' next spring.

Club Programme.

Our Annual get-together with Redclyffe YC Sat 19 Sept

1^st HW is at Redclyffe at -11.20 and the 2^nd at -15.45. LW is at -17.45. Springs!
So plenty of opportunity to take your boat to Redclyffe for the weekend.
Please let Sandra know if you intend to come, particularly if you are bringing your boat. Boats will be welcome, but please fly your Club Flag!
Programme:-18.00 to 18.30 Bar-b-que. The bar-b-que will be there, but please bring your own food to cook and drink. Car parking is available at Redclyffe if you are coming by car.
20.00 Two rounds of quiz. Teams of 2-4 for a Nautical and General Knowledge. Bottle of wine for the winners (Smaller team, more wine. But less chance of winning - perhaps!)
21.00. Racing. Horses - but progress is by the throw of a dice. There will be chance to place bets, so bring a pocket full of change!
Until it is time to go home.

Cycle Ride October 10th

A ride around Arne. Maureen will decide the route. Maureen will lead the ride through super quiet roads.
Lunch at 'The Half Way House' at about 12.00 - 12.30. Start from the 'Phone Box' at Ridge at 10.00.

Provisional arrangements.

21st November AGM at 'The Black Bear' Wareham.
Meet at 12.00 for lunch before the AGM. AGM at 14.00.

Do come and have your say and give your support. Full agenda and minutes of last years meeting will be circulated with the Oct NS. Please put this date in your diary. Menu for lunch also in the Oct NS.

December get together. Possibly 10 pin Bowling. Details later. Date? Dec 5^th?

PHC News

Not strictly within the harbour, but Studland! A buoyed area 100m x 100m, was due to be established by the 6th of Sept. Just off South Beach, centred about 50°38.63'N 01°56.33'W. There is some uncertainty in the exact position of the buoys at the moment as the Local Notice to Mariners just issued, put the SE and NE buoys in the same position. The HM is looking into it!
I think the positions of the buoys will be:-

	Lat	Long
SW	50°38.61'N	01°56.37W
SE	-50°38.61'N	01°56.28' W
NE	50°38.66'N	01°56.28'W
NW	50°38.66'N	01°56.37'W

Two additional buoys will mark the centre.
This will form part of the Seahorse Studies and we are asked to avoid the entering the buoyed area.

Dorset County Council is due to consider the access to Long Island on 7^th Sept. It seems likely that they will side with The Rempstone Estate and deny access. Problems for a bar-b-que out in the harbour then!

Dredging.

Dredging will take place from 2^nd Sept in Holes Bay - just about opposite Sunseeker Marina - for a period of about 5 weeks. The grab dredger 'CH Cape Horn' will operate from about 06.30 to 18.00, 7 days a week. All vessels are asked to pass with caution and at slow speed. This dredging is in preparation for the second harbour crossing!

RYA News

The RYA View on LED navigation lights.

LED replacement bulbs fail to comply with EN Standards. In particular:-

Light Colour. The observed colour thro a lens may be different than required from the COLREG 72. They may be so different as to be not recognised as Navigation Lights.
Cut off angles may be incorrect.
LED's work at a fundamental frequency and harmonics may ruin radio performance if mounted close to aerials. In particular, you may lose BBC LW on 198kHz (Shipping forecasts) and Navtex 490kHz.
A constant current is required to ensure a stable luminosity. This requires an electronic power source which can cause interference with other electronic equipment.

So. If you are thinking of replacing you Navigation Lights with LED's, The RYA says BEWARE!

Navtex Broadcast times on 490kHz.

Broadcast times have been revised - but no indication of when they start! As of the end of Aug, no change yet! Navtex I (Niton) Humber to Lands End.
Inshore waters - 24 hr outlook, followed by forecast giving wind, weather, viz, and sea state @ 01.20, 05.20, 13.20 and 17.20 UTC. Promulgation of actual weather observations will be at the first available slot after collation. (Sent out when all readings have been received.)

Navtex T (Niton - in French)

French Areas Humber to Ushant. Gale/Storm warnings, synopsis and development - 24hr forecast in French @ 07.10 and 19.10 UTC. Broadcast times may be delayed if there are urgent safety matters underway. (The French havn't been too reliable of late!)French forecasts for the Brittany Coast are available in 'slow' French on Ch 63.

The Marine and Coastal Access bill is still making its way through both Houses of Parliament.
The Government apparently have a closed ear on e-borders. They seem determined to push ahead apparently. The RYA are continuing to apply pressure. It will be several years yet before the e-borders are due to be applied to pleasure boaters.

Other Bits.

The CHIRP Feedback reminds us to always sail 'defensively'. We hear quite a lot these days about 'defensive sailing'. This means keeping yourself safe and avoiding situations that may develop dangerously - even though you feel you may be in the right.

You do not want the epitaph:-
'Here lies the body of Old Boy Day, who died defending his right of way'
No one has the 'right of way', when boats meet, one is the stand on boat', but the onus is on both to avoid a collision!
Defensive sailing is:-

Keeping a good all-round lookout
Maintaining Situational Awareness - particularly if boats are travelling at different speeds
Don't assume you have been seen - make sound signals if in doubt. At night shine a bright light.
Think - 'What if....'
Allow a margin of safety and respect the other vessels' safety margin.

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