WatchKeeper Boat Security

Spirit Of The Sea

Weymouth & Portland Maritime Festival
5th to 13th July 2008

Weymouth & Portland hosts the first ever Spirit of the Sea Maritime Festival combining all the resort's most popular events plus many new attractions.

Just click the picture above for more info.....

Exhibitors Confirmed for this years event

Blue Water Horizons: will be showing their 18 and 22.5 boats from the Crownline range along with some RIB’s ideal for tenders or for use as an inexpensive fun boat.
www.blue-horizons.co.uk

Chesil Marine Network MarineEx Organisers: The local marine network offering marine and marine related businesses a great platform to meet others, work together on joint projects, raise and action local marine issues all within a good social gathering.
www.chesilmarinenetwork.co.uk

Coastal Sea Safety: CSA will be working alongside and with the R.N.L.I. to give some very practical advice on training and safety at sea along with a full range of RYA courses, they will also be manning the pontoon, issuing life jackets and advising on safety.
www.coastalsafety.com

Commodore Yachting: Run a fleet of 44 & 47ft Bavaria yachts for charter, corporate events, sail training and team building. One of the yachts will be on the pontoon.
www.commodore-yachting.com

Cove Yacht Brokerage: Wide range of used boats available to suit most budgets. Both Sail and Motor Yacht information will be exhibited with several of their boats on local moorings making for an easy inspection.
www.coveyachts.co.uk

Creative Dorset: A newly formed group bringing together the creative talent in Dorset. For the show a marine theme is adopted on the quay will be artists, photographers and other talented people offering their skills.
www.creativedorset.co.uk

Dean & Reddyhoff: MarineEx Pontoon Sponsors. They will be showing the the progress on the development of their new Portland Marina. Taking the opportunity of offering potential berth owners a ride over to Portland to view the facility in their RIB.
www.portlandmarina.co.uk

Greenham Marine: The main Raymarine dealers in the area will be showing their latest range including GPS and Chart Plotters, Multifunction navigation displays and many more products from this world-renowned supplier.
www.greenham-regis.com

Henri Lloyd: Sponsors of the regatta, Henri Lloyd will be showing and be available for purchase their ranges of marine and lifestyle clothing.
www.henrilloyd.com

Magic Float: MarineEx Pontoon Suppliers. The most comprehensive range of modular docking systems available in the World today. The cubes interlock to form a dock, pontoon, and walkways for just about any application. Safety rails, fender bumpers, steps, anchoring points etc. give the user maximum options to produce a customised docking area.
www.magic-float.co.uk

Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA): The coastguard from our own Whiskey Bravo to the rescue teams find out how the coastguard operates and pick up some potentially life saving advice and information.
www.mcga.gov.uk

Mechanical Services: Repair of Diesel Engines, Hydraulic Hoses and Equipment. Volvo Penta, and Cummins Mercruiser Service Centre. Suppliers of Red Diesel from the pontoon down from the Lifeboat.
www.mechanicalservicesltd.co.uk

Paragon: The local Marine Skills training provider offering many courses specific to the marine industry including: GRP, Boat Electrics, Boat Plumbing, Hydraulics, Diesel Engines, Port & Ship security etc.
www.marineskills.co.uk

Prime Motor Yachts: The new yacht broker in town. Supplying new and used Beneteu motor yachts.
www.primemotoryachts.co.uk

Redhouse: The estate agent specailising in offering properties with marine views and have properties with associated berths and boat storage space.
www.redhouseestateagents.co.uk

R.N.L.I.: Will have one of their very informative display trailers on show, lots of information and advice both for on the water and on the beach. Competitions and information for the younger ones will keep them occupied.
www.rnli.org.uk

Skitek2000: For all that’s Jet Ski – Personal Water Craft, including new and used craft, safety and fun equipment, spares and repair including trailers. Find out about this exciting sport from the experts.
www.skitek2000.co.uk

Southern Motorboats: 2007 Worldwide Jeanneau Powerboat dealer of the year will be exhibiting the latest from their range. Now based at Osprey Quay Southern will also have boats on the Pontoon
www.southernmotorboats.co.uk

Whitehorse Leadership Training: On a boat or in a company good management and leadership are essential Whitehorse will be giving practical demonstrations how clear leadership skills can be learned and put into practise to improve your business and on a boat your safety and efficiency. Also, Whitehorse will be showing elementary first aid essential for young people starting out in the marine world – and life.
www.whitehorse-leadership.co.uk

Weymouth & Portland Marine Directory: MarineEx Organisers. The local marine directory covering all marine and marine related businesses in the area. Any qualifying business can obtain a free listing in the directory with low cost and classified advertising opportunities, latest news and links to many interesting and informative marine websites. Check your entry and talk to us about increasing your profits by effective marketing.
www.wpmd.co.uk

Numbers at the gate were down on last year - probably due to Earls Court and Excel fatigue!

The 54th Collins Stewart London Boat Show, in association with the Daily Mail, finished on a high after a successful, action-packed ten days that really put the “Show” into Boat Show.

There were over 500 exhibitors and over 1,000 boats on display, plus interactive features – like kite-surfing – that those of a less nervous disposition could attempt. And last year’s favourite, Anchor Watch, made a welcome return to please the crowds.

Deck Games, Start Boating and the Classic Boat feature were all crowded and the Guinness Bar – stocked with real Guinness – did a roaring trade with over 35,500 pints being drunk. In addition, HMS Exeter welcomed aboard some 20,000 visitors and 3,800 people experienced the Volvo Ocean Race simulator.

The British Marine Federation (BMF) carried out its usual hard work boat show routine of hosting visits from various dignitaries, such as Stephen Timms, minister for competitiveness and Gerry Sutcliffe, sports minister, as well as lunches attended by 20 MPs, and seven Lords and government ministers.

Over 30 events were arranged behind the scenes to update and engage with the industry and to launch a number of initiatives such as the Superyacht careers website and the Health and Safety Manual.

Weymouth and Portland, sailing venue for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has seen 'huge interest' from potential investors at this year's London Boat Show.

Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, which was at the show for the third year running, said it had been its busiest ever year.

To reflect the borough's fast developing reputation as a key location for marine business, commerce and leisure, the area was billed as a 'Centre for Marine Excellence' and 'The Place to Work, Live, Learn and Visit'.

Cllr Geoff Petherick, Theme Brief Holder for Employment & Prosperity, said: "The Boat Show was an ideal platform to communicate directly with the marine business sector and the sailing community and to build on current or planned investment in the area, already estimated to be worth £400 million to the local economy.

"We've seen a huge amount of interest ranging from yacht brokers to electrical engineers, marine fire safety and even a graphic design company looking to relocate. As we approach 2012 that momentum can only build.

"In line with the '12 for 2012' Team Dorset legacy plan, it is a key priority of the Council to maximise on the opportunities 2012 is generating and ensure their sustainability."

Joining the borough's stand for the first time this year was the Sutton Harbour Group, which recently signed a development deal with the South West of England Regional Development Agency (RDA) for a £30m tourism and leisure development on RDA-owned land at Portland.

Simon Cronk, head of special projects at the Sutton Harbour Group, said: "I was amazed by just how much interest there is in the marine industry in what's going on at Weymouth and Portland. We are already seeing a lot of interest in our scheme from potential occupiers and we look forward to submitting a planning application in the next few weeks."

Bruce Voss, Head of Regeneration for the South West RDA in Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole, said: "Having invested heavily in the transformation of the old air station in 1999 we're delighted that the area is proving such a magnet for marine sector investment. Work is now well underway on the new £21 million Portland Marina and we recently announced that RMW Marine, the world-class designer and manufacturer of racing sail boats, is the latest business to set up an operation on Portland.

"We're thrilled that the Boat Show has been such a successful showcase for Weymouth and Portland. Our role is to invest to unlock the region's business potential and we look forward to working closely with the Borough on converting those enquiries into hard investments for the benefit of our region."

This year's London Boat Show stand was co-ordinated by the Borough Council in partnership with Dean & Reddyhoff, Dorset County Council, Southwell Park, Weymouth College and the Sutton Harbour Group and Howard Holdings.

LONDON, 11 JANUARY, 2008 - At the opening of the Collins Stewart London Boat Show at ExCeL today, Home Port Marine Marketing, the US-based international marine products consultancy, and marine products distribution organizers Barrow International of the UK announced that they have jointly launched NautSource UK (www.nautsource.co.uk), a search engine exclusively for UK boating products utilizing Google's leading search technology.

"With about 1,000 manufacturer, distributor and chandler web sites already in the NautSource UK database and Google's user-friendly search scheme, we've developed a very simple method for the marine industry and boat owners to quickly find just about any boating product manufactured, distributed or on sale in the UK," said David Barrow of Barrow International.

UK boating product manufacturers, distributors and chandlers can get a free listing for their web site in the NautSource UK database by sending an email to sitelist@nautsource.co.uk. Search advertising to help suppliers promote products in relevant search categories is also available through the Google Adwords system.

NautSource UK was developed after the successful launch last year by Home Port of NautSource.com (www.nautsource.com), a US boating products search engine. "With over 40,000 product searches a month, NautSource.com has proved to be a useful tool for the US industry and boaters and we hope for a similar response to NautSource UK, as well as to additional market-specific versions of NautSource to be launched later in 2008," said Home Port Marine Marketing COO David Pilvelait.

Nick made it to the new Whyte and Mackay Earls Court Boat Show on Friday, thanks to Steve White of White Ocean racing who sent him a ticket! It was like stepping back in time to the days when THE London Boat Show was held at Earls Court! A great start for this exciting new show - the organizers are to be congratulated on creating just the right ambience. Nostalgic? Certainly! - but there were lots of interesting things to see and experience - from historic boats to stunning marine art. From top of the range Bentley motor cars to mouth-watering luxury motor yachts.

However, Nick's abiding memory of the show was meeting Hilary Lister, the courageous young sailor who was the first quadriplegic to sail solo across the English Channel - and circumnavigate the Isle of Wight. "A quite outstanding young woman and one of the bravest people I have ever met - and I've met quite a few in my time!"

Piracy Incidents on the Rise

The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) recently released the "Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships" report for the first three quarters of 2007, which states that "Piracy and armed robbery attacks against ships rose 14% in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2006." So far this year, 198 attacks were reported, up from the 174 reported in the first nine months of 2006. Fifteen vessels have been hijacked and172 crew members taken hostage, 63 of whom were kidnapped and 21 assaulted. According to an article on the IMB Web site, this "second consecutive quarterly increase in attacks" is at least partly do to the coastal waters of Somalia and Nigeria becoming "ever more dangerous."

The IMB article describes some of these Somali pirate incidents: "Somalia remains a hotspot of great concern, with 26 incidents reported so far this year against eight the year before. This represents one of the highest numbers of attacks ever reported off the coast of this East African country, and highlights a blatant disregard for the law. Ransom demanded by the captors of hijacked ships are considerably higher than previously, noted IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan."

The Nigerian pirate attacks are also expressed in detail in the IMB article: "Attacks have also risen sharply in Nigerian waters, with 26 incidents reported to the IMB compared to 9 during the corresponding period in 2006. Criminal groups claimed to have political motives for the theft and abduction of crewmembers. Nigeria has set up a Maritime Guard Command to help increase safety and security along the country’s coastline."

There was also an increase of piracy incidents in Tanzania -- nine reported this year, up from the four in 2006. However, there has been a decrease in attacks in the Malacca Straits, which the IMB article states is "due in large measure to cooperation among states bordering these waters and stepped-up efforts by the Indonesian authorities." Apparently Thailand has recently agreed to start patrolling this area as well.

Though the situation is improving in the Malacca Straits, the IMB feels that other organizations must get involved in order to stop this increasing trend in other parts of the world: "The IMB backs an initiative by the International Maritime Organizations to refer the situation to the UN Security Council, and sees this as a much-needed initiative to reduce acts of piracy and armed robbery."

September 2007's crime statistics make for very sorry reading, as boat owners continue to get robbed of their engines and more.

The map below shows the outboard engine thefts in the Solent region alone.

On top of these seven incidents there were thefts from Levington Marina near Ipswich, Coltishall, Norfolk and Ratcliffe Wharf, Forton near Blackpool.

Also in September, a Westerley Tempest was stolen from Cowes, a Searay 5.3m speedboat from the Blackwater in Essex - and a 2.4m tender from Walsham, Norfolk.

EA urges boaters to fit smoke alarms
The Environment Agency (EA) has called on boaters to fit and regularly test smoke alarms on boats following the publication of a report into the death of a woman on a narrowboat earlier this year.

The woman, a 22-year-old teaching assistant, was killed when a fire that started from a solid fuel-burning stove swept through the narrowboat in Adlington, Lancashire, in January. Her partner, the owner of the boat, escaped with serious burns.

The EA's navigation adviser Julian Kennard said: "Around 82% of homes in the UK have smoke alarms installed but, shockingly, a recent survey shows less than half of all boats have them fitted.

"Fires afloat are a real danger because of the fuel and gas on board. But the real killers are smoke and toxic fumes, so if you're asleep your survival depends on a smoke alarm waking you.

"Smoke alarms are not expensive, they are easy to fit - and they save lives. So don't take a chance that it will never happen to you." WatchKeeper incorporates a smoke alarm that can be activated either on or off the boat.

The Boat Safety Scheme was established in 1997 by the Environment Agency and British Waterways to promote safety on the inland waterways in respect of boats, their installations and components. Meeting these safety Standards in order to obtain a navigation licence became a requirement at the same time. To date, some 45,000 powered craft have successfully met these requirements.

Photo: (From L to R) Sarah Duff, 24, Consumer Researcher, from Whitchurch Hill, Oxfordshire; Rachel Flanders, 17, Sixth form student, from Bolton Lancashire; Clair Desborough, 32, Nurse Practitioner, from Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire; Fiona Waller, 32, Photographer, from Clapham, London

A double world-record attempt by an all-female rowing team has come up with an innovative fundraising idea to raise money for three cancer charities.

The four 'Atlantic Angels' are taking part in the Woodvale Atlantic Rowing Race later this year launching a unique 'Faceboat' fundraising campaign.

The hull of their rowing boat, Faceboat, will be covered with the pictures of 25,000 supporters, each donating £10 to jump aboard at www.atlantic-angels.co.uk. Through their innovative Faceboat fundraising campaign, the Angels hope to raise a total of £250,000 for Cancer Research UK, Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Charity and Trinity Hospice in Clapham.

Record attempt
The Atlantic Angels are attempting to break the existing all-female fours Atlantic crossing time of 67 days, 7 hours and 20 minutes. If successful, 17-year-old crew member Rachel Flanders, from Lancashire, will become the youngest person to have rowed across an ocean. The girls are determined to break the two records in admiration of 32-year-old crew member Fiona Waller, from Clapham, South London, who is herself a recent cancer survivor.

Says Rachel Flanders: "I am relishing the challenge of becoming the youngest ever person to row across the Atlantic. Although I am still young, I have no doubt that this will be the most challenging and most amazing thing I will ever do in my life. We have to row Faceboat across the Atlantic with no engine and no sails. Just one big ocean, four girls, four oars, muscle power and determination! I'll miss all my friends at Bolton Girls School, but being able to do is an opportunity not to be missed. I know they'll be following my journey and cheering me on!"

Cancer survivor Fiona wanted to do something amazing to raise money for cancer charities after recently getting the 'all-clear' from the disease. She says: "I saw my mother, Elisabeth, go through and eventually die from cancer seven years ago. I was also diagnosed with cervical cancer two years ago, so I have seen the impact this disease can have. Unfortunately it seems to be more and more common - everyone I talk to has been touched by cancer in some way.

"Taking on this personal challenge is my way of saying thank you to those special people that helped my mother and myself whilst suffering from cancer. The money raised through Faceboat will go towards improving research into diagnosis, treatment and cure of cancer - as well as improving the quality of life of those going through the disease."

The driving forces behind the team are Oxfordshire-based 24-year-old Sarah Duff, from Whitchurch Hill, and 32-year-old Clair Desborough, from Henley-on Thames. Both Sarah and Clair row for Upper Thames Rowing Club, based in Henley-on Thames.

Says Sarah: "We hope people will be really excited by this challenge and want to get involved. We need everyone who would like to support the Atlantic Angels and our charities to sign up on our Faceboat website. Visitors can choose the position on the hull of Faceboat where they would like their picture to be positioned, make a donation to secure the place and you're on board!"

Adds Clair: "Just think, you can say you crossed the Atlantic on a rowing boat without even having to lift an oar - leave that to us! The more people that help, the more faces there will be on the boat and the more money we will raise for our cancer charities."

The Atlantic Angels will be updating their blog on www.atlantic-angels.co.uk regularly to keep their supporters up to date with progress and morale on board Faceboat.

To secure a place on the Atlantic Angels' Faceboat and to be a part of their inspirational challenge to raise money for their chosen cancer charities visit www.atlantic-angels.co.uk.

We recently briefed Lloyds Marine Underwriters and learned that the majority of claims were from damage caused by flooding, often leading to total loss. Apart from flooding of compartments caused by collision or grounding, leaky valves and faulty seams were a major cause. Flooding of this type can often be avoided by the installation of adequate bilge alarms and automatic pumping systems. WatchKeeper's bilge alarms now use state-of-the-art Visonic wireless sensors, that will alert you immediately to a rising water level in your bilges.

The European sat nav project has suffered a couple of hitches so far, including budgetary and political issues. Unfortunately, Galileo now faces delays in launching its second satellite.

The satellite was to be orbited aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket in December of this year, but now the launch company Arianespace has reportedly told the Financial Times that the Galileo satellite will be held until March 2008.

Apparently, problems with the launch rocket, not the satellite, are causing the delay.

Freetrack Marine Limited,Unit One Fifehead Business Park, Fifehead Magdalen, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 5RR

As a Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve, Nick served throughout the Falklands operation

and supports the charity Combat Stress - just click on the flag for info...