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Automatic Identification System (Class B) for Non-Solas Vessels
This MIN (Marine Information Notice) is published for information. RATS would be interested to hear from members about their experiences with the use of any type of AIS equipment.
For a printable version of this document please click here 321-2.pdf (275K)
1. Background
1.1 AIS is a carriage requirement for SOLAS vessels (SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 19), as currently detailed in Merchant Shipping Notice (MSN) 1795, and is an integral part of the EU Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Information Directive (VTMD 2002/59/EC). Increasingly, however, non-SOLAS vessels are wishing to take advantage of the AIS system.
1.2 The publication of technical standard IEC 62287 for Class B AIS has encouraged the development of transponders for non-SOLAS vessels and increasing numbers of Class B AIS transponders are being fitted to vessels not required to fit AIS Class A transponders, including leisure vessels. This Marine Information Note advises how they should be coded correctly as it is of vital importance to other vessels and shore stations that vessel type information is accurately transmitted.
1.3 Trials undertaken by the MCA have demonstrated successful interaction between Class A and B devices and that Class B devices were readily visible on board a Class A fitted vessel. It should be noted that SOLAS vessels are currently required only to fit a “minimum keyboard display” (MKD) for AIS and that this display may not be readily visible to the bridge team. From 1 July 2008, radars on all SOLAS new build vessels and all replacement radars, will be required to have the facility to display AIS.
1.4 It should be noted that different manufacturers produce equipment with varying capability but within the technical standard IEC 62287. As a minimum, vessel operators must ensure that the correct MMSI & vessel code (most probably 36 or 37, please see below) are entered. It is also recommended that, where practicable, the transponder is connected to a suitable display to enable the user to take full advantage of the situational awareness picture of other vessels in the immediate proximity.
2. Class B coding
2.1 To some extent, the options available for vessel coding will depend on the manufacturers’ software. In all cases coding for Class B AIS systems should follow the format already available for Class A SOLAS compliant vessels, as detailed in ITU-R 1371, 3.3.8.2.3.2, Table 18 ‘Identifiers to be used by ships to report their type’. This table is reproduced in the Annex to this MIN with details of those codes that are available to non-SOLAS vessels.
2.2 Leisure vessels
Provision is made for the main propulsion types, as follows:
36 – any vessel where the primary means of propulsion is sail.
37 – pleasure craft where the primary means of propulsion is other than sail.
This provision covers all motorboats used for leisure purposes (displacement, semi- displacement, planing and RIBs).
2.3 Codes only permitted to be used if configurable functionality is available
Please refer to Table B in Annex.
Certain AIS B systems allow users to change and update the vessel type and activity code while underway and where these facilities exist it is strongly encouraged that the code be altered to accurately represent the vessel’s specific activity at any one time.
Example:
37 - Dive RIB transiting to a dive site;
34 - Dive RIB on site engaged in diving operations;
37 - Dive RIB transiting from dive site on completion of dive.
As vessels are expected, under the relevant rule of the International Convention for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea (COLREGs, as amended), to show the correct lights, shapes and signals whilst engaged in a specific activity, this activity should also be reflected by the appropriate code in AIS transmissions.
If the transponder is not user-configurable, the most appropriate code should be programmed at installation, please see 2.2 for leisure vessels or 2.4 for commercial vessels.
2.4 Codes reserved for commercial vessels
Please refer to Table C in Annex.
Codes with first digit 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, are reserved for specific commercial vessels and should only be used as such. It is recommended that the 2nd digit always be annotated as “0” (all ships of this type).
2.5 Codes reserved for SOLAS vessels
Certain codes are reserved for Class A SOLAS vessels and should not be used for Class B vessels. These codes are included in the table for information.
2.6 Further advice and assistance
It is advised that if there is any uncertainty Class B vessels should use the code 90, but only as a default setting while seeking clarification from the MCA. If individuals perceive a different or specific requirement they are encouraged to contact the MCA for further advice, e mail:
Annex
| Key |
| | These codes to be used appropriately and only if unit is user configurable. |
| Not appropriate for Non-SOLAS vessels. |
Table A : Commercial vessels not engages in special activities.
| Identifiers to be used by ships to report their type |
| 1st Digit | Meaning of 1st digit | 2nd Digit | Meaning of 2nd digit |
| 0 | Not used | 0 | All ships of this type |
| 1 | Reserved for future use | 1 | Carrying DG, HS, or MP IMO Hazard or Pollutant category A |
| 2 | WIG (Wing-in-Ground) | 2 | Carrying DG, HS, or MP IMO Hazard or Pollutant category |
| 3 | Other Ships - see table B | 3 | Carrying DG, HS, or MP IMO Hazard or Pollutant category C |
| 4 | HSC - High Speed Craft | 4 | Carrying DG, HS, or MP IMO Hazard or Pollutant category D |
| 5 | Special Craft see table C | 5 | Reserved for future use |
| 6 | Passenger Ships | 6 | Reserved for future use |
| 7 | Cargo Ships | 7 | Reserved for future use |
| 8 | Tankers(s) | 8 | Reserved for future use |
| 9 | Other types of Ship | 9 | No additional information |
DG = Dangerous Goods, HS = Hazardous Goods, MP = Marine Pollutants
Table B: Other ships engaged in Special activities:
| 1st Digit | 2nd Digit | Meaning of 2nd digit |
| 3 | 0 | Fishing |
| 3 | 1 | Towing |
| 3 | 2 | Towing and length of tow exceeds 200M or breadth exceeds 25m |
| 3 | 3 | Engaged in dredging or underwater operations |
| 3 | 4 | Engaged in diving operations |
| 3 | 5 | Engaged in military operations |
| 3 | 6 | Sailing |
| 3 | 7 | Pleasure craft |
| 3 | 8 | Reserved for future use |
| 3 | 9 | Reserved for future use |
Table C: Special Craft engaged in official activities:
| 1st Digit | 2nd Digit | Meaning of 2nd digit |
| 5 | 0 | Pilot vessel |
| 5 | 1 | Search and Rescue |
| 5 | 2 | Tug |
| 5 | 3 | Port Tender |
| 5 | 4 | Vessel with anti-pollution facilities or equipment |
| 5 | 5 | Law enforcement vessels |
| 5 | 6 | Spare – for assignments to local vessels |
| 5 | 7 | Spare – for assignments to local vessels |
| 5 | 8 | Medical transport (as defined in the 1949 Geneva Convention and additional protocols)
|
| 5 | 9 | Ships according to resolution 18 (MOB-83) |
More Information
Navigation Safety Branch
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Bay 2/30
Spring Place
105 Commercial Road
Southampton
SO15 1EG
Tel : +44 (0) 23 8032 9356
Fax : +44 (0) 23 8032 9204
e-mail:
The end of TBT
The use of TBT (tributyltin) antifouling banned for use on leisure craft, but not commercially since the eighties, because of its harmful affects on marine life, finally looks like coming to the end of its days. Panama has at last signed the international treaty banning TBT on all its vessels worldwide,and as this brings the total merchant shipping tonnage having ratified the treaty to more than 50% of the world tonnage, it becomes automatic and enforceable by all states from July 2008. It has taken some twenty years for Britain to be in a position to enforce the no TBT rule, on say, tankers using the Solent.
It always seemed completely illogical that the most effective antifouling ever devised,could not be used on yachts whose combined bottoms were hardly equal to one of the many leviathans using our waters, while they were able to continue to use it with impunity.
Antifouling less effective in 2007?
Well I thought so. In the previous three seasons the boat has come out virtually clean,but this year I might just as well not have put any antifouling on at all. Launching at the end of April the bottom had a mat of well established stringy weed on the bow and around the stern particularly bad on the transom hung rudder, by the beginning of July. We scrubbed this off as best we could while afloat but by the beginning of August it was back with a vengeance. So out on the slip to clean off between tides and to apply a further coat of antifouling. Within a month the weed had noticeably returned and given another month’s growth to October, it looked to be anything up to 20cmlong.
So for the inquest involving a long discussion with the technical expert for the manufacturer,who assured me that I made the first mistake by only applying one coat at the beginning of the season, as two coats more than double the protection, in that if there is a thin spot the weed has a chance to get a foothold from where it will joyfully multiply. I have to say that it is my usual practice to give the bottom two coats, but this year having thoroughly removed the build up of old paint, I thought a second coat mid season would do the trick. He then told me that our cruising area, the Thames Estuary was particularly bad for fouling in 2007 and if I had been based, say, in the West Country there would not have been a problem. I may be doing him an injustice, but I have the feeling that had I been complaining about a boat kept in that part of the world it would have been the Thames Estuary where it was said to be most effective! Then we came to the crux of the matter; he told me that the paint manufacturers had faced unprecedented and mind-blowing increases in the cost of copper. They had the choice between doubling the price of the antifouling, which they did not consider the market would stand, or adding a new much more expensive product to their range. They chose to do the latter, so what I had assumed to be the same paint as I had used successfully before, was a very much weaker beast. He maintained that it was the amount of copper in the mix which was the important factor, and gave me a really good piece of advice, which I am happy to pass on. When you try to compare products the best test is to weigh the cans, the heaviest has the most copper and is the one to go for.
I put the matter to the test: the 5lt can of weak stuff which I certainly would not use again, weighs in at 6kg, while another can of commercial jollop which I stopped using as it was not self-eroding is some 2kg heavier. Next time you buy antifouling take some scales along; they may well help youmake abetter informed decision.
Finally when my boat was hauled out at the end of October, I wondered if I had been completely fair to the manufacturer, as while the fouling around the bow, stern and waterline was unacceptable, there was little elsewhere,and not a barnacle in sight. With a single exception the other boats which came out at the same time had considerably more fouling
Coastal marina sector worth over £500 million to UK economy
A new comprehensive study of coastal marinas in the UK and Channel Islands has revealed the vital role played by marinas in economic development. The report, entitled Economic Benefits of Coastal Marinas of the UK and Channel Islands, shows that the sector directly employs over 1,700 people, supports the employment of 22,000more people and has a value added of over £500million a year to the British economy. There are significant benefits to local economies in terms of supply chain businesses and tourist jobs.
The report that was launched at the Southampton Boat Show, was commissioned by the British Marine Federation, in partnership with The Crown Estate, Jersey Harbours and was supported by The Yacht Harbour Association.
The report presents a national assessment of the economic contribution of coastal marinas, including nine detailed case studies from around the country. The analysis looks at all aspects of this contribution, from onsite businesses to supply chain,marine industry and tourism and leisure impacts.
The survey found that:
1. The core coastal marinas sector in terms of operations only employs over 1,700 people and turns over £113million a year. This figure excludes the diversity of activities, which range from boat maintenance and repair to boat sales which have been considered as part of the wider assessment.
2. Every job in the core marina sector supports a further 12 jobs in local economies.
3. The coastal marinas industry contributes more than £500million in gross value added to the UK and Channel Islands economy and may be as high as £700 million.
4. Boating visitors to coastal marinas spend over £200million annually, supporting an estimated 5,350 local tourism jobs.
5. On site businesses located at coastal marinas employ over 11,600 people and generate revenue of £280million of value added.
6. The coastal marine industry and the spending of their employees supports 4,200 jobs and £109million of value added in supply chain businesses.
Rob Stevens, Chief Executive of the British Marine Federation said: “I strongly welcome the publication of this report, which demonstrates the significant contribution of the coastal marinas sector in both value and employment terms to the UK economy and highlights the importance of securing access to the water. Marinas in the UK provide a focus for boating activity and a safe environment from which to plan adventures afloat with friends or family, explore our coastline or take part in the excitement of racing. They offer a huge variety of facilities and many sites are important centres of employment, with some playing a key role in regeneration and being visitor attractions in their own right. This report is essential reading for all those involved in shaping policy, setting out land use and economic strategies and making decisions about development plans around our coastline.”
Roger Bright, Chief Executive of The Crown Estate added: “As the major tidal landowner in the UK, The Crown Estate is delighted to have supported the production of this report into the economic benefits of marinas. We are taking an increasingly active interest in the economic opportunities that marinas and other coastal developments can provide in supporting coastal communities. This report, which summarises the contribution of coastal marinas to the UK economy, will be an important tool for decision makers involved in the planning and development of future coastal strategies.”
(Thanks to the Crown Estate for this report)
from Cruising, Feb 2008
The Queen and RATS inspect Galatea
Representatives from RATS were invited to visit the new Trinity House tender, GALATEA, when she was in London alongside HMS BELFAST, to be named by Her Majesty the Queen, prior to entering service. Described as a multi-functional vessel, GALATEA has been designed for buoy handling, wreck marking, towing, and has multi beam and side scan hydrographic surveying capabilities. At 84m long with a service sped of 13 knots, she is very much state of the art, and was built in Gdansk. In an excellent guided tour, her officers gave a most interesting description of her capabilities. She is powered by six diesel generating sets producing 5.5MW producing the electricity to drive the two azimuth propellers by which she is steered (as well as propelled), and two bow thrusters, and all the ancillary equipment. It was somewhat disconcerting not to find a wheel on the bridge, rather two fist-sized units incorporating throttles which could be operated independently and requiring a high degree of co-ordination. With dynamic positioning, the computer with input from a gyro, wind gauge, vertical reference sensor, and three GPSs, is able to place and hold the ship with an accuracy of 2 metres in winds up to force 6. This enables her to stay in position alongside, say a buoy, while any necessary work is carried out. I suppose it will not be long before the same equipment is available for luxury yachts, making it possible for the marina berth coordinates to be programmed in and the boat will automatically find her way home and park conveniently in her box. Mooring up can then be carried out at leisure!
GALATEA has a helicopter pad on the foredeck and a large working deck aft, which can carry 16 buoys with anchors, or ten 20ft containers. She has a 30 ton crane with automatic weight compensation when lifting over the side. She normally works with a crew of seven, but has excellent accommodation for a further 23 when necessary. A sistership, PHAROS, was ordered at the same time for the Northern Lighthouse Board, which is responsible for maintaining the Scottish navigational aids.
from Cruising, Feb 2008
Radar reflectors should be permanently mounted
In a recent MGN (Marine Guidance Notice) MCA state that:
1. ‘It is strongly recommended that yachtsmen permanently install, not just carry a radar reflector or RTE, that offers the largest Radar Cross Section practicable for their vessel.
2. Small craft owners and operators are strongly recommended to fit the best performing radar reflector possible. It is also essential for skippers to be aware that notwithstanding the type of radar reflector fitted, in certain circumstances their craft may still not be readily visible on ships’ radar. They should navigate with caution.’ A RATS article by Colin Heywood surveying and describing the options available was published in the August 2007 issue of Cruising.
from Cruising, Feb, 2008
SOLAS vessels to report
In a further announcement MCA has stated that as from 1st January 2008 all SOLAS vessels on long range voyages (defined as in non A1 areas, ie outside VHF range from shore) are required to transmit details of their identity and position at least every six hours. The system is known as LRIT (Long Range Identification & Tracking). The onboard device used must be able to transmit the information automatically, and at intervals able to be reset remotely, ie by shore stations, to other periods down to fifteen minutes. The ship’s identity must be able to be polled at will by any other station.
AIS works in A1 areas, but LRIT will be available in all other areas, so between the two all vessels over 300 tons, all passenger vessels, and all special purposes vessels will be trackable worldwide. It is expected that most will use the Inmarsat system.
A new cruising ground?
Apparently in 2007 the Arctic icecap has melted back further than ever before. On September 9th it was reported that it covered an area of just 4.24msq.kms. The previous minimum record was 5.32 msq kms in September 2005.During this year the North West Passage was open from August 22nd. A recent study by eminent scientists had the alarming prediction that the permanent polar ice cap would completely disappear by 2030 with very worrying consequences for the climate and the direction and strength of the North Atlantic Drift which ensures the mildness of the Western European seaboard.
The shorter winters and the withdrawal of the ice from around Greenland and the other Arctic islands, is already causing considerable changes to the lives of people living in that region. It is not only the polar bears that are finding their opportunities to hunt becoming more limited; Inuits who also hunt across the ice now have a season which is two months less than in the past and the numbers who rely for their livelihood on hunting are said to be down to a mere 500.One of their leaders Aqqaluk Lynge spoke at the Stansted public inquiry,eloquently explaining how air travel, and of course the other activities of the rich countries,were affecting the lives of his people.‘Climate change is not just a theory to us in the Arctic, it is a dark and dangerous reality. Human induced climate change is undermining the ecosystem upon which Inuit depend for their physical and cultural survival,’he said, and went on to warn, ‘the serious consequences affecting my people today, will affect your people tomorrow’.The permanent ice cover has always hidden the apparent mineral wealth of the region, which is now starting to be exploited. There is already large opencast mining and the recent discovery of diamonds in west Greenland is expected to trigger something of a rush. The largest diamond at 24 carats hardly matches the Koh-I-Noor at 105.602 carats but it is probably valuable enough to keep most people happy.
In 1903 when Roald Amundsen with six companions, set out in GJOA a 48 ton ex herring boat, basically a sailing vessel with a low-powered 13hp auxiliary, to find a way through to the Pacific, it took him over two years to navigate the passage. His route was via Baffin Bay, Lancaster and Peel Sounds and the James Ross and Rae Straits. He spent two winters in a fine natural harbour which he named after his ship. During that time he fixed the position of the magnetic pole, finding that it had moved some thirty miles north since being identified by Sir James Ross in 1831, establishing as we know now, that it is constantly on the move, altering the variation on our charts year by year. At the moment it is on its way to Siberia. Amundsen studied the ways in which the Inuits were able to survive and flourish in such a hostile environment,adopting their clothes, diet, the use of dogs for transport and snow for shelter; all practices which gave him advantages when he made his dash to the South Pole in 1911.
Notwithstanding recent proposals to enlarge the locks on the Panama Canal,or even construct a new route across the isthmus, one is inclined to wonder if within a few years ships to and from the east might be using a route north of Canada as a matter of routine. However they will not follow exactly in the tracks of GJOA as she crossed some very shallow areas. GJOA can be seen in the Norwegian Maritime Museum in Oslo, along with the FRAM, which Nansen had used in his attempt to drift to the North Pole, and Amundsen borrowed for his successful expedition to reach the South Pole.
More recently a 47ft Irish yacht
NORTHABOUT, built of aluminium and specially designed for the job, has set a record by sailing through both the North West Passage and the North East Passage completing a circumnavigation of the world from east to west via Arctic waters. Led by Jarlath Cunnane she sailed from Westport, Co. Mayo, through the passages to the north of Canada from Baffin Bay to the Bering Strait in 2001. In 2004, after cruising in Alaskan waters for two years, she set out from British Columbia to attempt the much longer and more difficult North East Passage which took two seasons; the boat having to be left for the intervening winter at Khatanga in Siberia. The voyage was successfully completed in 2006.
For his achievement Cunnane was awarded the Blue Water Medal by the Cruising Club of America, thereby joining such illustrious names as Alain Gerbault, Bill Tilman, Carleton Mitchell, Eric and Susan Hiscock,Sir Francis Chichester and Bernard Moitessier.On receiving the news of the award he said ‘I am overwhelmed and nearly speechless’ (Not a condition common among Irishmen!)
A book describing the voyages entitled,Northabout: Sailing the North West and North East Passages by Jarlath Cunnane has recently been published by Collins.
from Cruising, Feb, 2008
Don’t take foot and mouth abroad
The recent outbreak of foot and mouth in deepest Surrey might seem a long way from the sea and nothing much to concern us, but this is wrong. We hear about the restrictions on the movement of livestock, but restrictions extend much wider, and they do apply to us. We are not personally prevented from travelling overseas, but during an outbreak and for three months afterwards it is illegal to take abroad certain meat and dairy products and in addition some countries apply further restrictions in addition to the UK ones.
The UK restrictions, by and large, are quite understandable and easily accepted: we must not take out of the country (ie beyond the twelve mile territorial limit) any meat or meat products from ‘biungulate’ animals. These are cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, deer, even llamas. Thus a ham sandwich or meat stew,the basic provender for night watches, cannot be taken on overseas passages during an outbreak of the disease. Even a bottle of fresh milk is forbidden and of course sausages and bacon are right out.
Those sailing abroad have been reminded of the current restrictions by notices on the routine Coastguard maritime safety broadcasts and also of the requirement to carry their waste back to these shores, unless acceptable arrangements can be made to offload it. When I consider the size of the bag of refuse I had to carry home after just three days without being able to dump it(and it was not all beer cans and wine bottles),the idea of collecting two week’s rubbish is daunting.
A few countries overseas are actively checking for what UK sailors are importing to their countries. Some do this permanently even if a foot and mouth outbreak is not happening – Australia is notorious for making it a crime for yachts to bring in even tinned meat. Others have rules requiring that the meat was produced more than two months earlier, and has a certificate to prove it, then to import is OK. Your ham sandwich will probably swim ashore if it is that old. Hopefully by the time that this season starts the current episode will be over, but if you are proposing to do any winter passages then it would be wise to check what is permitted with the UK consulates of the countries you propose to visit.
from Cruising, Feb, 2008
Square pans for square meals
RATS receives all kinds of queries (some I am sure maliciously thought up to catch us out!) though not in this case. The question was how does a singlehander cope with his youngsters and their friends descending on him ravenously hungry when he is weatherbound in harbour?With six mouths to feed he had to look to his reserve stock and decided baked beans, corned beef and tinned tomatoes, but the problem was how to prepare the meal with his limited cooking utensils. Being an experienced CA member he was resourceful and coped. However, as he said, it would have been a whole lot easier if he had had a square pan. We were able to put him on the right track as Aladdin’s Caveat Swanwick Marina can supply just the job,a 25cm square non-stick pan for £14.99. If you want something more expensive then Proleno have a 28cm pan available at £66.95 which they claim will fry without oil. Now everywhere I go there are square pans on sale; I have just spotted some in Matalan, if that is any help.
The best buy I ever made in the culinary department was a skillet (two deep-sided frying pans made to clamp together),German made and bought at a Burnham-on-Crouch boat show in the mid-eighties. It really has stood the test of time. Only greasing is necessary to cook dry, and the nonstick surface has proved incredibly resilient. It has allowed us to develop the speciality of the boat for a quick and tasty lunch, namely toasted cheese sandwiches. (It will do plain toast as well (no greasing necessary) and was always used for this before we had a stove with a grill.) The toasted sandwiches have gone down well with countless crews, but it is also extremely versatile, acting on one occasion as a useful oven when the boat’s paraffin oven decided to catch fire just as the bread was ready to bake.
Talking of square meals one of the best we always found when on longer passages without fresh food, was to make a substantial pie using suet pastry and tinned meat; the freshness of the pastry giving a tasty lift to the tinned ingredients. The young crews we carried on our tall ships’ races, were always keen and willing to cook, whatever other chores they studiously avoided, and we never missed a really substantial evening meal. On one occasion one of the lads had the job of preparing the chicken pie as we headed into St. Petersburg along the narrow channel from Kronstadt. He was enjoying himself determined to make the meal a special celebration to mark the end of our 700nm passage from Rostock. Keeping his artistic touches secret, he had decorated the pie with a superb relief image of our ketch in full sail,made out of the surplus pastry, and with the name picked out as the crowning touch. With the baking complete, he called us all together to witness the unveiling of his masterpiece as he opened the oven. It was then that tragedy struck and triumph turned to disaster; even as we all admired his superb creation, he let the oven door go, its weight overpowered the gimbals and the pie slid inexorably onto the galley floor – and of course, as you will have guessed, ended upside down.
There was nothing for it but to set to and make another pie, but this time without the decoration. As we had some way to go through the extensive dock areas, before finding our way to our berth alongside the English Quay, immediately below the first bridge over the River Neva, there was adequate time to complete and then enjoy it in a leisurely fashion when we were moored. As June said afterwards, ‘if they had been our own youngsters, we would have scraped it up and still eaten it with relish’.
from Cruising, Feb, 2008
Cessation of Marinecall SMS
Members may not yet be aware that the Marinecall SMS service has ceased. In my opinion this is no great loss. Some of the products were distinctly dodgy eg the suggestion that they knew what the actual wind was at Start Point, never mind being able to forecast it at that specific location. Similarly, the implication was misleading that the forecast could differentiate between Hamble Point and Port Hamble marinas. Naïve in the extreme.
For those who use mobile phones to get forecasts, it is fairly straightforward to view pages of text on the screen eg
| Weather information | Met Office URL |
| UK Shipping Forecast | http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/marine/shipping_printable.html |
| UK Inshore Waters Forecast | http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/marine/inshore_printable.html |
| High Seas Forecast | http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/marine/highseas_printable.html |
| Latest Gale Warnings | http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/marine/gales_printable.html |
| Storm Warnings | http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/marine/stormwarning_printable.html |
| Weather actuals | http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/marine/observations/index.html |
These are all text only versions.
I know that it is a mouthful, but if you go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/education/betsie/parser.pl/0005/www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast/shipping/, you can get weather information on the BBC web site with rather smaller downloads than the text only versions on the Met Office site. Those marked with an * are not on the Met Office site.
|
|
| UK Shipping Forecast |
| UK NAVTEX Shipping Forecast and 24 hour outlook* |
| Extended outlook for 3-5 day for all UK Sea Areas * |
| All UK Inshore Waters Forecasts |
| Single area UK Inshore Waters Forecasts |
| Warnings |
| Coastal Forecasts* |
| Coastal and Buoy reports |
Obviously, all these pages will be easier to view on a PDA, handheld or laptop.
Other Marinecall telephone and telefax services will continue. Some words of caution :-
The outlook forecasts for sea areas, the forecasts for European sailing areas and the outlooks for inshore waters areas are all direct output from the Met Office Numerical Weather Prediction model. In the same way that GRIB forecasts, such as those from UGrib, Movingweather, Saildocs etc, will underestimate winds so will these Marinecall forecasts. For safety, I add 20%, or about one Beaufort force, to get a better idea of expected winds. That is not a criticism of the model itself; all models will do the same. It is a criticism of the Met Office that they do not make it clear in the same way that most providers of GRIB services do.
Embankment Marina
Cruising members visiting CA House (or London) might be interested in a new marina facility opened at Gravesend - The Embankment Marina. Good value long term moorings are available, as are visitors berths.
More information on www.theembankmentmarina.netContact forms and details
Chris Moss
Contact form
The contact form is a very easy way for members to get in touch with other members without having to find out their current email address. Just click on "MyCA Members" below the Search heading in the left hand column and type in part of the name - the surname preferably; then click on the appropriate name in the list and you will get to their profile page. Click on the "Contact" tab near the top and you can write an email online.
Only it didn't work for everyone. Only 500 of 1300+ MyCA members had got the setting on. Due to a problem in the previous version of the software that runs MyCA,the default setting was "off" and most people left it that way. So we've turned it on for everyone and you are free to turn it off if you need to - but we don't think many people will want to. Remember it's only available to members.
Contact Details
Most of you will have discovered that in the past if you tried to change your contact details in MyCA, the change didn't stick. That's because it was refreshed from the CA Membership Database. Now the online version of that is the master, we've linked the two so that if you make any changes online, those will automatically change the Membership database. This will affect paper mailings of Cruising and your entry in the Yearbook.
So click on My account in the first section of links on the left, and make sure all your details are correct. For those of you who have two addresses or boats recorded, at the moment you can only change the first of those. We're hoping to improve that, together with the organisation of the Profile pages. Do it soon so you can make sure your Yearbook entry is correct next year!
Email Addresses
There has been one exception at present to the updating of contact details. Because of the way MyCA developed we hold two different email addresses for about 250 MyCA members, one for MyCA and a different one in the membership database. In most cases the MyCA address is more up to date and we have used that. But in a small number of cases (less than a hundred) it's unclear and we will send a message to both addresses to warn you that we've made the change.
From now on, the same email address will be used for MyCA and any other emails generated from CA House, including section mails and London events. If you need to change your email address, just do it on MyCA.
Chris Moss
Hon CA Webmaster
Appointment of General Secretary
Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Wendy Hodkinson as the Association's General Secretary. Wendy has already taken up her post and you may contact her here.
After a search that has taken several months, the eventual field of short-listed candidates was of very high calibre and Council is confident that Wendy will make a huge contribution both to our headquarters' organisation and to the work of the Association generally. Wendy comes to us after a solid background of experience in both the public and private sectors which has included premises, personnel, and financial management, compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, negotiation of contracts for supplies and services, and marketing.
The General Secretary, as the executive manager of the Association, is responsible to Council for all matters relating to the efficient operation of our headquarters, and its support services to members. In addition, the GS will have oversight responsibility for the website, publications, and event planning and co-ordination. Wendy will be on the CA Stand almost every day at the Excel London Boat Show to assist with recruitment, and to meet current members.
We wish Wendy a very happy and successful period in office.
Stuart Bradley (Chairman of Council)
Desmond Scott (Company Secretary)
CA Website Development
The CA Website is becoming an increasingly important part of the Associations’ offering to Members. There is a continuing need to enhance the site in order to attract new members and retain existing ones. The Web Group has drawn up a two Phase Plan for the near-to-medium term development of the site.
Phase I: Rationalisation This has three principal activities.
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Navigation. Most complaints about the site have related to being ‘unable to find things’ or ‘getting lost’. Analysis has shown that this is probably because the site has grown organically and tends to reflect the organisation of the CA rather than the content.
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Amalgamation. The CA site has three main components. The main ‘CA’ site (cruising.org.uk) is a static HTML site composed mostly of information about the CA. The main ‘members’ site (myca.org.uk) is a dynamic site based on a Content Management System (Drupal) which can allow users to enter their own material. The two sites, although linked, look slightly different and contribute to the users disorientation. The proposal is to transfer the content from the CA site to the Members site under the new menu structure and to have one ‘home’ page, thus providing a more seamless experience to users.
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HomePage and Look & Feel The site’s home page is the main ‘shop window’ for the CA and needs to attract new users down into the content as well as setting the ‘brand’ that the CA wants to project. Neither of our current home pages fare well against the competition. The ‘look & feel’ of the site, whilst cosmetic, is also important to setting the image of the Association.
In May last year the Group carried out an audit of the site’s content and drew up a revised Menu structure organised according to need rather than organisation. Thus the most important content should be easily accessible and at the top level. A draft version of a new simplified menu structure, organised around 4 main topics, is attached.
The third part of the site, the Forums, is provided using another software package (phpBB). Elements of this package are now reaching their life expiry and the long term goal is to integrate the Forums onto the Drupal site. However experiments with Web Group forum have shown that the Drupal Forum modules are not yet to a level of maturity that is satisfactory, and so this activity will be kept under review.
Fortunately, the software in use allows us to change the look of the site without disturbing much of the contents. This is somewhat more of a ‘design’ exercise than a technical one and some external skills might be desirable.
A sample layout is shown below. This is not the final version but gives an example of how the material could be arranged to meet our needs.
Our current aim is to complete this phase in about two months. The work will be undertaken on the existing site, not a ‘new’ copy.
Draft Revised Site Menu Structure
This comes under 5 main headings:
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About Us |
News and Events |
Products |
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| Membership Contact us Organisation Committee minutes CA House & access Sections Members profiles CA Member entries HLRs Crewing Service Library |
Lectures Courses Sections News from CA Regulations (Rats) Crewing Service pages | Almanac, cruising guides Bunting Clothing Classified Ads Membership Crewing Service Room hire |
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Cruising Information |
Forums |
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Cruising Almanac Cruising Information Series Cruising Information Notes Enquiry Service Cruising Information Reports HLRs HLR Pages & contacts Library Catalogue Classification system Book Reviews New Acquisitions CA Authors Nautical links News feeds |
Members Sections Committees Help |
Phase II : Cruising Information
The Group has discussed extensively Jim Baerselman’s plans for Cruising Information on the Web. It is generally agreed that his requirements can be satisfied using the existing software suite. However care must be taken to ensure that the needs of broadband-enabled off-season Cruise Planning is married with an approach to low-bandwidth updates-only services for those aboard their boats.
Some members of the group expressed reservations about the scale of the undertaking, principally with regard to the generation and maintenance of content, but this is for the CA as a whole to take a view.
Progress in this Phase will not take place until the first phase is complete and the CA have completed their internal discussions.
Other Issues
The current site operates on a dedicated server in a commercial data centre. The ‘package’ that we receive from the supplier contains limitations with respect to our ability to upgrade certain core software on which we depend. This not only affects our ability to develop the site, but also has long-term security implications. We are investigating alternative packages (from the same supplier) without these restrictions. We expect the financial implications to be minimal.
It is a long-term goal to place more members logs online. Most of the logs submitted to the CA, whilst being compiled on a computer, are submitted in printed form, which makes conversion difficult. A change to the guidelines should be considered to encourage all logs submitted to the CA to be accompanied by an electronic version.
Poland Cruising and Harbour Guide 2009
Gavin Goudie has produced an updated version of his excellent Guide to Cruising in Poland, with more harbours added, and additional helpful links. If you're considering cruising in Poland this year, this is a 'must have'.
The 71pp pdf file can be downloaded (by members only) from the left menu: MyCA>>Cruising Guides>>Poland, then click on the blue link. Print the pages you want from this file. Alternatively, members may buy printed and bound copies from the 'Shop', menu link above, or by ringing the office (020 7537 2828).
Data charges over cell phone GPRS/G3 links
Ivan Andrews has kindly drawn my attention to http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7965233.stm which reports the long and eagerly awaited announcement of EU caps on mobile phone roaming charges, particularly data over GPRS/G3 links. These are to be set at
1 euro per megabyte from July 2009
80 cents per megabyte from July 2010
50 cents per megabyte from July 2011
These may not seem particularly small to someone accustomed to using broadband at home. However, they are ample for plain text versions of forecasts such as most of those on my GMDSS links page and for GRIB file data via www.grib.us or via email. For those that prefer email, maybe users of cell phones, Blackberry and iPhones the MailASail responder service is excellent for emails. There is also a MailAail responder service for GRIB files. See my site for details or send a blank email to
with help-text in the subject line. Alternatively, use Saildocs; for details send blank emails to
and
, subject anything.
A high seas, shipping or Inshore Waters forecast will take a few tens of kb.Weather charts are more expensive at about 60 kb a chart. For those wanting several charts then http://www.weather.org.uk/charts/thumbs.html is an economical way of getting 5 days of forecast charts in thumbnail form.
Not surprisingly, the companies have been moving in this direction. Orange, for some while now has been offering a 10 mb bundle at £12 a month and a 100 mb bundle at £57.5 a month.
There is now even more reason to use GPRS/G3 rather than GSM for email and other text purposes
Frank's Weather Site
My weather website is now the major component of the MailASail “Weather Window", http://weather.mailasail.com. This is intended to become a collection of weather sites compiled by experts combined with the MailASail efficient data (free) download services for WiFi, cell or satellite phone.
My domain name, www.franksweather.co.uk, will take you instantaneously to the Home page, http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Home.htm ; ClaraNet and Tiscali bookmarked links will be transferred (almost) seamlessly direct to the relevant site page. Obviously, users are advised to bookmark or save (but remember to update) any pages needed frequently.
All this is a result of my teaming up with Ed Wildgoose whom I have known for a number of years. MailASail offers a variety of services for (mainly long distance) sailors and explorers in the form of advice, installation and commissioning services for communications equipment. Ed has a cruising background.
Apart from a general, much needed face lift and more consistent formatting, pages will be much the same as hitherto. Benefits to users will be easier navigation through a side bar, better links between pages as well as those on my improved home page. This is now much easier to use as a site guide. To me, the benefits are a permanent home and easier updating.
Other sites to be incorporated will include one by Chris Tibbs, author and experienced oceanic sailor who trained as a forecaster; Chris has been the weather router for a number of sailing races. He regularly offers weather advice and training for the ARC events.
There is still some slight tinkering to be done but, otherwise, I am up and running in my new home.
Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia
Yachts to be included in Piracy Deterrence Operations in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia
The Maritime Security Centre, Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) aims to provide a service to mariners in the Gulf of Aden, the Somali Basin and off the Horn of Africa. It is a Co-ordination Centre dedicated to safeguarding legitimate freedom of navigation in the light of increasing risks of pirate attack against merchant shipping in the region, in support of the UN Security Council's Resolutions (UNSCR) 1814, 1816 and 1838. MSCHOA has been set up by the EU as part of a European Security and Defence Policy initiative to combat piracy in the Horn of Africa. The operation is described at: http://www.mschoa.eu/About.aspx
In consultation with the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), the EU has offered to include yachts in their piracy deterrence scheme within the EU fleet area of operation, that is to say Gulf of Aden and East coast of Somalia. Yacht skippers should not attempt to ask for a login and password for the official web site before a procedure to authenticate yachts has been put in place. This procedure is now being developed by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) in conjunction with MSCHOA and yachts will be advised of details as soon as possible.
In the interim yacht skippers may inform the centre of their intended plans using the contact details under: http://www.mschoa.eu/About.aspx - Public Access Area, 'Contact us', where you will see a contact telephone number +44 (0) 1923 958545 and email address postmaster@mschoa.org.
For more information contact RATS via email or the CA Office. It is likely that CA members will be able to pass details of their imminent passage through the area to the office for transmission onwards to MSCHOA but this cannot be confirmed at present.
Thumbnail weather charts
Those sailors who use the Internet to get weather charts have noticed
that the UK thumbnail chart page on the weather.org.uk site was discontinued earlier this year.
Because of demand, I have resurrected this service
on my site.
The URL is http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Uk-Charts-Thumbnail. A page of charts on the internet is http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Chart-List.
Spanish Taxes Update
The issue of liability for tax for boat owners who keep their boats in Spain for an extended period has been a thorny issue for some time. Click on the heading to see a summary of the matter.
Two versions (one full, and one more readable!) are available to members through the left hand menu. Go to Cruising Guides>>West Med and you'll find the links there, or use links in the members news items below.
Meanwhile, here's a publicly available extract from our West Mediterranean Cruising Guide:
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Tax Residency - A Warning
Care should be taken to avoid the risk of being treated as a tax resident in any given country. This can arise if the owner (not necessarily the yacht), spends more than 182 days a year there. If tax residency is established, you can be required to import and re-flag your boat.
In southern Spain, this tax residency issue is often checked, and the onus of proving non-residence will rest on the vessel’s crew. If you cannot prove your absences adequately, you will be required to re-flag and pay an associated ‘matriculation’ tax of around 12% of the vessel’s value. Add the bureaucracy of meeting Spanish regulations for your boat and qualifications, and it is clear that becoming tax-resident is not to be undertaken lightly.
Spain also requires EU citizens staying 90 days or more to register with the authorities and obtain a certificate. We believe this was intended to apply to those living in shore property. In the Balearics, the authorities have indicated that those living in boats will not be required to register, and this may be true elsewhere in Spain. However, Spanish regions have great autonomy, and differ widely in the way they implement, interpret and police any regulations, so if you are considering staying over winter, you should always enquire what local implications there are.
You are always more likely to draw the attention of the authorities if you do any un-declared work.
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