1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Queen's Harbour Master Portsmouth that Five Navigation Lights sited on Piles in the Fareham Lake Area in the upper region of Portsmouth Harbour are to be removed. Work will commence in early February.

2. The lights to be removed are sited on the following Piles:-

Pile 31  – Port Hand Light
Pile 34a - Port Hand Light 
Pile 38  - Starboard Hand Light
Pile 39  - Starboard Hand Light
Pile 42  - Starboard Hand Light 

3. Once the Navigation Lights are removed a Navigation Warning (NAVWARN) will be issued by QHM Portsmouth to inform water users of their removal and to ensure awareness. The navigation warnings remaining extant until corrective chart action has been undertaken by the UKHO.

4. Therefore, mariners are requested to navigate with extra caution if navigating north of Bedenham Pier during the hours of darkness and reduce speed as necessary.

5. QHM Harbour Control will be kept informed of work in progress. They can be contacted on VHF Ch 11 or by telephoning 02392 723689 for the latest information. 

Latest Update

The Cruising Association’s latest position is that “for VAT purposes, the relevant day moves to the end of the transition period as the UK will remain in the customs union during this time”.   

Hence Brexit Day, for VAT purposes, now extends to the end of the period for trade negotiations which Boris promises to be completed by the end of this year.

More details at https://www.theca.org.uk/news/brexit_preparations_brittany

The Way to Go?

The USA-based Coast Survey chartmaker, formed in 1807 to produce regular updated nautical charts, has started a 5-year process to stop paper chart production by allowing users to create their own charts from the latest NOAA ENC (Electronic Navigation Chart) data.

Users can define the scale & size of custom nautical charts centred on any position of their choosing, then download, view & print the output.

https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2020/01/04/obtaining-noaa-paper-nautical-charts

Guidance for pleasure craft 

This handy leaflet describes regulations affecting owners and users of small pleasure boats concerning:

• voyage planning
  
• radar reflectors
  
• life saving signals
  
• assistance to other craft
  
• misuse of distress signals
  

Details can be found at:-

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/437161/74531_Solas_V_MCA098_100714_Ver1.pdf

Greenland sharks are the longest-living vertebrates known on Earth.   One female shark has been radio-carbon dated at around 400 years old.   These sharks grow at a rate of 1cm each year to reach reproductive maturity at about age 150.   The former vertebrate record-holder was a bowhead whale estimated to be around 200 years old (but still the oldest recorded mammal).   The female shark was likely born in the 17th century.  

More details can be found online at www.bbc.com/news/ & https://youtu.be/hz2HBk5sKlc

Christmas Quiz

A very Merry Christmas to all our members!

Test your knowledge over the holiday period by seeking answers to the following questions:-

Movies & Books

• Who starred in the Christmas movie ‘Jingle All the Way’?
  
• Who stole all things of Christmas from ‘the Who’s’?
  
• Who starred in the movie ‘White Christmas’?
  
• What was Scrooge’s first name in the novel ‘A Christmas Carol’?
  
• Who wrote ‘A Christmas Carol’?
  
• How many ghosts are there in ‘A Christmas Carol’?
  
• Name the animated Christmas movie starring Tom Hanks.
  

Foods

• What milk-based Christmas beverage comes in both alcoholic & non-alcoholic versions?
  
• Stollen is the traditional fruit cake of which country?
  
• What name is given to small sausages wrapped in bacon, a staple at a British Christmas dinner?
  
• Father Christmas' red & white costume was allegedly introduced by which drinks manufacturer?
  
• In which direction should you stir mincemeat for good luck; clockwise or anti-clockwise?
  
• What would you stick into an onion, when making a traditional bread sauce?
  
• A swede is a cross between which two vegetables?
  

For answers, and a complete list of 121 questions, click here.

A Little Local History

Tom Cunliffe, guest speaker at GCCC clubhouse in January this year, is shown around a WWII Defence Launch, based in Haslar Marina, and hears about it’s unique and remarkable history.

https://youtu.be/gsOSu5esexs

The aircraft carrier, which arrived at Portsmouth last month, will be joined by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall on December 10 for a commissioning ceremony.

The ceremony, lasting around 35 minutes, will include an inspection of the ship’s Royal Guard, a service by the Fleet Chaplain, music from the Band of the Royal Marines, cutting of the commissioning cake and a hoisting of the White Ensign to officially designate the ship as a part of the Royal Navy’s operational fleet.

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/

https://youtu.be/X5HU7FvVN6Y

Autonomous Vessels 

Saildrone ‘SD 1021’, the first autonomous vessel crossing the Atlantic Ocean in both directions, has completed the voyage of 3,402 nM in a record 68 days.

These unmanned surface vessels (USVs), powered entirely by wind & solar energy, can perform in the harshest ocean conditions whilst collecting data from both above and below the sea’s surface - including air & surface temperature, wind speed & direction, wave height & period, atmospheric pressure, radiation, dissolved oxygen, salinity and acidity levels.   ‘SD 1021’ also has an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) for both current strength & direction.

www.maritime-executive.com

PS.  With Argofloats and Saildrones as ‘Satellites of the Sea’, it’s no wonder foiling craft travelling at 40kts through the water risk catastrophic collision with ‘unknown objects’!!  (see Alex Thompson’s disaster at https://www.alexthomsonracing.com/blog/2019/11/08/alex-thomson-and-neal-mcdonald-arrive-safely-to-the-cape-verde-islands-onboard-hugo-boss/

The Big Squeeze

Last month,16th October, 929 passengers held their breath as their 22m-wide Fred Olsen cruise liner became the largest boat to pass through the narrow 25m-wide Corinth Canal and claim a world record!

Dividing Pelopónnisos from mainland Greece, the Corinth Canal has connected the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf since 1893.  A birdseye view of the cruise transit can be found at:- https://youtu.be/oPkrmTELao8