**CAUTION ** Depth reduced to less than 1 metre

[lenseman]

The RYA raised the issue of the reduced underwater clearance at the Kentish Flats/London Array export cable crossings at a recent meeting of NOREL - the offshore renewable energy forum. This is because, as a result of the rock berm, underwater clearance has been reduced to less than a metre where the cables cross. The RYA was not aware that the cables would have rock protection until we received a notice!

It would seem that the Marine Management Organisation, Trinity House and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, were also unaware that the developers were placing a rock berm in this area ' and are investigating how all this happened 'sight unseen'.

http://www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/ne...utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=june12-cruising

Although this is fairly close inshore (Herne Bay) coastal sailors need to be aware?
.
.
.

 

[Reverend Ludd]

The RYA raised the issue of the reduced underwater clearance at the Kentish Flats/London Array export cable crossings at a recent meeting of NOREL - the offshore renewable energy forum. This is because, as a result of the rock berm, underwater clearance has been reduced to less than a metre where the cables cross. The RYA was not aware that the cables would have rock protection until we received a notice!

It would seem that the Marine Management Organisation, Trinity House and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, were also unaware that the developers were placing a rock berm in this area ' and are investigating how all this happened 'sight unseen'.

http://www.rya.org.uk/newsevents/ne...utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=june12-cruising

Although this is fairly close inshore (Herne Bay) coastal sailors need to be aware?
.
.
.

Seems crazy that they wouldn't have been aware !!

 

[bluerm166]

BERM

Helpful but this time not a scoop.Its been in NTM for some time now and those in the vicinity who bother to switch from 16 to 23 will hear the buoyage info.repeated every three hours in the safety information.

 

[tillergirl]

And now there are the four yellow special marks around it!

 

[Burnham Bob]

Another case surely of cock up rather than conspiracy, although one does wonder how it came to be overlooked. And it demonstrates how little the wind farms actually do think of the leisure sailing fraternity. Or more likely the very low level at which decisions are taken.

 

[Cantata]

Yup, it was those nice people at ECP who howled about this in the first place and brought it to the attention of the RYA and Trinity House. It's been carried as an ongoing news item at the ECP website for a couple of months now, and there is a feature about the whole thing in the May edition of East Coast Sailing.
It's far from the end of the affair as there are more cables to be laid and more crossings to construct.
One further change will occur regarding the buoyage. Thanks largely to the efforts of one local Medway sailor, the southernmost of the yellow buoys will be replaced by a southerly cardinal, which will help in poor vis if you are confronted with a yellow buoy and wonder which way to turn.