Notices to Mariners, Week 45 (and 44)

[tillergirl]

With apologies for my absence last week.

Permanent

Nothing within the area this week.... but last week

1. Fog signals on the Scoby Sands Wind Farm have had their characteristics changed to (1) 10s on each of the four lit turbines at the four corners of the wind farm;
2. The PLA has played around with it's Pilot points renaming the NE Spit DW point to Tongue and the NE Spit (Port of London and Medway) to NE Spit and creting another one at the NE Goodwin - which is near the NE Goodwin. No the most exciting init?

Temporary

1. Weather buoy established off the North-West corner of the Kentish Flats Wind Farm - big lit yellow special mark;
2. Harwich is lifting the seasonal recreation marks as usual - list in the notice;
3. Sunken workboat on its moorings in Tower Reach, Medway off Hathaway Court, awash at low water, covered at high water;
4. Piling in the River Yare at Great Yarmouth by Gorleston Pier;
5. Coastal Defence work on Lowestoft Beach, working craft likely to obstruct entrance to harbour while moving about.

That is it.

 

[LittleSister]

thanks.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Roger,

All day sat and sun, Thames CH were reporting unlit metal cans in positions subject to regular change off the Gunfleet windfarm... surprised that isn't on the NTM.... and even more surprised that the wind farm companies are allowed to put in unlit bouys of that nature!

 

[Athene V30]

They seem to leave unnecessary lights on the turbines at night so not sure they think about other mariners

 

[LittleSister]

All day sat and sun, Thames CH were reporting unlit metal cans in positions subject to regular change off the Gunfleet windfarm... .... and even more surprised that the wind farm companies are allowed to put in unlit bouys of that nature!

Yes I heard that, and wondered the same.

 

[tillergirl]

Well, there is nothing in the 'regular' temporary notices which are issued by various authorities - Harwich Haven, Brightlingsea HM etc. The Gunfleet wind farm does issue notices but doesn't have a web site on which to do it but I am on their email list so should have had one if they have published one. Their last on this subject was in Week 38 of the temporary list from which you will see that there is nothing about metal cans. And yet someone has bothered to tell Thames. Was it a nav warning during the MSI or less 'official' warning. I could email Dong and point out it would be helpful to have a notice on this sort of thing. The other thing I don't do at the moment is get the nav warnings that are broadcast with the MSI. I could try to get those either by an arrangement with the CG or wondering if my handheld will pick the broadcast up at home. Would people like that to be added if possible?

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

It was part of the MSI, so official I guess.

I can only speak for myself, but i'd like to see the MSI nav warnings in your info, but I would imagine that you'd need to do some fairly heavy pruning... and I am already conscious of the time the existing updates must take you!

 

[Bru]

Just wondering if this ongoing business of stuff being moored in the Wallet might be connected to the sea defences works target than the windfarm?

 

[tillergirl]

Possible that it is the sea defence work - which from memory I think was an/a Harwich NtM. I'll see tomorrow if I can pick up the MSI on my handheld. Anyone remind me of the times without looking it up?

 

[AliM]

When we sailed up the wallet on Friday, the tug and huge lighter were there, about halfway between the windfarm and the Clacton coast, and a ship was nearby. It looked as if the ship was loading rocks into the lighter, which then gets pushed along the cable runs to drop the rocks in the right place. They did not seem to be concerned with either the windfarm itself, or the coast defences. When we sailed back on Sunday, the lighter was anchored off Mersea Stone - it is huge and has several large diggers on board.

There is also some work on one of the turbines, which has been going on for several weeks, with a big crane on a platform, but that too didn't seem to be connected.

We didn't see the buoys that were mentioned on the VHF warnings. I got the impression that they were moored within the windfarm, rather than in the Wallet.

 

[tillergirl]

When we sailed up the wallet on Friday, the tug and huge lighter were there, about halfway between the windfarm and the Clacton coast, and a ship was nearby. It looked as if the ship was loading rocks into the lighter, which then gets pushed along the cable runs to drop the rocks in the right place. They did not seem to be concerned with either the windfarm itself, or the coast defences. When we sailed back on Sunday, the lighter was anchored off Mersea Stone - it is huge and has several large diggers on board.

There is also some work on one of the turbines, which has been going on for several weeks, with a big crane on a platform, but that too didn't seem to be connected.

We didn't see the buoys that were mentioned on the VHF warnings. I got the impression that they were moored within the windfarm, rather than in the Wallet.

There are definitively two separate bits of work going on. This is the text from week 37 on the beach defences:

Mariners are advised that Coastal Defence Works are continuing along the beach between Clacton and Holland on Sea. The first phase of the project which should be completed by the end of 2014 will involve removal of existing groynes, construction of rock groynes and beach replenishment. The construction and beach replenishment works will involve a number of dredging craft plus barges and other vessels for transportation of materials. The construction phase will consist of the import of rock armour by sea, and transhipment and placement of the rock replenishment onto the beach. The rock import vessels Liamare and Henriette will transfer their cargoes to the barge Bolle VIII towed by the tug Afon Goch in the trans-shipment area. The barge will then be routed to the shore works area on either the designated west or east route as per the attached chartlet.

The chartlet has the Wallet (proper) as the transhipment point which is what you are describing.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Possible that it is the sea defence work - which from memory I think was an/a Harwich NtM. I'll see tomorrow if I can pick up the MSI on my handheld. Anyone remind me of the times without looking it up?

Ten past the hour every three hours... starting at 01:10

 

[tillergirl]

Excellent. I am turning on my handheld now.

 

[tillergirl]

Oh dear, I'm out of practice.

Today's MSI. 3 local navigation warnings

1. Number of large white steel buoys in the Wallet, frequently moved. Up to date positions can be obtained from Thames Coastguard;
2. Black Deep No 9 at 51.35131N 001.15.09E, light reported unreliable. Mariners passing are requested to report on the status of the light to Thames CG;
3. Shoeburyness Ranges in use today from 0830 to 1630. Mariners advised to keep clear.

I shall have to have a recorder on. The issue for adding these to the NtM service is that I really can only commit to adding what is in force on Monday evenings. I might be able to add others from time to time.

Handheld worked well but then I suppose I am only 2 miles from the Bradwell aerial and of course on top of the hill at Mersea.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Oh dear, I'm out of practice.

Today's MSI. 3 local navigation warnings

1. Number of large white steel buoys in the Wallet, frequently moved. Up to date positions can be obtained from Thames Coastguard;
2. Black Deep No 9 at 51.35131N 001.15.09E, light reported unreliable. Mariners passing are requested to report on the status of the light to Thames CG;
3. Shoeburyness Ranges in use today from 0830 to 1630. Mariners advised to keep clear.

I shall have to have a recorder on. The issue for adding these to the NtM service is that I really can only commit to adding what is in force on Monday evenings. I might be able to add others from time to time.

Handheld worked well but then I suppose I am only 2 miles from the Bradwell aerial and of course on top of the hill at Mersea.

What a star!... not much chance of me getting VHF here... I'm 30 miles from the nearest bit of sea, and a 100 from the Thames Estuary!

 

[tillergirl]

I know a handheld isn't a true test but it has only crackled to life three times since 10am - and two of those were the MSI. I guess life for the CG is feast or famine. I wonder if they ever feel like asking if anyone is out there?

 

[Cantata]

There was quite a lot of CG traffic Mon/Tues when I was out yottin.
I wonder if there might be some copyright issue with you putting MSI content on your website?

 

[Bru]

I wonder if there might be some copyright issue with you putting MSI content on your website?

Fair use surely?

The bigger issue would be that it is technically a breach of the relevant law on marine radio but I think a public interest defence would fly there

(Of course, I'm a sparky not a lawyer so I might be wrong!)

 

[tillergirl]

I was going to speak to them and see if there was some way of getting the info direct from them anyway. Listening to the handheld is ok but it's a bit flakey. That will probably get me referred to a civil servant somewhere which will be fun. By the way, I have a licence from the UKHO for the NtM service. The trouble with permissions is not that they are difficult to get per se but that they come with the requirement for all sorts of disclaimers. The good thing about them is once you have one, you can say you have it everybody assumes quite wrongly that you can be trusted. Bit like using the word 'intelligence'. If you say you have intelligence that, well, for example Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction, everybody says, well you better get on and invade; whereas if you use the right language and say 'I have an assessment that Saddam has weapons of mass destruction', everybody says, well, yes, but who did your assessment and on what basis. And when you reveal the answer to that, you don't go to war. Hey ho, it's a tricky devious world.......

 

[LittleSister]

I am only 2 miles from the Bradwell aerial and of course on top of the hill at Mersea.

A hill on Mersea? Is this new?