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Safety Warning : Seago 150 & 175 N lifejackets including junior.

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Spirit Dancer is a 12 person open 42foot canoe. The canoe has a full spray deck which encases the paddlers with individual cockpits as in a kayak. It is paddled using single bladed 'Canadian' paddles from a seated position, and can also sail given the right wind direction.

The Scottish Canoe Association is looking for paddlers aged 18 or over for a month of the journey starting in September.

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The Round Britain Race is a major national and international event – described as "one of the world's great races" . It last ran in 1984, and has been resurrected this year with the full support of the RYA and the Royal Navy, amongst others.

The fleet of some 60 offshore racing powerboats is due into the Forth on Friday June 27th from Inverness, and will be leaving again on Saturday June 28th (start time 10.00 from Queensferry) bound for Newcastle, and will almost inevitably be passing close to North Berwick. Great opportunity to see a fantastic spectacle.

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The following GPS jamming exercises, planned by the MoD have been publicised by Ofcom:

Dates: 31 March to 4 April 2008 Times: between 08:00 and 18:00 hrs Location: To sea from Bridlington - N54° 06.842’ W000° 05.045’ Contact: Trial Manager - 07766 134758

Dates: 20-21 April 2008 (26 April 2008 reserve day) Times: between 09:00 and 17:00 hrs Location: To sea from The Hebrides - N57° 14.4’ W007° 26.7’ Contact (during jamming exercise only) 07766 134520

Details of the trials are "restricted", but the government has said that the trials are intended to research "vulnerabilities in a range of military applications" of satellite navigation, although is has also been noted that the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory PR team have denied that such trial are taking place!

... goes live with Dame Ellen MacArthur DBE.

The RYA today launches an exciting new free to view online video channel, RYA TV. The service gets underway with Dame Ellen MacArthur DBE talking about the RYAs brand new, two-day ‘Basic Navigation and Safety’ course. RYA Training Manager, James Stevens, and course co-author Ian Jinks join the round the world sailor to tell visitors what they can expect to learn on the course, which covers both power and sail.

With a new programme scheduled every six weeks, RYA TV aims to bring members and website visitor news, comment, views and issues on the work of the RYA, directly from the people who are doing it. Produced in partnership with online TV channel Yachting TV, RYA TV is available to view through www.rya.org.uk and at www.yachtingtv.co.uk.

Rod Carr, RYA Chief Executive, said: “We are really excited about the introduction of RYA TV. People will be able to see behind the scenes and get a real feel for the work that we are doing for them because they will be watching it and watching the people involved”.

Louise Nicholls, RYA Communications Manager said: “More and more people are using internet TV. It’s so convenient, there are no schedules, you can watch it when you choose and where you choose. Coupled with the RYA website, magazine and newsletter, RYA TV will be another great way for people to stay in touch with us”.

Programme collaborator Yachting TV is an online television programme covering all aspects of cruiser sailing, with features from some of the UK’s top yachting journalists. Producer Steve Adams has over 15 years broadcast TV experience in roles ranging from editing to direction.

Louise Nicholls commented: “It’s been great working with Yachting TV. We wanted a quality product with high production values and Steve and his team were able to deliver the standard we wanted.

Steve Adams said: “I think that it is great that a key organisation like the RYA has grasped this growing medium and is using it to the benefit of all of who love to be out on the water. We are delighted to be working with them on this exciting new project.”

For further media information:
RYA Press Office
Tel: 02380 604 215
Email: emma.slater@rya.org.uk

Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman announced today that he will be pressing ahead with the introduction of an alcohol limit for non-professional mariners.

The limit of 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood will be equivalent to that already in existence for professional mariners, and will apply to those persons involved in the navigation of a vessel greater than 7 metres in length and/or capable of a maximum speed of more than 7 knots.

The limit for non-professional mariners is being introduced after a consultation in 2004. Announcing the results of the consultation, Dr Ladyman said:

"Everyone has the right to enjoy themselves on the water, but in a way that does not put others at risk. We have weighed very carefully the results of the consultation exercise and the views of all concerned - leisure sailors, enforcement authorities and accident investigators.
I am satisfied that in bringing in an alcohol limit for non-professional mariners and in setting the exclusion limit at 7 metres and 7 knots we are providing the best balance between improving safety and avoiding unnecessary regulation."

The Department will be consulting on a set of draft regulations later in the Summer.

Dr Ladyman said the regulations will not apply to jet skis:

"Jet skis will not be included in the regulations for now because the Court of Appeal has ruled that jet skis are not ships and are not therefore within the scope of the existing legislation I intend to consult on extending the legislation to them in due course."

Low-duty diesel for leisure boats will end on November 1st, 2008, and from October 1st this year, duty on red diesel will rise 2p, from 7.69p to 9.69p.

The unexpectedly long period of transition should make it possible to find a workable and enforceable mechanism for the switch-over, but it will be difficult to find one that is acceptable to all parties.

There has been speculation that red diesel will remain indefinitely, with fuel vendors being made to switch between higher and lower rates of duty at the pump for commercial and leisure users. This would not solve the problem of boat owners being prosecuted abroad for having red diesel in their tanks.

Many marinas sell far more diesel to leisure users than commercial users, and many leisure users will feel that if they are paying full duty they would expect to have white diesel, which they believe is generally cleaner and of higher quality and better for their engines.

Would it make more sense for vendors to sell all white diesel, switching between rates of duty at the pump? Or will vendors be required to have two pumps, and if so who will pay for the installations - and the cleaning of tanks, where necessary?

There are actually some very tricky issues to be resolved in that appropriately long consultation period.

EU refuses to extend red diesel derogation

In a move that will have a major impact on British boaters and the leisure marine industry the European Commission has rejected the government's application to renew the UK's derogation on red diesel for private recreational boaters.

The end of red diesel derogation will have a major economic impact on UK boaters, both sail and power, and could cause a significant downturn in the sport, as new and existing owners face considerably higher fuel costs.

The RYA and BMF welcomed the Treasury Minister, John Healey's acknowledgement of the problems that will flow from this decision, and has confirmed that the UK Government will consult with boating organisations to develop and implement a sensible timetable for transitional measures to alleviate the effects on the boater and the industry.

The RYA and BMF say that they will continue to work closely with Government and their respective members to ensure that key issues of cost, availability, and safety are addressed by the transitional measures.

What happens now? Although the derogation officially ends on 31 December nothing will happen for the moment. The government has to work out what measures are necessary, how to enforce them and in what timeframe this will take place. The Treasury Minister, John Healey, made it clear to the Commissioner that the UK will need a transitional period in which to implement the changes required. The Commissioner acknowledged this but ultimately the Commission has to agree to such transitional arrangements.

So what does this mean for us now? Some of the key issues which face us all are:

• The future availability of white diesel at our docksides, particularly in rural/ remote areas where red diesel is likely to remain the only fuel available at the waterside
• How Government tackles enforcement fairly given that our fuel systems will still have red dye in them for many years to come
• The impact of a more than twofold increase in fuel prices and significant compliance costs on the overall cost of our boating
• The impact these increased boating costs will have on marinas and boatyards together with security costs and investment in new infrastructure (tanks, pumps etc.)

On Dec 1st, Ofcom launched an online lifetime licensing service for ships’ and amateur radio. The new system will ease administration and reduce costs for over 130,000 individual licensees.

The free online ships’ radio licence will be valid for the life of the vessel and licensees are required to confirm their details at least once every 10 years.

The free amateur radio licence will remain valid for life but licensees must confirm their details at least once every five years. The new system will enable users to apply for a licence as well as update and validate details online.

Ofcom will continue to make paper licences available for applicants who do not have access to, or prefer not to use, the internet. However, those applying via a paper-based application will be subject to a £20 charge. Amendments to lifetime radio licences will be free for both online users and those preferring to use paper based amendment forms.

From today Ofcom will take over the licensing process which was previously handled by the Royal Mail Radio Licensing Centre. Ofcom will replace all valid annual licences with new free lifetime licences from December 2006.

The online licensing website can be found at: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/licensing/olc/

Changes to the Maritime Safety Information Service. Published: 06/09/2006

The RYA has worked closely with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to ensure that the views of pleasure boaters were given full consideration, in the development of changes to the Maritime Safety Information Service, which will take effect from 1 February 2007.

Changes are being made to both the content of the broadcasts and the transmission procedures, the details of the new times and the transmitters are available to download above.

The MSI is a weather forecast broadcast released by the UK's 18 Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres, which the Centres currently release in a 'round' taking 4 hours. This means that the last MRCC in the cycle releases information that is already four hours old. Thanks to a re-allocation of channels, this broadcast cycle will be reduced to one and a half hours. Announcements will continue to be made on VHF Channel 16 prior to the start of the MSI broadcast, but they will be shorter and more focused.

From 1 February 2007 there will be 2 full MSI broadcasts a day. The times for these have been set in consultation with the RYA to fit with the start of the sailing day or a night passage. There will also be two additional interim forecasts meaning that boaters will have access to an updated inshore forecast every 6 hours. MSI will be broadcast in local time such that the 'clock time' that the broadcasts will be received at will remain the same throughout the year.

Strong Wind Warnings (SWW) will serve as a function of the Inshore Forecasts similar to the way in which Gale Warnings do to the Shipping Forecast. If the wind is forecast to exceed force 6 but this was not identified in the previous Inshore Forecast a SWW will be issued. It will then be incorporated into the next Inshore Forecast.

The WZ navigation warning areas will also be brought more closely into line with the inshore forecast area boundaries to increase the ease of cross referencing weather and navigation information.

Stuart Carruthers, RYA Cruising Manager said; "We are delighted that the MCA has listened to the requirements of leisure boaters that we have presented in making these changes. The Maritime Safety Information service forms a backbone of information crucial to short passage making and coastal cruising yachtsmen, motorboaters and day sailors. As well as the actual safety benefits from more frequent forecasts, this represents a great psychological boost for all VHF equipped coastal boaters who can now be confident that they are never more than six hours away from a weather update."