Regulatory & Technical Services Group

In a strong display of international interest, the CA webinar on ‘Orca and Yachts: Fact, Fiction and Fear’ attracted a live audience of over 450 participants from 37 nations, spanning all continents.

The Cruising Association (CA) has launched an updated online portal and web pages for orca information and reporting, the result of a year-long effort to gather and analyse data on orca interactions.

The Cruising Association (CA) is hosting a free webinar for members and non-members on ‘Orca and Yachts: Fact, Fiction and Fear’ at 1900 hours BST (1800 hours UTC) on Thursday 18 May 2023.

The phenomenon of orcas damaging small yachts and other vessels along the south and west coasts of Spain and Portugal began in 2020. It is linked with the migration of tuna exiting the Mediterranean from the Strait of Gibraltar and heading West and North around the Iberian Peninsula, into the Bay of Biscay, primarily between the months of June and October.

The work of the CA’s Regulatory & Technical Services group (RATS) orca project continues, with the ongoing collation of interaction and uneventful passage reports in order to help research possible solutions to the phenomenon of orca interactions along the Iberian Peninsula.

On 1 January 2023, a Dutch sailor was killed by a malfunctioning flare during a passage in the Pacific Ocean.

The sailor fired the flare just after midnight to celebrate the New Year. Unfortunately, despite being deployed correctly, the flare malfunctioned and, despite the efforts of the crew, the sailor died shortly after the incident.

At this evening talk, on Wednesday 8 March 2023, the Cruising Association’s Regulatory & Technical Services group (RATS) will cover some of the hot topics on orcas, windfarms and taxes.

The evening is open to members and non-members, either in-person at CA House, London or via Zoom. It will take the form of five short presentations with the focus being on advice cruisers can use in practice, followed by a panel discussion and Q&As from the audience:

At a meeting with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on 14 December 2022, attended by RATS (Regulations and Technical Services Group) on behalf of the CA and by other boating organisations, it was announced that no changes will be made to the VAT rules for boats located in the EU on 31 December 2020 that had never been in the UK under their current ownership. If such boats enter UK waters while owned by a UK resident then UK VAT will be payable.

In our August newsletter to members, we reported that the CA’s Regulations and Technical Services group (RATS) had written to Trinity House regarding the timing of the Hurst Point Sector light being extinguished for maintenance – see Notice to Mariners 27/2022.