News

Following our piece last month on VHF radio checks, RATS has come across the use of National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) stations to check AIS transmissions. This seems to us to be good practice, certainly at the beginning of the season. A vessel’s AIS transceiver may use the same antenna as the VHF set or a separate one. As with VHF radios the most likely cause of any fault is the antenna or cable or the splitter (if the antenna is shared with VHF).

CA member alert: refer a friend to the CA and you could be a winner!

Nigel Irens, a leading yacht designer, recently delivered a fascinating 2019 Hanson Lecture entitled ‘Slippery Boats’ to a 60-strong audience at CA House.

Irens is possibly best known in yachting circles for designing Adventurer, a 34.4m (113ft) trimaran motor yacht that completed a record-breaking global circumnavigation in 1998 – the first boat voyage around the world to take less than the 80 days of Jules Verne’s classic novel.

The Cruising Association (CA) is delighted to have partnered with marine safety experts Ocean Safety to launch an exclusive-to-members 2019 big prize draw with valuable prizes worth a total of £2,380. CA members can enter at any CA-run event they attend from 1st February 2019, or by emailing a picture of their burgee being flown anywhere in the world. The Draw will run until 18 September 2019.

IMPORTANT STOP PRESS: There have been various comments concerning it being an April Fool because the Greek government has not yet updated its own official online documentation ...however we have also now been advised that the Greek government has since announced the delay is now until 9th May instead of 2nd May as they need the extra time to implement the tax - see photo (also attached below) - the only proof