Working together

The events of 5 November this year were overshadowed by the Kahu incident on the River Medina, which saw a luxurious motor yacht sink after a large fire onboard the vessel. We have summarised what happened in our report opposite, which also links to our press releases and images of the salvage operation.

 

The recovery of the Kahu from the riverbed posed significant challenges that had to be overcome in a safe and controlled manner, and the 24 hour multi-agency operation was an outstanding team effort. I would like to say a big 'thank you' to all those involved for their hard work throughout, including our CHC team who responded admirably and put all our emergency planning and training into extremely good use during the incident.

 

Meanwhile, I was very pleased to welcome Jock Rafferty to the Harbour Commission last month; you can read about his new role at Shepards in this newsletter.
 
The construction tenders for the breakwater are now in, and we are working with our project managers Atkins to review and evaluate the design and build tenders. We are still planning on awarding the contract in January, which will enable construction to commence in the first quarter of 2014. 

 

Do check our December news for information on Christmas and New Year river patrols, opening times for Cowes Harbour Fuels, and how to contact the Harbour team over the festive period.

Best regards,

blue sig

Captain Stuart McIntosh,

Cowes Harbour Master

 

Breakwater tenders in

CHC has now received all tenders from the short-listed companies who are competing  for the design and build contract of the new Cowes Breakwater.

 

The prestigious contract is due to be awarded in January next year, with the target start date for construction on the breakwater still set for the first quarter of 2014.

 

CHC moorings renewals

We would like to remind all CHC licenced mooring holders that renewal notices have been issued and the deadline for payment of annual moorings licences is Monday, 6 January 2014.

For any queries, please contact Shepards Wharf Marina on 01983 297821.

 

Consultation continues

As reported last month, the Harbour Commission has reviewed the new Cowes General Directions, which were introduced in April of this year, and proposed some revisions for introduction on 1 January 2014. The formal consultation period on this revised set of General Directions continues until Friday, 13 December.

 

You are invited to submit comments on the proposals, which should be sent to CHC, and copied to the Advisory Committee (CHAC) as the statutory consultee, at: Cowes Harbour Commission, Harbour Office, Town Quay, Cowes, Isle of Wight PO31 7AS. Emails may be sent to: [email protected], and copied to [email protected].

 

Sign up for Cowes news

We would like to encourage all our readers to share this newsletter with family and friends via the "Forward email" link at the foot of this email.

Alternatively, just scan the above QR code with a smart phone to register for free CHC E-newsletters. 
 

Please keep in touch!

Cowes Harbour Commission is always happy to gain feedback on its services and on the issues it is tackling on behalf of all harbour users and stakeholders.

If you would like to talk to the Harbour Master, Capt. Stuart McIntosh or to Rod Hodgson, the Deputy Harbour Master, please feel free to call into the Harbour Office on Town Quay, phone and make an appointment on:
 01983 293952, or email: [email protected]. 
 
CHC also owns and operates the following commercial services: Shepards Wharf Marina, Kingston Marine Services & Boatyard, Cowes Harbour Moorings, and Cowes Harbour Fuels. 

You can keep up-to-date with all CHC news on our website:
 

CHC Local Notices to Mariners (LNTMs)

Sailors and boaters using Cowes Harbour are advised to regularly check current Notices to Mariners.

Links to recent LNTMs:

No. 32(T) of 2013: Diving and Underwater Maintenance Works on Trinity Landing

No. 27 of 2013: Small Craft Channel

No. 22 of 2013: Regular Sail Boat Racing in the Approaches to Cowes Harbour

No. 19 of 2013: Use of 'Kill Cords' On-Board Powered Craft

No. 15 of 2013: New Cowes General Directions Come into Force on the 2nd of April 2013

No. 14 of 2013: Navigation within the Cowes Harbour Fairway

No. 13 of 2013: Use of Engines by Sailing Vessels in the Inner and Outer Fairways

No. 11 of 2013: Approaches to Cowes Harbour

No. 10 of 2013: Cowes Roads and Main Harbour Areas Restricted Areas

All current Notices are available on the CHC website.
 
Above: The luxury motor yacht Kahu is successfully raised from the riverbed at East Cowes Marina after a great team effort.
Superyacht Kahu sinks after fire
The sad loss of the 70 foot luxury motor yacht Kahu, which caught fire and subsequently sank at East Cowes Marina on Tuesday, 5 November, has been widely reported around the world.

Raising the Kahu. Credit: Barney Sollars/CHC.

 

Thankfully, there were no casualties and nobody was onboard the vessel at the time of the fire. However, the Kahu  sank with approximately 8,000 litres of marine diesel fuel oil on board and Harbour Master Capt. Stuart McIntosh immediately activated CHC's Harbour Emergency Plan and Oil Spill Response Plan.

 

Cowes Harbour Commission has a well planned and rehearsed response for pollution incidents, with back-up provided from specialist Oil Spill Response contractor Adler and Allan. The operation to recover the sunken Kahu involved a 24/7, multi-agency response, with CHC teams working alongside Adler and Allan, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Solent Environment Group, as well as local dive teams, whose combined efforts resulted in the safe salvage of the 114 ton vessel on Tuesday, 12 November.

 

Capt. Stuart McIntosh reported at the time: "It's reassuring to know that within the Cowes and Solent region the expertise exists to handle an incident of this magnitude.

 

"The professionalism shown by the salvage team was exemplary together with the efforts from my own team here at the Harbour Commission. All the players went the extra mile to achieve an excellent result."

 

The remains of the Kahu have now been transported by a flat top barge to Camber Dock, Portsmouth for disposal. Andrew Healy, Counter Pollution and Salvage Officer at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, concluded: "This was a model multi-agency response to a complex pollution incident, and there was very minimal impact on the local environment as a result."

New Marina and Moorings Manager

Towards the end of October, we welcomed Jock Rafferty to the Cowes Harbour Commission team, taking over as our new Marina and Moorings Manager responsible for Shepards Wharf Marina and Cowes Harbour Moorings.

 

Jock has extensive marina background in both the marine leisure and commercial sectors,  including posts at managerial level, new build commissioning, and superyacht construction. 

 

He joins the Harbour Commission from the position of Senior Captain and Operations Manager for ASP Shipping, where he was responsible for commissioning offshore wind farm boats - similar to the South Boats wind farm support vessels that ply up and down the River Medina.

 

After nearly a month in his new post with CHC, Jock said: "It's been very good so far, everyone at Shepards has been fantastic. The marina is extremely well organised and well run and my focus will be to build on what has already been achieved here, highlighting that we aim to provide "premier" services to our marina and dry sailing customers."

 

Jock's appointment as Marina and Moorings Manager means that Rod Hodgson, Deputy Harbour Master and Pilot, is now based back at the Harbour Office. See our December E-newsletter for COWES.co.uk's interview with Rod.

 

Read the full story on COWES.co.uk.

Trinity Landing winter works

CHC plans to remove the Trinity Landing pontoon ashore this winter for planned maintenance and modifications to the connecting joints between the five pontoon sections.

The removal of services and lifting of the access bridge commenced on Monday, 25 November; therefore, the pontoons are not available for use at this time.

 

The pontoons will be taken initially to a safe river mooring position before being lifted out at Kingston Wharf for the proposed modifications to the joints. CHC is going to take this opportunity to carry out a full inspection of the pontoons, deck structure, paintwork and associated systems and then carry out the appropriate maintenance.

 

CHC would like to apologise for any inconvenience and plans to have the pontoons back in place and ready for use by April 2014.

 

For further information, please see Local Notice to Mariners No. 32(T) of 2013: Diving and Underwater Maintenance Works on Trinity Landing.

Police advice on boat security

CHC has been notified by the Police that investigations are ongoing regarding a series of thefts from boats moored in the Cowes area over the past couple of months.

Police believe that the suspects are using another vessel at night, such as a dingy, to reach boats that are moored alongside pontoons, piles, and even in marinas. On each occasion, the cabins have been broken into, fishing equipment, televisions, and other items have been stolen.

 

Boat owners are advised to be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour to Police.

 

PC Martin Egerton said: "I would encourage boat owners to check that their boat cabins are secure, and to record the makes and models of any equipment stored on their boats.

 

"The Police Marine Unit are continuing to patrol the River Medina, but if you see anyone suspicious in the area please record their descriptions and contact the Police."

 

Senior Berthing Master for CHC, Barry Watkin, added: "Keys are all too often left onboard in obvious places; it really makes the job of those with dubious intent far too easy. Don't leave valuables onboard and on show; use padlocks on hatches - think deterrent. Keep your vessel safe and enjoy it, that's what it's all about." 

 

Should you have any information relating to the thefts from boats, or the stolen items, please contact Hampshire Constabulary on 101 asking to speak to PC Martin Egerton from Cowes Police Station.

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