Archived decisions

Contact: Tony Clatworthy, tel 01489 576387 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report summarises the activities and events on the River from 4 April 2008. Any incidents taking place after this report is distributed will be the subject of a separate Annex to be distributed at the meeting. It also addresses the issue of taking advanced bookings for Harbour Authority visitor berths, first addressed by the Management Committee and Harbour Board in December 2005.

2. Recommendations

2.1 That:

On occasions and at the Harbour Master's discretion, advanced bookings may be accepted for moorings on the visitors pontoon and the two Harbour Authority jetties, provided that payment (non-refundable) is made in advance. Each boat that reserves a mooring in advance must also pay a £5 booking fee, and:

That the remainder of this report be noted.

3. Report

3.2 Summer timings commenced on 1 May 2008 and from that date the River was patrolled from 0600hrs until 2200hrs, and on weekends until 2300hrs and 2359hrs on special occasions. These timings will remain in place until 1 September 2008. Two summer coxswains commenced work on the 18 March with the remaining two commencing work on the 28 April.

4. Incidents

4.1 6 April: Two persons found on a private pontoon by the patrol. Their tender had capsized near the H piles and they had both climbed aboard a private pontoon without the aid of a safety ladder. Their tender was recovered by Hamble Lifeboat. Following hot drinks in the Harbour Office they went on their way.

4.2 13 April: Yacht `Pickle', a small yacht moored on Hamble Jetty overnight was reported as missing by the owner. The yacht was discovered by the patrol caught on mooring lines downstream from Hamble Jetty. It appeared that vandals had let the mooring warps go. No damage was found either on `Pickle' or any other boat in the area.

4.3 16 April: Patrol recovered and assisted a motor cruiser that had lost all power in the main channel off of Warsash Harbour Masters Jetty.

4.4 16 April: Patrols attended and laid oil spill booms and recovery equipment to contain a fuel oil spill in Hamble Yacht Services Boatyard. A main tank to a day tank sensor had failed thereby forcing fuel out through a breather pipe into the River. It was estimated that approximately 175 to 200 litres had been lost. This was contained and recovered using Harbour Authority Equipment. The boat owner was invoiced £1,038 for the equipment used and manpower supplied. It was estimated that minimal environmental damage was caused and no fuel was found laying on banks or inter-tidal mud or marsh.

4.5 18 April: Patrol assisted a yacht aground on Hamble Spit.

4.6 20 April: The League of Venture's towed a yacht into the River. The tow was taken over by the Patrol off of Warsash and the boat taken to a safe location. At this time there were many small yachts returning from racing in the main channel. The returning racing yachts displayed a lack of seamanship by not giving the patrol or the lifeboat room to manoeuvre and acted dangerously by cutting-up the towing rescue vessels.

4.7 25 April: A yacht was in collision with a moored vessel causing damage to the topsides of the moored yacht. The matter is being dealt with through the insurance services of the two boats involved. Accident caused through helmsman error and not a matter for the SMS.

4.8 27 April: A crewmember of a racing yacht was recovered to the Harbour Masters Jetty at Warsash. The man had been struck or was very near a lightning strike and was suffering from severe muscle pain and shock! The patrol applied first aid and an ambulance was called. On arrival the ambulance crew gave the casualty a complete check over in the ambulance and he was declared fit and well.

4.9 2 May: A young lady was found swimming in the River fully clothed and was forcibly rescued by the Patrol. It appeared the incident was an attempted suicide by a patient from Coldeast Hospital who was being held under section 17 of the Mental Health Act. The casualty was recovered to the Harbour Office and a change of clothing was supplied along with hot drinks. A paramedic checked the casualty and an ambulance then transferred the patient to Coldeast Hospital.

4.10 3 May: A report was received of a collision between a 40 foot motor yacht and a moored vessel on the `V' pile moorings at Bursledon. On further investigation it was determined that the cause was a combination of wind, tide and boat handling skills. This matter is in the hands of the insurance companies representing the two owners. No changes to the SMS or the navigation aids in that area are recommended.

4.11 5 May: Patrol observed a small oil spill in Universal Marina which was unable to be traced. A small absorbent blanket was deployed to recover the spill.

4.12 4 May: Patrol reports that there have been a number of incidents involving youths causing a nuisance in the area of Bursledon Pool and Swanwick. A number of complaints have been received and on one occasion the Patrol found four youths drifting upstream in the main channel at Bursledon in a small dinghy. They had no oars or lifejackets and the patrol returned them to X pontoon at Swanwick Marina. The Dockmaster called the police, who did not attend and did not give an incident number. The youths ran off and no details were obtained on that occasion. The next day there was another report of youths taking a tender but nothing was found when the patrol attended.

4.13 11 May: Police arrested three youths who had allegedly been involved in taking a tender and leaving it upturned in the mud along with its outboard engine. Police are dealing with the matter.

4.14 14 May: An open sailing Lugger (7metres) was in collision with a moored yacht. Patrol ensured details were exchanged to enable repairs to be arranged by the owners of both boats.

4.15 15 May: Patrol, Coastguard and Police involved in a search for three youths suspected of capsizing a small tender and in need of rescue. Police traced the youths' home address from a mobile phone found on the shore and are dealing with the matter.

4.16 15 May: Vessel observed speeding and causing a dangerous wash in the River. Investigations are proceeding with regard to a possible prosecution.

4.17 17 May: A 4 metre speed boat sank at the entrance to the River in the main channel between Piles 1 and 2. Three youths were rescued and returned to the Harbour Office. The matter is still under investigation and attempts are being made to locate the boat as it might be causing a danger to craft entering the River.

4.18 17 May: The Patrol saved a 4 metre motor boat from sinking in the Upper Hamble. The boat was recovered by the patrol to Swanwick slipway with two people aboard. The owner had failed to replace the bung in the transom of the boat.

5. Dinghy Racing Warsash Sailing Club

5.1 Dinghy racing commenced in April with the starts being held off the Warsash Jetty in the main channel. These races take place throughout the sailing season and are organised and run by Warsash Sailing Club. Close liaison takes place between the Race officer and the Duty Assistant Harbour Master prior and during the starting sequences.

5.2 A Notice to River Users has been published notifying all river users of the dates and times of these races and also requesting that all vessels proceed with caution. During the starting sequence, when as many as 30 dinghies could be on the water, two patrol boats have been, and will be on station upstream and downstream requesting passing boats to use the secondary channel or wait for the channel to clear following the start of the race.

6. Trinity House Inspection of Navigation Lights and Marks

6.1 The Trinity House inspector of Navigation Lights completed an annual inspection of all navigation marks and lights in the River. Four lights were found not to be illuminated and these lights are in the process of being repaired. The four offending lights are within the ownership of various boatyards and marinas.

6.2 The navigation lights on the A27 road bridge will shortly require replacing as the fixing have become unserviceable. The repair of the two lights could have a large impact on the navigation light budget owing to the difficulty of accessibility.

6.3 Owing to difficulty in River Users identifying the navigation light on pile C10 a new light will shortly be replacing the current light. The new light will have the same characteristics of the current light but will be twice as intense. Visiting masters and some River users have complained of difficulty in navigating from Warsash to Hamble at night and not being able to identify navigation lights. Masters have complained that the background lighting has obscured or made it difficult see the light on pile C10. The replacement light will overcome this difficulty.

6.4 An agreement has now been reached with the Southampton Harbour Master and consent has been received from Trinity House to establish a navigation light on the Bald Head buoy with a characteristic of Fl.G.2.5 seconds. It is hoped this will give mariners the confidence to cross the main channel in Southampton Water to the eastern side and also aid the approach to Hamble Spit buoy and thereby making a safer entry into the river. The light will be established in July during the local maintenance period for navigation lights.

7. Visitors - Advance Bookings

7.1 Harbour Office staff come under regular pressure to accept advance bookings

for visitors berths. At present, this pressure is usually resisted because of the extra work involved. The Harbour Offices experience of pre-booked moorings has often led to difficulties and has been very costly in both time and effort in trying to make difficult situations work.

7.2 Harbour Office staff have received a number of requests for advance bookings of the visitors pontoon and walk-ashore jetties. One request this year was for 23 boats over a weekend. Taking and confirming bookings for a large number of boats is complicated and has many pitfalls. Some of the difficulties are:

a. Even with signage in place, the patrol have to maintain a presence on the visitors pontoon and jetties at least 4 hours prior to the visitors booked arrival time to ensure boats do not moor in the reserved locations.

b. Booked boats often fail to show, meaning that those without reservations which have been turned away could have been accommodated.

c. Revenue is lost as a result of no-shows.

d. If boats visiting for more than one night choose to go out sailing during the day, their mooring must be reserved which involves the patrol being in the vicinity of the moorings keeping other boats away and ensuring that the moorings are available when the pre-booked visitors return. In this instance, the mooring must often remain unoccupied during the day, leading to further potential loss of income from short-stay customers.

7.3 The Visitor Strategy which was agreed by the Management Committee (6 December 2005) and Harbour Board (15 Dec 2005) states that:

' The Harbour Authority has no statutory remit to encourage visitors to the River Hamble or provide facilities for them'

The strategy explains the many reasons why accepting advanced bookings from visitors can be difficult and costly.  It also explains the case for an

administration fee in the event that an advanced booking is accepted.

7.4 It is therefore recommended that on occasions and at the Harbour Master's

discretion, advanced bookings may be accepted for moorings on the visitors pontoon and the two Harbour Authority jetties, provided that payment in full (non-refundable) is made in advance. Each boat that reserves a mooring in advance must also pay a £5 booking fee.

8. Staff Changes

8.1 The Assistant Harbour Master (Patrol), Mr Jamie Williams, has taken up a new post in Portsmouth with effect from 11th April. Jamie has worked for the Harbour Authority for six years starting as a seasonal coxswain and progressing to become an Assistant Harbour Master. Jamie has been replaced by Mr Brett Winslade who has already been working in the Harbour Office for a year.

9. Dates for the Diary

a. 10 May - Hamble River Raid

b. 28 June - 6 July - Hamble Week

c. 28 June - Round the Island Race

d. 5 June - Hamble Week Fireworks

e. 6 June - Harbour Masters Charity Pursuit Race

f. 10 - 12 June - Combined Clubs Dinghy Regatta

g. 2 - 9 August - Cowes Week

h. 8 August - Cowes Week Fireworks

i. 12 August (Tuesday) MacMillan Coffee Morning in the Harbour Office.

j. 22 - 24 August - Bursledon Regatta

k. 23 - August - Bursledon Regatta Fireworks

l. 12 - 21 September Southampton Boat Show

m. 13 July - Hamble Scramble

10. Impact Assessments

10.1 This report provides a position statement only, therefore an impact assessment, in terms of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act, has not been undertaken.