Cowes Harbour Commission Harbour Authority & Marine Services Newsletter 21st December 2018

Season's Greetings from Cowes Harbour Commission

Following last month’s update to stakeholders on the Outer Harbour Project, I am very pleased to report that Cowes Harbour Commission has today (Friday, 21st December) contracted Jenkins Marine to carry out the dredging works for the construction of the new Eastern Channel. The dredging operations will start on or shortly after 2nd January 2019 and it is expected that the Eastern Channel will be completed within eight weeks. The Small Craft Channel will stay open for use for the majority of this project, but there will be occasions when temporary exclusion zones may be in force around the dredging operations and vessels may be required to use the main fairway. Please read Local Notice to Mariners No. 33(T) of 2018 for detailed information. May I remind Isle of Wight readers about our ongoing design competition for Island students aged 14 to 18 years. If your teenagers are looking for something to do over the holidays, then entries to the Cowes Harbour Landmark Design Competition are open until 11th January. We are looking for an inspirational design idea for a ‘welcome’ landmark, sculpture or installation that could potentially be installed on the Cowes Breakwater at a future date. All the competition information and entry details are on our website .   As 2018 draws to a close I would to thank our Commissioners, the Harbour Advisory Committee, and the CHC team for their support throughout the year. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2019! Capt. Stuart McIntosh - Cowes Harbour Master

Mooring licence renewals Invitations to annual mooring holders to renew their mooring for 2019 were sent out in November and we would be grateful if you could return the annual licence renewal form as soon as possible. Please note that annual mooring renewal payments are due by Wednesday, 2nd January 2019.  A monthly instalment payment option is now available by direct debit mandate, with the first payment due by 2nd January and the licence to be paid in full by 30th June 2019. Additionally, we plan to introduce a new online payment system during 2019 and will appreciate your cooperation in the early stages of the roll-out. Find out more on the CHC website

Christmas and New Year Harbour Office: Cowes Harbour Office will close for the Christmas break at 1300 on Friday, 21st December 2018 and re-open at 0900 on Wednesday, 2nd January 2019. Emergency: The Duty Harbour Master can always be contacted out-of-hours in an emergency by calling Solent Coastguard on 02392 552100 or VHF Channel 16/67. Harbour Patrols: Daily river patrols will be carried out over Christmas and the New Year and our Berthing Masters will check all vessels, moorings and navigation marks in the harbour. Read online for Shepards Marina, Cowes Harbour Services Boatyard, and Fuel Berth opening hours, plus water taxi operating times

Upgrades to harbour turbidity monitoring equipment CHC’s harbour turbidity monitoring equipment is in the process of being upgraded to enable automatic data transmission instead of the current manual data collection. CHC set up a long-term programme to monitor the turbidity of the estuary in November 2015. This turbidity monitoring complements an annual audit of bed-level change in the estuary, achieved through multi-beam sonar bathymetric surveys each December. Together, the two monitoring activities provide a robust approach to understanding and managing the movement of sediment in the harbour, thus helping to inform dredging stakeholders when considering future maintenance dredging requirements.  Read more on the CHC website

Schedule of Charges 2019-20 You can find out about all of Cowes Harbour Commission's marine services and tariffs in our "Schedule of Charges & Special Offers" brochure for 2019-2020. Copies are now available to pick up at the Harbour Office, and Shepards Marina, as well as the Cowes Harbour Services Boatyard and Fuel Berth. View the "Schedule of Charges" brochure online

UKSA installs Island's first 'Seabin' Cowes-based youth charity UKSA has recently installed the Isle of Wight’s first ever ‘Seabin’ to aid the removal of plastics from the harbour. As part of UKSA’s plastic-free initiative, their National Citizen Service students chose to raise awareness of the Seabin Project and succeeded in attracting support to fund a Seabin at UKSA’s site on the River Medina. The Seabin was developed by the Seabin Project , whose ‘floating debris interception device’ has been called a ‘revolution in ocean cleaning technology’, helping to create cleaner oceans, preserve the environment and ensure healthier marine life. Read the full story on the CHC website

Ocean Youth Trust season review Ocean Youth Trust (OYT) South, a frequent visitor to Cowes Harbour, is a charity that uses ‘adventure under sail’ as a personal development opportunity for young people aged 12-25, taking them to sea in their 30-metre vessel Prolific. Mark Todd, Chief Executive for OYT South said: “I am delighted to report it has been another successful season with 99.8% of our berths sold and some incredible feedback from young people. The support Shepards Marina and Cowes Harbour Commission have given us has been invaluable. Indeed, I suspect apart from our home berth Shepards is the most visited marina by Prolific.   “In our end of year review we have tried to let the young people, our clients and parents explain in their own words just what this year’s voyages have meant to them.” Read the full article and season review online

Cowes tide tables 2019 The Cowes tide tables for 2019 are now available to view on the CHC website

No. 33(T) of 2018 Dredging Operations - Eastern Channel No. 30 of 2018 Vessel Movements in Restricted Visibility Within Cowes Harbour No. 14 of 2018 Speed Limit and Wash in Cowes No. 13 of 2018 Revised Set Of General Directions Come Into Force On 1st July 2018 No. 06 of 2018 Tidal Flows in Cowes Harbour Cowes Local Notices to Mariners

Weather and Tides Latest Harbour News Cowes Harbour Events Cowes Chain Ferry Cowes General Directions Cowes Harbour Developments CHC Annual Report CHC Strategic Plan Local Information Contact CHC More information on Cowes Harbour

Cowes Harbour Services

Cowes Harbour Shepards Marina

Schedule of Charges 2019-20

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Cowes Harbour Commission | chc@cowes.co.uk | 01983 293952

Cowes Harbour Advisory Committee  | chac@cowes.co.uk