December 2021
Message from Gary
The festive season is almost upon us but due to some unseasonably good weather, we are still seeing a steady flow of boats enjoying a day out on the water.
 
Our boatyard at Kingston Wharf is busy as owners are taking advantage of the good weather to work on their boats carrying out winter maintenance tasks, and the team at Shepards Marina are very busy managing annual mooring and event bookings for next year.
 
I am pleased to report that we have just appointed Cedar Marine to carry out a Carbon Management audit of CHC. The team at Cedar Marine will assess our baseline emissions across our buildings, infrastructure, and supply chain, and then develop an action plan that will enable us to deliver improvements over a five year period. Once a plan has been established, CHC will then work with key stakeholders in Cowes so they too can help contribute to a cleaner maritime future.
 
We have also started work on our next 5-year strategic plan that will take us through to 2027. As always, the Board of Commissioners remain enthusiastic about the development of Cowes Harbour and the River Medina and supporting the many events that take place in Cowes throughout the year. Our plans for the next five years therefore focus on continuing to maintain a thriving port that is fit for the future’, the full details of which will be available from early in the new year when we launch the 5-year Strategic Plan.
 
Finally, from everyone at Cowes Harbour Commission, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you all our best wishes for the festive season and a prosperous New Year.
Gary Hall
Chief Executive - Cowes Harbour Commission

Harbour Master's
Safety Briefing
Night Navigation
Now that the days are getting shorter and the sun is setting earlier, the importance of night navigation cannot be understated. As part of our statutory requirements, CHC has a duty as the Local Lighthouse Authority (LLA) to ensure that all the navigational lights in our area are functioning correctly.
Familiarization with the light characteristics is fundamental to successful night navigation, as it will help you determine your position with a high degree of accuracy. If you know what lights you expect to see, it makes it much easier for you to verify your position. If you have an accurate position fix and you either don’t see a light you expect to see, or see a light you don’t expect to see, this should be reported to CHC who, as the LLA, will take the appropriate action. You can report this through CHC Incident Reporting Form located at https://www.cowesharbourcommission.co.uk/incident.
Another key part of safe night navigation is displaying the correct light characteristics whilst you navigate on your vessel. The International Rules for Preventing Collisions at Sea (IRPCS) Section D Rule 20 states that:
(a) Rules in this Part shall be complied with in all weathers.
(b) The Rules concerning lights shall be complied with from sunset to sunrise and during such times no other lights shall be exhibited, except such lights as cannot be mistaken for the lights specified in these Rules or do not impair their visibility or distinctive character or interfere with the keeping of a proper look-out.
(c) The lights prescribed by these Rules shall, if carried, also be exhibited from sunrise to sunset in restricted visibility and may be exhibited in all other circumstances when it is deemed necessary
IRPCS Section D provides details on which lights each different types of vessels shall display. Where lights are displayed correctly, it ensures that other vessels can correctly identify you and, where required, ensure that both vessels take the correct and appropriate action to avoid a close quarters situation or collision. For further information on which lights a vessel is required to display, please follow this link: http://gosailing.info/navigation-lights-colregs/.
With the sun setting earlier each day it can be quite easy to forget to switch on your navigation lights, especially when navigating in such proximity to shore lights when in areas such as the Inner Harbour. The back scatter from shore lights can make it more difficult to spot a vessel that’s not displaying their navigation lights, as the silhouette is lost against the shoreline.

Remembering WW1




Although the First World War has faded far from living memory, its effects on families and communities globally are still felt and influenced within our modern society. To the changes of our Islands structure or the memorials that scatter the UK in remembrance, society are reminded of the conflict our people persevered through from 1914 to 1918. In honour of Armistice this passing month, CHC thought it only appropriate to recognise and give homage to the people who fought for our country and freedom.
 
What better way to honour than to acknowledge the Home Front during World War 1. The first world war was the dawning of change in societal roles, and men and women together became the backbone of support for soldiers abroad. The needs by the forces for new weaponry and communications created a demand at large of the islands industries. Ship and boat construction was an ideal location geographically, for the island to supply for the force’s departures towards Europe. 
J Samuel Wight Shipyard
At the mouth of the River Medina, sits a 1912 Hammerhead Crane, constructed by Babcock and Wilcox for the Cowes shipbuilder JS White. A name and location that will forever be a part of the Islands Maritime history and assistance during both World Wars. The crane was constructed in 1912 and although it was initially constructed to build 6 destroyers for the Chilean Navy, it was a vital piece of equipment for the further 252 vessels built during WW1 & WW2 for the Royal Navy. It is now the last standing pre-WW2 dockyard crane left in existence in England.
The company produced highly innovative Destroyers as well as Frigates, Torpedo Boats, Patrol boats, Lifeboats and even submarines. In 1914 - 2000 men worked at the yard, which doubled by the end of the war in 1918. Four of the ships ordered by the Chilean Navy were requisitioned by the Royal Navy prior to their completion and the outbreak of WW1. These were at the time the world’s largest destroyers.
Battle of Dover

In this article we are going to bring light to a unique story by one of the very destroyers built in Cowes at JS White shipyard.
 
On 20 – 21 April 1917 HMS Broke with another large destroyer leader HMS Swift, 2 of the 4 destroyers acquired by the Royal Navy and built by JS White in Cowes, assisted their comrades in the Battle of Dover Strait against a flotilla of six German torpedo boats from Zeebrugge. Her Commander Edward Evans rammed a SMS G42 and the two ships became locked together. While embraced, German soldiers took their opportunity to board their vessel, for a while there was hand to hand fighting. The Commander took to quick thinking to detach his ship from the enemy. As Broke finally parted ways from the German ship it was soon swallowed by the sea and the enemy had been defeated. The impact on both ships created horrific damage with 21 British soldiers dead and 36 wounded. The German vessel started its journey to the ocean floor while HMS Broke was towed back to Dover licking its wounds but triumphant in its fight. The bravery of the soldiers who prepared for hand-to-hand combat and the Commander was widely recognised amongst the forces. Edward Evans was awarded the Distinguished Service order and adopted the name by the media as ‘’Evans of the Broke’’

The United Kingdom has many a tale of the triumphant battles during World War 1 and the Isle of Wight's contribution to its country stands strong in its role of assistance. Many maritime tales of the powerful ships were all produced on the Isle Of Wight. With over 1,100—wartime wrecks along England’s south coast alone, the conflict has left a rich heritage legacy filled with stories of bravery and sacrifice.
 
 The JS White shipping yard situated in Cowes Marina went on to support the Royal Navy throughout both world wars and is a commemorative service and reminder of the contribution towards the nations success. The workers of the island which was drastically increased due to its production rate, created jobs for Islanders and helped the economy during those dark times. The depth of the River Medina was a perfect location geographically to produce these large vessels. These factors as well as the Islands perfectly placed forts contributed to the vital role in assisting the country preventing the breakout of the German High Seas Fleet and producing some of the most powerful warships in the world at that time. There is an abundance of history linking Cowes Harbour & the Isle of Wight to both World Wars, demonstrating the support and reliance England’s forces placed on the people and engineering experts of the Isle of Wight.  
 
Article written in honour of the Brave Soldiers who fought and triumphed for our freedom. 
Alpaca Wraps Signs & Graphics
This month we focus on Alpaca Wraps one of our many companies based at our Kingston Boatyard
Bespoke Wraps
Run and owned by husband and wife Mike & Amy Peck since 2018 and with over 15 years experience within the industry. Their specialist team are experts in boat wraps, boat names, stripes and general boat branding/graphics as well as interior wraps. The fully insured, professional team can cater for your every need.
Why Vinyl?
The Key Benefits of boat wraps compared to custom paint jobs is that vinyl boat wraps cost less and they are designed to help protect the boat’s underlying paint from any dings or scratches. Boat wraps can also be completely removed without any difficulty and can be custom designed with any colour or pattern imaginable.


Unit 2
Kingston Marina
PO32 6JS
(+44) 07722 000174

Other Services
Vehicle Wraps
Vehicle graphics
We wish you a happy retirement!
CHC would like to pay tribute to one of our colleagues who has made the decision that it is time to embark upon a new phase of life. Many may think retirement means more down time, however Anne has made this decision to devote more to her active lifestyle, creating memories with the people close to her and making footprints around the UK.
Anne devoted her expertise and experience to CHC for the last 15 years, assisting with the accounts department and bookkeeping. Anne had the opportunity to work at all the Marina offices including Kingston Wharf & Shepherds Marina allowing her to fully grasp the various operations that CHC undertakes and create amazing professional relationships with all who work at CHC.

Getting to know Anne..

Sitting with Anne over a cup of coffee and asking her to reminisce about her years with CHC, I saw a sudden smile come over her face with glee. She spoke with warmth and affection about the people who have come and gone throughout her 15 years working here. ‘’Working at a Marina, people are generally happy, they’re on boats so how can you not be!’’ reflecting on the purpose of her work with CHC ‘’It is a non-profit organisation, we charge what is needed to put back into the Marina for the people of Cowes and visitors to the island, and that is a purpose I am happy to have supported’’

When asking her about her reason for retirement, Anne like many of us during lockdown felt a sense of questioning the importance of our work to personal life ratio. She wishes to retire while she is still active and able to take advantage of her energy, to partake in all of her hobbies on a more full-time basis. Meeting her husband close to 16 years ago at a spin class, set the precedent of their relationship, with mutual love for active sports and cycling came running, triathlons, camping, walking and all out exploring on weekends together in their camper van. Anne is eagerly anticipating having more flexibility on how much she can indulge in her passions. They wish to explore more of the United Kingdom and set off in their van together collecting memories to look back on. With five grandchildren another attraction is to spend time with her family.
‘’The memories of working for Cowes Harbour will always bring a smile to my face. I am proud to have been a part of the CHC team working together to make Cowes a great place to enjoy spending time on the water.
Take care I will miss you all, your friendship, happy smiles and cheerful voices on the phone. I am looking forward to the start of retirement, campervan adventures and spending lots of time with my family.

Have a wonderful Christmas
Anne’’
CHC cannot formulate the words to thank you enough for the 15 years you dedicated to the harbour and wishes you all the happy travels on your next adventure in life.
Enjoy making footprints!
Your CHC Family
Advertise with us and reach
your target audience
If you are a company offering products and services to the sailing community, water users or even tourists to Cowes, you will want to get your business message in front of the right people. CHC can help you with this. We have a range of outside advertising spaces at Trinity landing, Shepards Marina, Town Quay and even the new Breakwater.

Prices vary depending on location but every package includes the cost of the banner. We can even create the artwork for you to show your business off in its best light.

For further information please email CHC@cowes.co.uk
Further information from CHC
Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC) is constituted under the Cowes Harbour Act and Orders 1897-2012. It is the Statutory Harbour Authority for Cowes Harbour on the Isle of Wight. CHC receives no funding from either central or local government and re-invests surpluses into the organisation for the overall benefit of harbour users and stakeholders.
 
CHC’s vision is to fulfill the potential of Cowes Harbour and the River Medina in delivering first-class port facilities and leisure services and by acting as the main transport and shipping gateway supporting the Island’s economy and employment.
 
CHC is a trust port and offers the following to the sailing and local community: harbour and river moorings, events centre, boatyard services and storage, commercial marine services and a fuel berth.
Cowes Local Notices to Mariners

Local information for harbour users

Harbour Services from CHC
Based on a 10-acre site at Kingston Wharf in East Cowes, is the Cowes Harbour Services Boatyard, with a range of boatyard services and boat storage facilities, as well as the Cowes Harbour Storage self-storage facility, and a chandlery.
Shepards Marina is one of Cowes Harbour’s main marina facilities offering a full range of services and amenities suitable for yacht racing events, rallies, and catering also to the cruising sailor and powerboater.
Cowes Harbour Commission owns and licences the majority of the pontoons, swinging moorings, and pile berths within Cowes Harbour and the River Medina, as far south as the Folly Inn.
Cowes Harbour Commission | Website