Category: Ships Blog

Afternoon all and welcome to the Friday Ships blog. April is flying past and with this weeks storm ‘Noa’ now gone we are seeing warmer days ahead in the forecast. Trench work through the marina for the water main has been completed and tarmacked whilst the compound at the entrance to the marina has been removed. This means the entrance will be altered in due course with a new barrier and cameras being installed for security purposes. Easter now being a distant memory, a large number of vessels have been launched and thoughts are turning to the Summer Scrub season which starts at the end of May and goes through to September. This weekends lockmasters are Colin on days and Marc on the night watch.

Under parish notices we can advise that one of the old cranes on Felixstowe berth 3 is being demolished today and an exclusion zone has been established whilst this is taking place. As always it is advisable to maintain a listening watch on VTS Channel 71. Finally as you can see from the picture our entrance channel is being dredged be the injection dredger ‘Maverick’. Have a great weekend.

 

Good afternoon and welcome to the last Ships Blog of March 23. Weather-wise another blustery weekend for some with a few showers thrown in as well. Wind predominantly westerly on Saturday going Northerly on Sunday and consequently the temperature will drop during that afternoon. Shotley Point Yacht Club are heading to Ipswich this weekend for their opening event of the year.

Note for your diary. Friday 12th of May we will be hosting a berth holders evening in the Shipwreck. All berth holders plus their partners are welcome to join us from 6pm to 9pm for some nibbles and complimentary drinks from the bar. This will be an opportunity for new berth holders to meet up and for some new members of staff to get to know everyone.

Following a recent meeting of the Leisure Vessels Navigation and Safety Group, Border Force have requested that all yachtsmen continue to be as vigilant as possible and report any suspicious activity around our coasts. Reports can be made to Crime stoppers on 0800 555111 quoting the reference ‘Project Kraken’. Alternatively the police can be contacted on 101. In other news the Harwich Harbour Authority three year capital dredge will be completed  by the end of July 2023. The final phase of the channel deepening is within Harwich Harbour and is currently taking place. They have asked that all yachtsmen  navigating in the area to be particularly careful as there may be up to three different dredging vessels working in the harbour at the same time. It is strongly recommended that that everyone monitors VHF channel 71 (HHA coms) so they can be aware of all dredger and ship movements in the confines of the harbour.

Finally this weekends tides are Saturday HW 14:14 4.0M and Sunday HW 14:51 3.83M. Duty lockmasters are Marc Gilbert days, and Richard Whitby night watch. Ellie our new office lady gets married this weekend so we are sure you will join the team here in wishing her all the best for the big day.

PS, don’t forget the clocks go forward one hour for BST. Have a good one!

Morning folks and welcome to the Ships Blog. Meteorological winter ended on February 28th, hard to believe in view of the current weather situation. We have been lucky at Shotley with no snow but the wind is currently in the north and bitterly cold. However a respite is in view over the weekend as temperatures recover a little by Sunday and Monday. Strong winds are also forecast for Monday with gusts up to 40 knots from the south west. The yard crew are out again today making sure all the boats are secure,  checking lines and fenders.

A major issue for a lot of boat owners over the last year has been the lack of supply of gas cannisters. It transpires a number of the standard size cannisters will no longer be available and have been withdrawn. More info can be found at calor.co.uk/cylinder-range-faq.

Duty lockmasters this weekend are Colin Byford and Andy Howard. High Water Saturday is 14:06 3.91M and Sunday 14:41 3.82M. Have a good weekend.

Morning and welcome to the Friday Ships Blog. Our lock closure for annual maintenance finished on Tuesday 28th February, a slight delay caused by some supply issues. Cabling and trenchwork at the marina are ongoing although the majority has now been backfilled in the main marina basin. Work at the entrance to the marina is ongoing and the route into the marina will be slightly different from present. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. If you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to Contact the Control Tower.

Easter is on Friday 7th April and is relatively early this year. We have already taken bookings for that weekend and others through to the August bank holiday!

The nine new apartments being built at the entrance to the marina will be ready for sale and occupation within approximately four to five weeks time. Sales agents will be appointed shortly.

This weekends lockmaster’s are Rob Devonshire (days) and Andy Howard (night watch). Finally the weather is definitely looking colder next week with the potential for some snow particularly from Tuesday through to Thursday. Stay warm and have a good weekend.