Practical Boat Owner August 2022

We’ve all heard the expression, ‘a lifejacket is only useful if worn’. Well, to add to that, a lifejacket is only useful if worn and you put the gas bottle back. I speak from experience, and – prompted by Stu Davies’s story on page 79 – here is my confession. After diligently checking my lifejackets, I removed a couple for servicing as the gas bottles were corroded. I put the decent ones on the boat and the rejects in a bag in the understairs cupboard, to be buried by squash rackets and football boots, etc. Said bag, however, made its way to the boat (I’m not sure how), and my husband helped himself to one of the rejects. Luckily (or unluckily) we discovered this in the marina. Off we were,…

The wreck of one of the most famous ships of the 17th century – which sank 340 years ago while carrying the future King of England James Stuart – has been discovered off the Norfolk coast. Since running aground on a sandbank on 6 May, 1682, the wreck of the warship the Gloucester has lain half-buried on the seabed, its exact whereabouts unknown until brothers Julian and Lincoln Barnwell found it after a four-year search, together with their late father Michael, and two friends including James Little, a former Royal Navy submariner and diver. Due to the age and prestige of the ship, the wreck’s condition, the finds rescued, and the accident’s political context, the discovery is described by Prof Claire Jowitt, of the University of East Anglia (UEA), a…

Commissioned in 1652, the Gloucester was built at Limehouse in London, and launched in 1654. In 1682 it was selected to carry James Stuart, Duke of York, to Edinburgh to collect his heavily pregnant wife and their households. The aim was to bring them back to King Charles II’s court in London in time, it was hoped, for the birth of a legitimate male heir. The ship had set sail from Portsmouth with the Duke and his entourage joining it off Margate, having travelled by yacht from London. On 6 May at 0530, the Gloucester ran aground some 45km off Great Yarmouth following a dispute about navigating the Norfolk sandbanks. The Duke, a former Lord High Admiral, had argued with the pilot for control over the ship’s course. Within an…

Two French channel ports – Saint Cast and Saint Quay – now have special dispensation for a limited period to permit arrivals and departures without passports being stamped. The Cruising Association (CA) has received information that until 30 September 2022 visitors arriving to these two ports by sea from outside the EU may submit a ‘Preavis Immigration’/Notice of Arrival form to avoid the need for passports to be stamped. The form must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of arrival or for shorter passages before departure from the previous port. The same process applies to departure. A copy of the Preavis Immigration/Notice of Arrival form must be kept on board at all times. This dispensation applies uniquely to Saint Cast and Saint Quay, which are both on the…

An unforeseen consequence of Brexit is the fact that it is now impracticable to carry a pet (a dog, cat or ferret) to Ireland on a private pleasure vessel. Norman Kean, editor of the Irish Cruising Club’s Sailing Directions, told PBO: “In the Republic, the Department of Agriculture requires that an electronic form be submitted to their Livetrade desk a day in advance of arrival. “Permission will be given for the pet to be brought in, but only at a designated Travellers’ Port of Entry. These – for arrivals by sea – are the commercial port areas of Dublin, Rosslare and Cork. Yachts are prohibited from entry to all three.” Repeated approaches to the Department have resulted in only a simple repetition of the regulation, which cannot legally be complied…

Scotland’s Boat Show 2022, which was due to take place this October, has been cancelled. The event’s Facebook page states: ‘Along with the rest of the country, Scotland’s Boat Show has been subject to rapidly increasing infrastructure costs, some of which have more than doubled, together with a critical shortage of boats available for sale, both new and pre-owned. Given these unfortunate circumstances we have had to take the decision to cancel Scotland’s Boat Show 2022 due to take place this October here at Kip Marina.’ Gavin McDonagh, Holt Leisure managing director, said they were looking into holding a “smaller alternative event at Kip Marina” and would update followers if it proves to be feasible.…