News

Update from Erith Yacht Club on the River Thames
As you may remember, we informed all HOC members in November last year about the construction of new facilities at Erith Yacht Club (Please scroll down News Items below for the full story).

Today, Sunday 28th February, the members of EYC moved their previous club’s headquarters, the Norwegian car ferry ‘Folgefonn’, to enable the builders to install a pontoon on the spot that has been the ship’s resting place for many years.
The pontoon will represent the final stages in construction of EYC’s new club house and training facilities, as the result of their securing a £3.3 million grant.

As mentioned in our previous report, Folgefonn is a Norwegian car ferry, built in 1938 and considered by the Norwegians to be of very important historical interest. The Norwegians are keen to take her back to Norway and are making arrangements to transport her on a submersible barge in the Spring or early Summer of this year.

Despite the wind and rain, which made the manoeuvre extremely awkward, members and local colleagues of EYC together managed to turn Folgefonn and position her for her final move downstream later this evening. It is thought that it may take two or perhaps even three tides before the ferry can finally be secured in her last resting place, prior to her move home to Norway.

If you would like to know more about the history of this interesting old ship, please go to EYC’s website (address below), as there is a wonderful potted account of Folgefonn’s past.
The HOC wish EYC well with the rest of their project, and we will bring you further updates as EYC move closer to the completion of their build programme.

www.erithyachtclub.org.uk Photograph reproduced by kind permission of EYC
Editor The Hardy Owner February 2010

Evacuation Exercise on the “Aurora” Clipper High Speed Passenger Catamaran in West India Dock on the River Thames.
Today Tuesday 2nd February 2010 110 volunteer ‘passengers’ on a simulated river trip aboard one of the Thames Clippers took part in a dry shod evacuation into two life rafts, as a result of a fictitious ‘emergency’ onboard.

The "Aurora" Clipper with her life rafts fore and aft. (Supplied by Capt. Emma Crompton, of Thames Clippers.)

The aim of the Exercise - named ‘Evac 010’ - was to provide information as regards timings for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency of an evacuation on one of the Thames Clippers fleet, and to give the Emergency Services and other interested organisations the opportunity to view and learn through the Exercise, and produce a crew training DVD.

I, along with my fellow passengers, braved the wind and rain to experience what it would be like to be evacuated from one of these impressive vessels first hand.
We boarded the “Aurora” at the QE2 pier in North Greenwich, and were then treated to tea, coffee and croissants - which brightened everyone’s spirits - and after a brief presentation by Derek Mann, the Head of Safety & Fleet Operations, we got down to the very serious business of the Evacuation procedure.

Under the supervision of the Vessel’s Master and Crew, we donned our life jackets, and were guided to our respective exit points both fore and aft. Everything went pretty much to plan, but for a slight blip as regards one of the rafts and a rogue gust of wind. Apart from that and a few wet bottoms and socks, it was a pretty impressive experience.

Thames Clippers want to improve upon the timing of the Exercise, as everything took about a minute longer then was estimated. But that is precisely the objective of scenarios like this, to learn and improve.

Marie O’Connell
Editor The Hardy Owner

Free HOC 2010 Calendar Download

Mr Jack Palmer
It is with great sadness that I have to inform everyone of the death of Mr Jack Palmer. 13th December 1926 - 5th December 2009.

I never knew Jack, but I wish sincerely that we had met, for he was one of the founder members of our Club, as well as a Life Member. As Andrew Andrews explained to me: “Jack was a great stalwart of The Hardy Owners Club. He sailed a Hardy motor sailer ‘Tarka 11’ for many years around the Brundall area, but had secret ambitions to turn to a small motor boat as the years progressed.”

He took over the editorship of the HOC in 1991, when Andrew retired, but was also instrumental in organising the East Anglia meets. “In addition,” Andrew told me, “Jack was responsible for arranging a number of factory visits which members from far and wide enjoyed.”

On behalf of all the Hardy Owners Club membership, both past and present, I would like to extend our sympathy to Jack’s widow Marie, and all their family and friends at this very sad time. Our thoughts are with you.

Marie O’Connell
Editor THO magazine

RNLI-RF-LICENCES- epetition response
Friday 27 November 2009
Details of Petition:
“As reported in the Sunday Telegraph on the 28th September 2008, Ofcom wants to bring “market forces” into the maritime and aviation communications. The RNLI will have to pay £250,000 a year, and “smaller search and rescue charities fear they may have to close”. This proposal must be rejected wholeheartedly.”

The Government’s response is as follows:

Following last year’s consultation, in August 2009 Ofcom published further proposals for spectrum pricing in the maritime sector. Those relevant to the RNLI and other safety-of-life charities were:

* Radio channels used by search and rescue organisations (including the RNLI) in the course of maritime emergencies are managed by HM Coastguard. These are shared channels and we will not be asking any individual rescue organisations to pay fees.
* In addition, we are proposing to make available, free of charge, a new channel (possibly two) to be shared by search and rescue organisations for routine, non emergency, communications. We have invited rescue organisations to say whether this would be helpful to them.
* Finally, where any charity, whose sole or main objective is the safety of human life in an emergency, requires a radio channel for its exclusive use, we are proposing that fees should continue to be discounted by 50%. Larger organisations which operate from multiple sites will also benefit from new “area defined licences” which permit an unlimited number of transmitters in the licensed area; these will often be much cheaper than today’s licences.

Full details of the consultation, which is set to close on 11 December 2009, are available on the Ofcom website (www.ofcom.org.uk). On completion of this consultation, Ofcom will publish a concluding statement.

For more information about epetitioning the government, visit www.number10.gov.uk/communicate/e-petitions

NEWS FROM THE THAMES AT ERITH
Those of you who know me will also know that my first real opportunity to sail was on the Thames at Erith. It was in a 14ft gunter rigged Hamble Star built around 1949, (the same as me) and I can still remember my feet soaked in water percolating through the hull, as I bailed out feverishly! Never mind, I enjoyed every minute of it, and still feel much gratitude to those at Erith Yacht Club for their patience and guidance in teaching me the ropes.
I am still an Upriver member of EYC, and try to keep in touch with my friends there whenever I can. It is because of my fondness for the Club that I would like to promote what will surely be one of the most exciting developments on that bit of the tidal Thames for many years.
After much hard work and doggedness, Erith Yacht Club have secured grants of more than £3.3 million, and are finally building their new Club House. It will take the form of an environmentally sound two storey building, providing a bar, changing rooms, training school, meeting rooms, workshop facilities, and terraces with glass balustrades overlooking the river and all with disabled access.
Erith Y C
Photograph by Mick Kemp of EYC

It is anticipated that EYC’s previous headquarters, a 1938 Norwegian car ferry named “Folgefonn” will return home to Norway in Spring 2010, to be fitted out and sited in the Hardanger and Voss Maritime Museum. Folgefonn was the first roll on, roll off car ferry to be used in Norway, and possibly the world.

The Hardy Owners wish Erith Yacht Club every success with their new venture, and we will keep HOC members informed as to EYC’s progress right up to Spring 2010, when EYC wave a fond goodbye to Folgefonn, and on to Summer 2010, when the new facilities are due to open.
www.erithyachtclub.org.uk
Editor The Hardy Owner November 2009

New Membership Secretary
Andrew Roberts our Membership Secretary has decided to step down from office.

Andrew has given of his services for the last year as Secretary despite running two businesses. We are extremely grateful to him for all of his hard work during this time, and appreciate how difficult it must have been for him juggling all his commitments.

We welcome the arrival of member Patrick Harris of Anglesey, who has stepped in at extremely short notice and offered to take over the mantle of Membership Secretary for a year, and see how he gets on. Hopefully Patrick will stay on a bit longer, but we are happy to have him on board for any length of time as part of The Hardy Owner Crew, and appreciate his kind offer to assist in the running of our Club. (Well, actually he was sort of ‘press-ganged’…!) Welcome aboard Patrick.

Portland: A Greener Marina
Hopefully by the time we go to press with our April edition of The Hardy Owner magazine, Dean & Reddyhoff, who manage marinas in East Cowes, Haslar, and Weymouth, will have opened the new jewel in their collection, the £24 million, 600-berth, Portland Marina. The new Marina will form part of the venue for hosting the sailing events for the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games.
Portland Marina has been designed to make it as environmentally friendly as possible, with 10 % of the site’s energy generated from renewable sources, and rainwater being harvested for use for WCs, boat washing and land irrigation.
Wind turbines will supplement some of the building’s energy requirements, low energy LED lighting will be used to illuminate the entire Marina, and the buildings will have a very high standard of insulation, making them extremely energy efficient.
Comprehensive waste recycling will also be provided, covering paper, glass, cans, oil, and all forms of plastic packaging.

When we visited the London Boat Show at Excel in January this year, we met Dame Ellen MacArthur, who attended the Dean & Reddyhoff stand to promote their newest development, and meet James Beaver, the Operations Director for Portland Marina.

Dame Ellen herself has become a passionate advocate of sustainable living. As she states on her website, “ I am as guilty as anyone of consuming the planet’s resources in an unsustainable way, including lots of travel and not all using the wind!”
In 1999, Dame Ellen crossed the Atlantic using biodiesel, and two years ago she used a hydrogen fuel cell. Visit her website where she talks about the difficulties of learning to manage resources at sea.

For more Info: www.deanreddyhoff.co.uk
E-mail: jamesb@deanreddyhoff.co.uk
Tel: 08454 30 20 12
Dame Ellen MacArthur
www.ellenmacarthur.com

Members Chatroom.
The Members Chatroom (accessible to current HOC members using their password) is an area where Members can carry on virtually live conversations with each other on all subjects related to boating. Rather than the Forum, which is subject to delays since all entries are checked before publication, the entries to the Chatroom are virtually immediate which may help when some 'hot' topic is being discussed. The password, which changes from time to time, is published in the HOC Magazine or obtainable from the Membership Secretary.

Hardy Commodore for the RNLI
Hardy Marine have recently supplied another special Commodore 42 to the RNLI. It is named Ian and Anne Butler and is to be seen from time to time in the Solent area. Departing from the normal specification Commodore it has a blue hull and grey superstructure. The accommodation and fly bridge have also been specially adapted to RNLI requirements and it is used for training rather than rescue. Another Hardy used for commercial purposes is a Commodore 36 used by Raytheon as a test bed for their navigation equipment. Again specially modified this one may easily be identified in the Solent area by the numerous radar scanners and aerials on the superstructure

HOC Club regalia
The Hardy Owners Club. The Club Burgee is now back in stock. An absolute must for the proud HOC regalia Hardy owner, Fly it with Pride.Available from the Hon. Regalia supply manager Anita Spence Only £12.00 Full ordering and contact details are in the HOC magazine, or e-mail regalia@hardy-owner See the merchandise page.