Can you spot the missing essential in the photo? We saw this lovely Maxi on her side in the Solent a couple of weekends ago. So the story goes, Dad didn’t know that his son had taken his yacht for a sail and they hit Bramble Bank in a force 7 and the keel came off. It is likely that the yacht will be written off!

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The newspaper article below shows the importance of being able to use a VHF radio and marine communications to keep you safe at sea.

Chris Fawcett is the founded Dream or Two some 20 years ago. Having retired some 5 years ago,  Chris is currently sailing the world with his wife, in yacht ‘Dream or Two’, a Gibsea 44.

Click Here to read the full article.

There are times during the season when jobs onboard run smoothly and regular and routine maintenance is manageable. Then there are odd times of ‘whoosh’- everything needs to be done at once.

That is just where we find ourselves at the moment- not quite knowing which way to turn and where to prioritise in readiness for the next course- from heads which are blocked solid (despite our firm briefing about loo paper!), to one of our Lemar hatches whose handle has snapped off and will involve us drilling acrylic to replace (or replacing the acrylic too!)

There are also those jobs where you think for a moment that a job has been completed, only to find that life isn’t always that straightforward!

Our yacht Truly Scrumptious has a fixed VHF radio (Simrad RD68) onboard. We recently transported the set all the way to Wareham for a change of MMSI number (from her Greek number to her new British number, now she is operating in the Solent). Three days later we collected the VHF, re-installed it and wired it up when the new mast was stepped 10 days ago. We thought nothing more…

During our last RYA course, RYA instructor Debs and I were both out teaching. Debs was teaching on Koru and I was on Truly Scrumptious. She suggested we try communicating between ourselves using a DSC (Digital Selective Calling) message.

We input each others MMSI numbers and tried to send the digital message.  Debs did not receive a message from Truly Scrumptiopus, so we had our suspicions that all was not as it should be.

Today I tested both sets with Solent Coastguard (who were really helpful), sending and receiving a DSC message. Sure enough, they did not receive any message from Truly Scrumptious and likewise, Truly Scrumptious did not receive a message from the Coastguard.

Slightly concerning- when I checked the manufacturers Engineer Report which states that the VHF set was fully tested, cleaned and new MMSI number input (just three weeks ago).

Even more concerning to think that we could have been in a distress situation and followed our proceedure of firstly sending a DSC Distress message from our VHF.

I certainly recommend checking your DSC with your local coastguard or with another vessel. Enough blog for now as we need to focus on blocked heads again- first attempt failed and I am determined to unblock from outside, not to undo jubilee clips from pipework! The joys of sail training!

Having attended an RYA briefing last evening I feel inspired by elements of what I heard. It gave me renewed hope and belief in the RYA Cruising Scheme once more!

I have long been frustrated at the financial versus ethical (and safety) issues within our industry and last evening I had a little glimmer of light that the relatively new personnel involved in the Cruising Scheme are going to do what they can to ensure that RYA Training Centres do not just consider ‘bums on seats’, but ensure that clients have the sailing ability and experience to join their desired course and to pass it deservedly and with confidence.

I have continued to hold the belief that the RYA will become more aware and take action to support those who may have been awarded a qualification, which at the time perhaps they didn’t have the skills and competencies to match, which can so easily then result in a loss of confidence in their sailing, and increase the risk of damage to themselves or other water users and vessels.

A light at the end of the tunnel!

As RYA instructor’s we can often feel that we don’t get the time or opportunity to practice our own sailing skills.

That is one of the reasons why I enjoy instructing with RYA Yachtmaster candidates as they prepare for their exam.

After the candidate last week successfully gained his RYA Yachtmaster (Offshore) qualification,  I took it as a complement when he said that his training/instructing with me, was far tougher than the exam itself.

This showed me that we are ensuring that those who join us for their preparation, will be sailing at their very best by the time their exam begins.

It was  also a great excuse to practice my skills and sail out of my comfort zone in readiness for the new sailing season.  Well done Clive and thanks!

Our RYA instructor Debs has some interesting news on GPS:

‘Wicked crooks jamming GPS signals to hijack ships and lorries sounds like something from an Ian Flemming James Bond novel.  Surprisingly it is very real and happening now.

I recently attended a conference and sat in amazement when I heard an Expert Witness and Professor in Radio Navigation and Communication talk about how he regularly gives forensic evidence in such hijack cases.

GPS or Global Positioning Satellite is used in many aspects of our daily lives. Many of us use GPS at the heart of our on board navigation systems. Some of us have GPS in our cars and on our mobile phones. GPS position information is also at the heart of our distribution industries, emergency service operations, mining, road-building, farming the list goes on.

GPS also provides the high-precision timing that keeps telephone networks, the Internet, banking transactions and even some electric power systems on line. GPS has become essential element of the civilised worlds’ infrastructure.

Switching GPS off could have a huge and very serious impact on the world we live in. Switching off is not likely to happen but there have been incidents where solar activity, particularly solar flares have had a huge impact on the accuracy of GPS giving false timings and therefore very incorrect positions.

What was most shocking about the lecture was how readily available  GPS Jamming systems are on the internet. A low power jammer can be purchased for as little as £5!

These Jammers are already being used to interfere with or spoof the tracking systems of freight lorries and ships. Luring them untraceably into a hijack situation. I am sure many of you have been to outdoor events sponsored by a particular phone company and find there is no signal on all other networks. The work of a low power Jammer.

The US Government has carried out vulnerability assessments and found there are significant risks to national security. Organisations like the General Lighthouse Authority are carrying out experiments on the impact of these low power jammers on our marine navigation systems.

During the exercises it found that with the use of a low power jamming signals the ship’s navigation systems gave Hazardously Misleading Information. This is “hazardous” because no alarms sounded; it is “misleading” because positions and velocities were false, yet plausible.The vessels navigation systems gave incorrect information without an alarm.

The impact of these Jamming signals also affected the Automatic Identification System, the vital means by which each vessel signals its position and velocity to neighbouring ships, transmitted wrong information.

This AIS position data was also received on shore by the local Vessel Traffic Service. Their display showed ships a long way from their true positions, even sailing through the countryside!

On board the GLAs’ vessel the echoes from nearby ships on the radar display were widely displaced from those ships’ AIS markers. This is a confusing and dangerous situation. Yet this jammer was only as powerful as a mobile phone and up to 15 nautical miles from these ships.

Its all very frightening stuff and highlights the need to know and understand the shortcomings of electronic navigation. It also emphasises why we should always use more than one method of navigation.

Commercial shipping is now looking at using non GPS reliant systems such as eLORAN. There is a lot of information on the internet. It’s as interesting as 007′!!

Just feeling a bit aggrieved at the moment. We have been working so hard on getting Truly Scrumptious ready for teaching here in the Solent. She has needed shore power and lots of alterations to her existing spec to meet regulations for commercial use here in the UK.

These jobs we are able to handle and we hope that she will be given the all clear for ‘coding’ by the end of next week- in readiness for her bookings over February half term, or so we thought!

Truly Scrumptious won’t be doing much sailing without her new mast! Back on 10th December when we took down her old mast  (and sold on Ebay!), we were told- 6 weeks until the new one arrives.

Today it appears that this isn’t the case. Whether its the well known manufacturer (it is being made in Gosport) or the intermediaries (we can’t deal directly with the manufacturer- how ridiculous!)- we just don’t know.

Just despairing at inefficiencies!

We’ve had some major electrical works to do on Truly Scrumptious as she returned to the UK never having being wired for shore power. So our man Vernon has been getting it all together along with battery charger and water heater.

Alongside this he is looking at the wiring required for ‘coding’ so ensuring gas alarm fitted, the VHF and gas alarm are wired directly to one of the batteries and that the engine can also be started by a switch to the ‘service batteries’.

Just when we thought we were nearly there, we have opted to fit a ‘Sea Me’, an active radar enhancer, which means wiring down the mast (not a problem since we are currently awaiting new mast!) but finding a route across the saloon to the batteries is a bit of an issue.

Surely not for Vernon though- he will find a way! He’s just great. Vernon has been a client with Dream or Two- he did his RYA Day Skipper some 18 months ago and then was part of the crew sailing Truly Scrumptious from Lefkas (so he knows her intimately!)

He has set up on his own, just recently, having worked for many years on MOD related projects. What a find he is and really great to be able to support someone while they set up on their own. So, having given Vernon the thumbs up, here are his contact details:

http://www.vernonhuskisson.webspace.virginmedia.com/index.html

or tel:07766122949

or email info@huskissonmarine.co.uk

Great to have Koru back. Skipper Martin and crew sailed back from the Thames in record time. Leaving Limehouse Marina last Monday, they decided to make the most of the north-northwest wind and were back alongside in Royal Clarence by 10pm on the Tuesday!

We now have just a couple of weeks to ensure both Koru and Truly Scrumptious are ready for the season ahead. The work involves a new mast (changing from in mast furling) on Truly Scrumptious and ‘coding’ her to meet safety specifications here in the UK.

Although she was chartered in the Greek Islands, there are plenty of differences between coding standards, but fortunately having been there with Koru (and our J80, Wairua), we do know the ropes quite well now!

If anyone can help us locate a ‘vented loop for the suction pipe’ for her heads inlet pipe, that would be great. We have been told this is a new piece of kit on the market and made by Plastimo possibly?

Any information would be gratefully received-you can tweet us at dreamortwo or send us an email. Better get back to work…

We read this morning that today is Blue Monday- the day of the year which is statistically considered to be the most depressing, apparently due to a combination of post Christmas blues, credit card bills and lack of sunlight.

You may also have heard this news and that one of the top ways to beat the blues is to take in some sea air

I can really vouch for this as I always feel my spirit lift when I am out sailing and I know that what helped me survive a lack of day light over the last 10 days, was my sail to London directly before the Boat Show.

Returning home today and walking the coastline at Lee on Solent, taking in the sea air and being close to the water has kept the blues at bay.

Certainly those onboard Koru sailing her home from London have also escpaed Blue Monday-they will be receiving a very healthy dose of feel good endorphins.

Follow Koru’s journey on Twitter at dreamortwo

If you want to see her departure from London you can watch footage on UTube

Meantime, hope you keep up your daily dose of feel good endorphins!