Manchester Cruising Association Home

2008 PROGRAMME AND NEW VENUE

In January 2008 we moved to our new location at the Hough End Centre, Mauldeth Road West M21 7SX - otherwise known as the Greater Manchester Police Sports and Social Club

8 October

Peter Poole

A Norwegian Cruise

13 November

David Ierston

David Ellis

Ropes

Americas Cup

11 December

TBA

Charles and Elizabeth Thorp - Cruising the Baltic
10 April 2008

In 2006 Charles and Elizabeth sailed their 33-foot Westerly Aura from Portsmouth to the Baltic for a week-long rally in Riga, Latvia, organised by the Cruising Association. Afterwards they left the boat in Riga for a couple of weeks to visit Moscow and St Petersburg on a rather larger cruise ship. Then, back on Aura, they cruised along the coasts of Estonia, Finland and Sweden before laying the boat up in Germany.

Click the MEETINGS tab above and then PAST MEETING REPORTS to read more about it.

FINDING THE HOUGH END CENTRE

PILOTAGE FOR THE FINAL APPROACH

See the passage chart by clicking on the Hough End Centre link in the panel to the right. Some members (no doubt mainly Yachtmasters Ocean) have apparently had trouble finding the Centre...

Heading towards the City Centre, take a sharp turn to port from Princess Road, obeying the IPTS. Follow the fairway trees down Mauldeth Road West. The first haven to port is a rugby club which it is unwise to enter without local knowledge. The second, about 1/2 cable before the first set of IPTS, is the poorly lit entrance to Hough End. Follow the channel round to starboard, find an empty berth and report to the Capitainerie in the far corner.

CHANGES TO DISTRESS BEACON FREQUENCIES

From February next year, only 406 MHz and not 121.5/243 MHz emergency beacons will be processed within the international satellite-aided search and rescue system called COSPAS-SARSAT. This affects all maritime beacons (EPIRBS), all aviation emergency locator transponders (ELTs) and all personal locator beacons (PLBs) operating on the 121.5/243 MHz bands.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency, along with partner organisations, is therefore encouraging all seafarers to begin taking steps to ensure they have an initial emergency alerting alternative such as a 406MHz beacon system.

"The 406MHz system is far superior to its older 121.5/243 MHz
sibling," says Chris Blockley-Webb, of the MCA's Navigation Safety Branch. "It has a unique encoding which means that specific information about the vessel and its owners is available from the EPIRB (Emergency Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon) Register, that any vessel in difficulty can be pinpointed down to a distance of 120 metres and that a stronger signal from the beacon is guaranteed.

"Seafarers can still retain the 121.5/243 MHz beacons if they so
wish, but should be aware that these can only be used as a homing device for search and rescue assets and not as an initial alerting system. If you want to dispose of your 121.5/243 MHz beacon, you can do so either by removing the old lithium battery to avoid accidental activation and then disposing of it at a local authority designated collection facility or by trading it in through a distributor take back scheme (some manufacturers are offering special deals for trade in for a new 406 MHz beacon)."

The 406 beacon has been available to seafarers for 23 years and has already contributed to many lives being saved.

FOR SALE

For sale owing to increased family responsibilities, one ninth share in Moody 39 One-Off syndicate, currently based in Adriatic and moving to Greece at the end of 2008. Long established (over 25 years) but recently extensively modernised (new engine, electronics, rewire, self-furling) to standards of present Millenium.

Possibility of second share if required.

Enquiries to stuart.thompson@manchester.ac.uk or 0161 428 8909.