Small Craft News

MDL’s Chatham Maritime Marina, situated on the River Medway in Kent, is investing £500,000 in a state-of-the-art expansion plan which will include the addition of 54 new berths.

This exciting new development, due to open in April 2016, will also see a brand new pontoon in the marina which will lie adjacent to notable vessels at The Historic Dockyard.

The Historic Dockyard is a truly stunning 80-acre site with important buildings, museum galleries, historic warships and is described as the finest example of a Dockyard of the Age of Sail anywhere in the world.

Continue reading “Chatham Maritime Marina set for £500,000 berth expansion”

At a recent meeting of the Lake District National Park Authority, it was decided not to adopt the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) following the Marine Accident Investigation Board’s (MAIB) recommendation, as the scheme is not an effective comprehensive method of addressing the important issue of boat safety.

A media statement released said;
While we support many of the scheme’s initiatives, these alone would not necessarily ensure public safety. Our reasons for not adopting the Boat Safety Scheme include:
• The BSS inspection is not a full condition survey and does not provide a fit for purpose evaluation
• It is not a mandatory condition to install a carbon monoxide or smoke detector on-board a boat under the BSS scheme
• The BSS inspection is only conducted every four years. This would not necessarily ensure safety of users
• For the BSS to be adopted it requires byelaw changes. Byelaws are designed to address local issues and must not attempt to address issues that are of national concern.

Continue reading “Lake District National Park Authority decides not to adopt BSS”

Fairline Boats, which had seemed to be on the verge of disappearing just a few weeks ago, has been saved following the intervention by two Russian investors.

A new company, Fairline Acquisitions, funded by two UK based Russian investors with a background in the marine sector, is to take on the failed company’s order book and initially plans to recruit around 100 of the 380 staff who were made redundant before Christmas following the collapse. The new company plans to trade as Fairline Yachts.

The new business will be run by Russell Currie. He has been a Fairline dealer for the past 18 years.

Continue reading “Fairline Yachts established from failed Fairline Boats”