5 minute read
to stay safe while enjoying Cowes
Prohibited activities
No kite surfing in the Inner Harbour and Outer Fairway, except in the Shrape Watersports Area.
No windsurfing and paddle boarding in the fairways north of the red No. 8 buoy.
No spearfishing in the Inner Harbour.
No navigation of hovercraft in the harbour.
No swimming in the fairways and in areas around or from moorings or berths.
No jumping or diving into the water from any structure, pile, pontoon, jetty, pier or buoy in the harbour.
Harbour Patrols are on duty 365 days of the year, using conspicuous yellow RIBs. The Patrol Officers have the authority of the Harbour Master to give advice and specific instructions to skippers of any vessel; you should act on these instructions. Harbour rules enforcement
Cowes Harbour Commission has an enforcement policy based on education in the first instance. This reverts to formal written warnings and ultimately to prosecution for repeat offenders, for offences bringing significant risk of serious injury or loss of life, or for when users threaten or abuse Harbour Commission staff members. Any harbour users in breach of a General Direction or Special Direction shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine.
Cowes Harbour Commission uses CCTV, including Body Worn Video cameras, for monitoring and enforcement purposes in Cowes Harbour.
Fishing from the Cowes Breakwater and Shrape Breakwater is prohibited. Fishing is not permitted from public landings. The quay walls west of the Royal Yacht Squadron provide easy access and a good chance of catching fish. Crabbing is popular off the Town Quay or The Parade walls. See: cowesharbourcommission.co.uk/ fishing Shore fishing and angling
Weather information (Local sea area - Wight)
Cowes Weather Stations New for 2020 is the introduction by Cowes Harbour Commission of two Environmental Monitoring stations.
A Shepards Marina Weather Station provides tide height and visibility information. A Cowes Floating Weather Station positioned in the small craft moorings provides information on harbour wind speed and direction, temperature, and barometric pressure.
The new weather stations provide valuable information allowing harbour users to assess meteorological conditions and make safety-related navigational decisions prior to their arrival at Cowes. The live weather information is on the Cowes Harbour Commission website. See: cowesharbourcommission/weather
Bramblemet Bramblemet is an online weather information system, recording weather conditions in the Central Solent. Bramblemet weather reports are derived from instrumentation on the Bramble Pile, roughly equidistant from Cowes, Calshot and Hill Head. See: bramblemet.co.uk
Maritime Safety Information The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is responsible in the UK for broadcasting maritime safety information (MSI), by NAVTEX (Navigational telex) out to 270 miles, on VHF out to 30 mile, on MF out to 150 miles. For details of the times and content of MSI broadcasts, including local Solent Coastguard transmissions, see: gov.uk/maritime-safetyweather-and-navigation
Met Office The Met Office is the UK’s national meteorological service providing useful information about conditions both at sea and for inshore waters. See: metoffice.gov.uk/weather/ specialist-forecasts/coast-and-sea
UK Hydrographic Office In-force navigational warnings for UK coastal waters and the northeast Atlantic area are shown on the UK Hydrographic Office website. See: admiralty.co.uk/ maritime-safety-information/radio-navigational-warnings
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 broadcasts the latest weather reports and forecasts for the UK.
Shipping Forecast: bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qfvv Coastal Forecast: bbc.co.uk/weather/coast_and_sea/coastal Inshore Waters: bbc.co.uk/weather/coast_and_sea/inshore_ waters
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) was founded in 1925 following the very first Fastnet race. Throughout the year the RORC hosts a busy schedule of both inshore regattas in the Solent and cross-channel races, as well as many longer offshore races including the RORC Caribbean 600 Race in Antigua.
With a global membership this is one of the largest racing clubs in the world, and a national authority for the measurement and rating of offshore yachts managed by the RORC Rating team based in Lymington. The RORC London Clubhouse is located in St James’s Place and is an exclusive London base for RORC Members and guests. In Cowes, the RORC maintains two locations, the RORC Cowes Clubhouse, and the Disrespect in which the RORC Race Team are based. The RORC Cowes Clubhouse is located at the water’s edge at the end of the Parade and the grounds possess unrivalled sea views over the Solent.
The Clubhouse also has twelve bedrooms; four with en-suite facilities and a further eight well-appointed bedrooms with adjacent bath or shower rooms.
tel. 01983 www.rorc.co.uk tel. 01983 293581 www.rorc.org
PRE-BOOK OVERNIGHT VISITOR BERTHS FRIENDLY MARINA STAFF LOVELY HARBOUR VIEWS POPULAR WITH RALLIES & REGATTAS RESTAURANT, SAIL MAKER, RIGGER, SAIL TRAINING, DIVE SCHOOL GREAT SHOPPING IN COWES QUICK ACCESS TO THE SOLENT Visitors Welcome cowesharbourshepardsmarina.co.uk | shepards.chc@cowes.co.uk | 01983 297821 | VHF Ch80 Cowes Harbour Shepards Marina, Medina Rd, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7HT
Salvage Bags Race Marks Fenders Pipeline & Cable Buoyancy Systems
Seaview Road, Cowes, Isle ofWight, PO31 7US Tel: 01983 290525 buoyancyballast@uniquegroup.com
MANUFACTURING ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT SINCE 1987
Strength in depth www.uniquegroup.com
SAIL & POWER TO 40 TONNES COMPETITIVE YARD TARIFFS LIFTING & STORAGE CLOSE TO RED FUNNEL EAST COWES BOAT MAINTENANCE CHANDLERY & ONSITE TRADES SEASONAL YARD OFFERS SECURE SELF STORAGE UNITS Boatyard Services cowesharbourservices.co.uk | boatyard.chc@cowes.co.uk | 01983 299385 Cowes Harbour Services Boatyard, Kingston Rd, Kingston Wharf, East Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO32 6JS
