Well I thought so. In the previous three seasons the boat has come out virtually clean,but this year I might just as well not have put any antifouling on at all. Launching at the end of April the bottom had a mat of well established stringy weed on the bow and around the stern particularly bad on the transom hung rudder, by the beginning of July.

RATS receives all kinds of queries (some I am sure maliciously thought up to catch us out!) though not in this case.

The use of TBT (tributyltin) antifouling banned for use on leisure craft, but not commercially since the eighties, because of its harmful affects on marine life, finally looks like coming to the end of its days.

The recent outbreak of foot and mouth in deepest Surrey might seem a long way from the sea and nothing much to concern us, but this is wrong. We hear about the restrictions on the movement of livestock, but restrictions extend much wider, and they do apply to us.

Apparently in 2007 the Arctic icecap has melted back further than ever before. On September 9th it was reported that it covered an area of just 4.24msq.kms. The previous minimum record was 5.32 msq kms in September 2005.During this year the North West Passage was open from August 22nd.

In a further announcement MCA has stated that as from 1st January 2008 all SOLAS vessels on long range voyages (defined as in non A1 areas, ie outside VHF range from shore) are required to transmit details of their identity and position at least every six hours. The system is known as LRIT (Long Range Identification & Tracking).

In a recent MGN (Marine Guidance Notice) MCA state that:

1. ‘It is strongly recommended that yachtsmen permanently install, not just carry a radar reflector or RTE, that offers the largest Radar Cross Section practicable for their vessel.

Representatives from RATS were invited to visit the new Trinity House tender, GALATEA, when she was in London alongside HMS BELFAST, to be named by Her Majesty the Queen, prior to entering service. Described as a multi-functional vessel, GALATEA has been designed for buoy handling, wreck marking, towing, and has multi beam and side scan hydrographic surveying capabilities.

A new comprehensive study of coastal marinas in the UK and Channel Islands has revealed the vital role played by marinas in economic development.