Recent

Wind Farm Scoping - west of Islay and west of Machrihanish
(Apr 2010)

The Association has been copied on Scoping Documents produced by SSE Renewables in respect of proposed offshore wind farms.

Islay: 138 turbines 13 km off the west coast of Islay www.sse-islay.com

Machrihanish: 105 turbines 3 km off the Kintyre coast www.sse-kintyre.com

We are in dialogue with RYA Scotland regarding these proposals, and will respond to the Scoping Documents. Yachtsmen should note that this is the first stage of consultation. Many additional processes have to be gone through, and will provide considerable opportunities to consider potential hazards to navigation.

i.e. out-of-date flares. We have received the following statement from MCA UK:

From 1 April 2010 HM Coastguard will only accept out of date pyrotechnics at 18 designated sites across the UK from members of the public only. In order to use the service the public will need to contact one of the sites to make an appointment to drop items off. Information and contact details will be published formally in due course, however a press notice was issued on 21 December 2009 detailing the changes and the locations of the sites. A copy of the press notice can be found at this link.

The service at these sites will continue to remain free of charge.

The changes to the service have been necessitated following the changes of regulations for the storage of explosives on our sites which have required the MCA to instal completely new compliant storage facilities at each of these designated sites. Due to the requirements of meeting these regulations it has not been possible for MCA to make available additional facilities. It should be noted that the MCA has no obligation to provide disposal facilities and the service provided should not be viewed as the primary route of disposal within the UK. It should only be used if all other avenues of disposal have been exhausted. The government ultimately believes that the responsibility for the disposal of out of date flares should rest with the manufacturers and distributers of these items and should not be a burden on the public purse.

There will be no facility at MRCC Clyde (which is located at Greenock) because the current land owner, the MoD, will not give us permission to store either in date or out of date pyrotechnics on this site. The site has not accepted out of date flares since 2007.

The nearest designated site to Greenock will be Girvan; facilities will also be available at MRCC Forth and Cruden Bay.

It is intended that the current facilities will be systematically withdrawn over the next couple months as the new system is introduced which will be fully operational by 1 April 2010.

Further changes to the CYCA Handicap System have been made, offering the possibility of additional allowances for boats with furling headsails. The basic 0.25 min/hr continues to be awarded to all boats, but those with deck-level or below-deck drums will not be entitled to any additional allowance.

A new version of the Handicap Application Form is now available. Owners with a current handicap can apply for a new certificate, and possible additional allowance, by sending in a form with the additional measurements included. There will be no fee for any such alterations provided owners are prepared to accept new certificates via email.

Since May 2009, and as detailed on the form, owners may now - optionally - request a "One Year Certificate" and pay just 50% of the current fee. The certificate may be formalised before the following season by payment of the second 50%, failing which it will lapse. This facility is targeted at visiting yachts which may not intend to race regularly under CYCA Handicap, and also as an introductory option for new owners wishing to try their hand at racing. The Association will also not insist on a fully-conformant Sail Number for a One Year certificate, but this waiver would be dependent on the relevant Race Committee(s) being prepared to accept an entry based on, for example, a Builder's Number. Any such temporary arrangement would require to be regularised prior to conversion to a full certificate.

The Association also recognises the growing ease with which Furling Foresail arrangements can be shipped/unshipped. The process for obtaining Dual Certification is therefore being made more accessible, and the fee for the second certificate (which can only add the furling foresail allowance) has been reduced to the Additional Certificate fee, currently £5.

NTS has launched a consultation regarding St Kilda. We are invited to respond. The paperwork may be downloaded:

• Consultation Paper
• Response Form (Word document)

Feedback is sought by 8th January 2010.

The Firth of Clyde Forum continues to meet, to assess and share developments on Marine Spatial Planning and the likely evolution of these topics under UK and Scottish Marine Bills. The Nov 2009 Conference addressed "Marine Planning: from global origins to local reality".

For latest details access their website

Clyde Forum activities also embrace any further developments based on the SSMEI Clyde Pilot - see below,

(May 09)

Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Minister for the Environment, launched the draft Spatial Plan for the Clyde at a session on "The Tall Ship". Despite dripping with acronyms and planners' jargon, the document represents an intelligent effort to recommend how the various "stakeholders" involved on and around the Clyde should interact. It builds on the foundations of the Clyde Forum, and recognises and respects the contribution from existing bodies such as the Clyde Moorings Committee and the MCA-managed Safety Committees.

With the recent establishment of Marine Scotland, which brings together disparate parts of the Scotiish Government, and with UK and Scottish Marine Bills in the pipeline, the Clyde Pilot offers a potential implementation model upon which Regional Marine Plans may be based.

For more details see www.clydeforum.org/ssmei

CYCA Yearbook

Following the 2008 Survey, the Association has been seeking a way in which to provide CYCA Yearbooks to all owners registered on the database. (In recent years, circulation has been restricted to owners who had had recent Sail Number and/or Handicap business with the Association.)

With increases in postage charges and in paper + printing, the costs involved required an increase in advertising revenue which cannot be satisfied in the current economic climate. The Association is therefore continuing to populate this website with additional information previously provided via the Yearbook - and more. It is hoped that owners will be able to print selectively any reference information required in hard copy, and that the on-line solution - whilst not necessarily ideal - provides a more environmentally-friendly solution.

Please contact the office if you have any comments on this decision. It may be revisited in the future, subject to the economic circumstances and the level of owner interest.

Letters / Articles

(PDF files)

2009 February

- Basis for harmonised safety equipment standards (corrected, as above)