Saturday 31 October 2009

Gardener 8L3 Diesel engine driven





Well it will be if they can find one,this train is in New Zealand,the same engine that is used in Venture and the British Navys HDML class (two engines) is to be used in this train!

The 1958 Bagnall 0-6-0 diesel locomotive was originally purchased by Wilson's Portland Cement Ltd. for use at their Portland Works south of Whangarei. Portland sold the locomotive to Avon Industries Ltd. when they shut down their industrial railway. The club purchased the locomotive from Avon Industries Ltd. with a generous grant from Pub Charities, Inc. It was unloaded on to the club's siding at Heritage Park on 7 October 2005. Work is underway to stabilize rust and to prepare the locomotive for a paint job. It's a bit rough, cosmetically, but is complete, just missing the diesel engine. The search has begun for a replacement engine, preferably a Gardner 8L3 or similar low-revving diesel engine of 100 to 150 horsepower. If anyone knows of a suitable engine, please contact us

Harbour Defence Motor Launch (HDML class)


Class overview.

Name: Harbour Defence Motor Launch (HDML)
Completed: 486
Active: none
General characteristics
Displacement: 54 tons (loaded)
Length: 72 ft (22 m)
Beam: 16 ft (4.9 m)
Draught: 5 ft (1.5 m) (loaded)
Propulsion: twin Gardner 8L3 engines, each 204 bhp (152 KW)
Speed: 12 knots
Range: 2,000 miles at 10 kts (1,650 gal)
Complement: two officers, two petty officers and eight ratings
Armament: typically twin 20mm Oerlikons, twin Vickers K machine guns and six depth charges.

HDML 1301 in Padstow with extra fuel tanks and stores for voyage to Malta.

We have found that a company in Durban,South Africa named,Spadbrow and another named Africa Marine in Mombassa,Kenya, built this class of boat in wood,it is probably the same class as Venture,now moored in Hout Bays harbour and privatly owned.

Design and construction.

HDMLs had a displacement hull of 72 feet (22 m) long with a beam of 16 feet (4.9 m) and a loaded draught of 5 feet (1.5 m). The loaded displacement was 54 tons. The hull had a pronounced flare forward to throw the bow wave clear, and providing considerable lift to prevent all but the heaviest seas from coming aboard. Although sea-kindly, there is a considerable tendency to roll, especially when taking seas at anything other than right angles. The cause, surprisingly, was their considerable reserve of stability, the effect of which was to impart a powerful righting moment if the ship was pushed over in a seaway. This, coupled with the round bilged hull and lack of bilge keels, would set up a rapid and violent rolling.

One of the design criteria, was that it had to be capable of turning within the turning circle of a submerged submarine. To achieve this, HDMLs were fitted with two very large rudders and, to reduce the resistance to turning, the keel ended 13 feet from the stern. A side effect of this was that the hull lacked directional stability, and was extremely difficult to hold on a straight course.

The hull was of round bilge wooden construction, planked with two diagonally opposed skins with a layer of oiled calico between them – known as “double-diagonal” construction. The hull is completed with frames or “timbers” riveted perpendicularly from the keel to the gunwale on the inside of the planking, forming a very strong hull. The hull is further strengthened by the addition of longitudinal stringers riveted inside the timbers together with further timbers, known as "web frames" fastened inside the stringers opposite every third main timber. HDMLs were fitted with a deeper section rubbing strake aft. Its purpose was to roll depth charges (kept and delivered from racks on the side decks) clear of the hull and propellers.

Most HDML hulls were planked in mahogany, but later in the war when this became scarce, larch was used although this tended to lead to leaky hulls. The decks were also of double-diagonal construction, and generally made of softwood. Ships operating in tropical waters (including the Mediterranean) were sheathed in copper below the waterline to prevent attack by marine borers.

In order to lessen the chances of ships sinking in the event of damage to the hull, they were divided into six watertight compartments. Provided that the bulkheads were not damaged, the ship could remain afloat with any one compartment flooded.

Popular Mechanics,the November issue is Toylander friendly

Left click either page to read full size.


This will be something of a first,Toylanders in South Africa and Popular Mechanics magazine,the phone was really busy with people phoning for information,please note the web site shown is incorrect,please use www.ckdboats.com not .co.za We have a full price list available,please email me at kits@comlumber.com and I will send you a copy.

Note,posted prices are lower now,plans are R427 and a kit starts at R3882 for the base car body and its materials.

Andrews epoxy progress


Since a year back when we supplied Andrew with marine plys and epoxies for his Hartley 37 yacht hull,we have taken a keen interest in his progress,as you can see the finish is great,we will soon see the International Paint we also supplied being applied next.

Another good wooden boat



Control Target Boats
Between 1942 & 1945 there were 50 C/T Boats all of which were converted from
other military fast boats, Naval MTBs, MGBs and RAF HSLs. These were numbered C/T 1 - 49 (there were 2 CT 26's), in fact our own HSL 102 was converted to C/T 12 in 1943.

On top of this Thornycroft built a number of boats between 1938 - 1944 numbered DCMB 01, DCTB 1 - 6 and Queen Swan 5 - 10 (DCTB 1,3,5 & 6 became Queen Swan 1 - 4.

The War Department Army also had 131 12ft Queen Gull remote control target boats built by the British Power Boats Company at Marchwood Park. We have Queen Gull 78 in our collection at Marchwood


This is an earlier build than Venture in the blog below,she is still carrying her original superstructure which Charles Bates removed on Venture,the stem has less rake too.

Venture,a good wooden boat


Venture was a South African Navy ship,taken over by Charles Bates and changed to suit his needs about twenty years back,as far as I know the boat was built in 1943,she still has her original Gardener engines which had a rebuild around the pistons a few years back.At fifty five years old she is looking good,owned by a local guy named Mike,who keeps her in tip top condition,she is available for charter if required.


Roy

The Lutine Bell,Everton,Liverpool


Situated on the corner of Rydal Street and Breck Road, The Lutine Bell can be found offering a “warm welcome to all our customers”. It was great to see at the time of taking this image that most of Breck Road’s pubs were still trading. Hopefully this will remain the case for a good while yet! Rydal Street forms part of a network of streets in this locality named after lakes in the Lake District.


Contact Info
263 Breck Road
Liverpool
L5 6PT
+44 (0) 151 263 2986


I have driven past this public house on Liverpools Breck Road many times,I have never been inside though,seems to me that next time I vist my home time I need to put this mistake right!

Friday 30 October 2009

Lloyds and The Lutine Bell



The Lutine Bell,which as everyone in Liverpool knows is a pub,right! Its also a piece of maritime history,read on.

The Lutine Bell, weighing 106 pounds and measuring 18 inches in diameter, is
synonymous with the name of Lloyd’s. Traditionally it has been rung to herald
important announcements – one stroke for bad news and two for good.
The bell was carried on board the French frigate La Lutine (the sprite) which
surrendered to the British at Toulon in 1793. Six years later as HMS Lutine and
carrying a cargo of gold and silver bullion, she sank off the Dutch coast. The
cargo, valued then at around £1 million, was insured by Lloyd’s underwriters
who paid the claim in full.
There were numerous salvage attempts and in 1859 the wreck yielded its most
important treasure - the ship’s bell. It was hung in Lloyd’s Underwriting Room
at the Royal Exchange and was rung when news of overdue ships arrived.
Whenever a vessel became overdue, underwriters would ask a specialist
broker to reinsure some of their liability based on the possibility of the ship
becoming a total loss. When reliable information became available the ringing
of the bell ensured that everyone with an interest in the risk became aware of
the news simultaneously.
The bell has hung in four successive Underwriting Rooms. In the Royal
Exchange 1890s-1928, Leadenhall Street 1928-1958, Lime Street 1958-1986;
and in the present Lloyd’s building since 1986.
The bell is no longer rung as the result of a vessel becoming “overdue”. Today,
the ringing of the Lutine bell is generally limited to ceremonial occasions,
although in rare instances exceptions are made. For example, the bell was rung
following the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001.

Thursday 29 October 2009

Loading bending plys and veneers into your van (or car)



Gavin has been using our bending plys and veneers about eigth years now,he has a restoration job on a Hartley 38 ft power boat and placed an order for finishing materials.twelve sheets of bending veneer in oak plus white and pink beech,six sheets of bending plys in short and long grain,one plank of american white oak 3.6mtrs long,one roll of biaxial glass cloth and a bag of micro balloons,how will he ever get that lot into his Landrover? easy,Gavin knows we can roll it up and then packing is simple.

Vesper Marine Watchmate AIS wins another award



Vesper Marine Wins 2009 New Zealand Hi-Tech Award
News release 5 May 2009
VESPER MARINE - NEW ZEALAND HI-TECH INNOVATION WINNER

Vesper Marine, the maker of the AISWatchMate, a unique collision warning alarm for marine traffic, has been named winner of the Enatel Innovative Hardware Product Award at this years 15th annual New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards ceremony held at the Christchurch Convention Centre Friday 1 May.

Vesper Marine's founders and off-shore sailors Jeff Robbins and Deirdre Schleigh know first hand the importance of safety while on the water, whether off-shore, along the coast or around the harbour.

“Safety is too important to be complicated and buried deep in the menus of today's complex marine electronics”, says Robbins. The AISWatchMate provides any mariner, whether on a yacht, launch or small commercial vessel, with a simple easy-to-interpret tool to help avoid collisions at sea. When operating in stressful or crowded circumstances, potentially fatigued crew are faced with critical decision making and need concise, pertinent information relating to the situation at hand.

Incorporating the Automatic Identification System (AIS) the AISWatchMate is made especially effective by compulsory regulations requiring all international vessels over 300 tonnes and all domestic vessels over 500 tonnes to have AIS transponders installed. In addition, more and more vessels are voluntarily opting to use the safety benefits of AIS.

Using AIS is a highly effective means to track vessel movements. The AISWatchMate offers unique interpretation of the data providing prioritised information and advanced warning to the watch captain. Course changes can be made well in advance to avoid danger.

This dedicated safety instrument has also won the Freeman K. Pittman Innovation Award earlier this year and has attracted commercial partners and customers from all corners of the globe.

Robbins added “We are very honoured to be chosen again as one of the most innovative companies and thank the respected national and international panel of judges for their recognition of our work.”

The PricewaterhouseCoopers Hi-Tech Awards are presented annually to celebrate New Zealand's high tech companies and their achievements. These premier technology awards recognise excellence across New Zealand’s software, electronics, biotechnology, telecommunications and creative technology industries.

This cruising thing,Tale Teller a Vertue 26





I have recently been of the opinion that a voyage on your own boat starts a long long time before the actual trip,where ever it may be to and for how long,its the begining thats important,those who never actually untie their dock lines and sail away,have still been on a voyage,I know one guy who was asked where he was sailing to on his Nicholson 35? he replied 'around the world' when asked where he started from he replied 'Gordons Bay,eight years ago' at the time he was on a marina in Hout Bay,which is probably about 25 nautical sea miles and a lot less as the crow flies,he had made at start at least!

A local couple had huge dreams to buy their own boat and go cruising,they bought a Morgan 31 from the guy who berths next to me,took that boat to their farm,stripped it and really made it into a gem of a boat,new rigging,engine,port hatches,hard dodger,when they re launched they were super excited to be off,their voyage had in effect started with the boats purchhase,they had been living the cruising dream since that moment.

Then a Tosca 36 came on the market,it was a far larger boat,well priced and as they saw the potential,they bought that and put the Morgan 31 on the market,this was setting back their departure as they refurbed the new boat but the important part was they were now living aboard and their dream was being fullfilled.It was a pity they did not take the qualified advise about departure in our winter months,they left on a fine winters day,only to be hammered off the Namibian coast,they crept back to Hout Bay,their dream was in tatters,they sold the boat and their dream was ended but they had a lot of fun on the way!

I was delivering some International Antifoul to a friend of mine yesterday,his name is Tom,he is highly qualified and has sailed the South Atlantic at least three times in his Endurance 37,Song of Grace,his last trip to Grenada was single handed too.Tom bought the Vertue 26 he has now some five years back,it is now forty six years old and outside in his garden but during his extensive (very) rebuild he has been voyaging with his boat all this time,the boat will be launched quite soon,Tom is excited but I suspect if he never sails off in her,it will be of no concern to Tom,he has done many work hours and mental sea miles in her already.

Roy

Wednesday 28 October 2009

BSA or DKW by its other name.

Bantam Originally copied from the DKW RT125 and then developed on by BSA.

A genuine DKW 125 cc as recently restored in Cape Town.


A 1949 BSA 125cc

A friend has just done top class restoration of a 125cc DKW,I was surpised when he told me that after the end of the second world war,BSA Motor Cycles ended up with the DKW motor bike tooling confiscated by the British after the end of the war,just check out how similar they are!

Toylander kits are selling



The november issue of Popular Mechanics is now on the shelves,this issue carries a feature on our new range of kits,not boats this time but Toylanders,which are a reduced scale Landrover,we are doing the Series two but others are available,plus things like classic style cars and even this tractor!

Tuesday 27 October 2009

Fernando do Noranha,Brasils eco island

Of all the many places we had the pleasure visit,this is the one place that stands miles out and high above the others,it is just as it looks in these pictures and as it was years ago,the only thing that has changed is the cost to stop there now.When we arrived On Ocean Cloud,our Endurance 37 sailing yacht, it was a restricted stop of a few days and we had to tell the guy in charge which bay we wanted to visit for a day trip,over night stops not beiing allowed.The beaches were safe for our children,the water was clean (still is) and a day spent paddling in the pools around the bays were just perfect.




Welcome to Fernando de Noronha Island! A Paradise in Brazil!
Fernando de Noronha is a tiny group of islands 340km from the Brazilian coast. This archipelago consists of twenty small islands and one large one. All of them have beautiful beaches with the most amazing marine life in their clear waters. You will find your Fernando de Noronha Hotel on the large island which is also the starting point for tours exploring the outer islands. With a population of only 2100 residents, Fernando de Noronha is developing tourism in a sustainable way, finding a balance to preserve the beautiful ecological sanctuary.


Its sheer distance from the mainland has kept this archipelago as beautiful as it was five centuries ago, when it was discovered by the famous Portuguese navigator Americo Vespucio. It is located some two hundred miles off Natal, on the north eastern coast of Brazil. The islands are governed and administered by the State of Pernambuco.

Blue Shadow of Mauritius

Side by side,Blue Shadow of Mauritius and Figaro V,both ocean racers and both timber built,both american designed but Figaro V was a Derecktor design.




We have the pleasure of regular visits from yachts from other ports,history wise,some are quite special 'Blue Shadow of Mauritius' falls into that group.While she is named after an Island in the Indian Ocean her port of registration is Ipswich in England.

She is a Sparkmans and Stevens design and built by Yves Betuel in Mauritius in 1975,the yard being owned by Yves himself.Built using Burmese Teak,with a length of 13.62 mtrs,Draft 2.28mtrs,Beam 3.9mtrs and four tons of lead in her keel,her engine is a Perkins (4108?) diesel.
Yves built this boat for his own use and she was made for racing,expecting to win the Cape Town to Rio race,her young french team made the mistake of sailing into a hole in the South Atlantic High and was becalmed a few days,she was later shipped back from Rio to Mauritius and used for local races.

In 1982 Yves sold the boat to a personal friend a banker named Christian Dervichian of Belgium,Christian then sailed her to Durban in South Africa and it was on this trip the boat had to ride out a hurricane south of Madagascar,later Christian took two crew and sailed down to Cape Town.

In December of 1982 Jena Griffifs joined Christian as crew member to the Carribean via the islands of St Helena and Fernando Noronha, off the north east coast of Brasil.After the Caribbean Blue Shadow was sailed to Florida and later to New York where she was sold.

The buyer was a Mr Harry Anderson who was also the Commodore of the New York Yacht Club,he owned her for ten years racing her locally and cruising each summer up the east coast of Canada,once up to Hudson Bay is search of Andersons old whaling station,Christian Dervichian often joined Harry on this trips.

In 1993 Christian bought Blue Shadow back from Harry and then sailed her to Scotland via the Azores (riding out storm winds that went to 99 knots and off the clock)Christian then kept Blue Shadow in Scotland for two seasons before then sailing her to Norway above the Artic Circle.He later sailed her to Portugal and across the Atlantic to the US Virgins where Jena rejoined as crew in 1996.

In 1996 Blue Shadow sailed via the San Blas Islands and the Panama Cannal to Figi,calling at such places as Galapagos,Marquasas,Thahiti,Nue,Cook Islands and Tonga,she spent that seasons hurricane season in Figi while the boats crew,including Jena flew home for six months.

In 1997 Jeana Griffifhs became Blue Shadows skipper and sailed her from Figi to Brisbane via the Figi outer islands ,Vanuatu and New Caladonia,Christian later sailed her from Brisbane to Perth with other crew.

In 1998 Jean an a Peter Kaegi took over the boats ownership and sailed with Christian a their guest to Exmouth in Western Australia,then north to Thailand via Cocas Keeling west of Sumatra.In Thailand Blue Shadow was refitted for chartering and spent three seasons cruising between Malaysia and Thailand with guests aboard.

In 2002 Jena and Peter sailed from Thailand to Richards Bay in South Africa with their two year old son,via Summatra,Sri Lanka,Madives,Seychelles,Comores and Madagascar over an eleven month period.

Blue Shadow was then left in Richards Bay for two years,in January 2004 she was prepared for sailing once more,then sailed down the coast south to Simonstown and the FBYC since 2004.As far as I can tell she was then sold to a Mr Renier Fourie,then he sold to Mr Julio Graham who has the boat now,she is due to return back to her permant FBYC mooring very soon,so check this piece of sailing history out now before she does.

What was I saying about special boats!

Roy roy@comlumber.com
Dear Roy
I came across the attached by pure luck and for reasons I shall explain below, read your article with a great deal of interest.

Christian Dervichian is (was?) a very old and very dear friend. Our paths crossed in November 1979 in Mauritius, where we had both been despatched by the then owner of a fine 55 ft steel ketch, "Paille-en-Queue II", with instructions to sail her to the south of France, where she was to be sold. [Note: I last saw Christian in Geraldton, Western Australia, in 1998 - more about that later.]

By way of background, Christian & I were accompanied by Christian's wife (Lucia) and a wonderful Mauritian merchant seaman, Philippe Montocchio, who had been a member of Blue Shadow's crew on that Cape-to-Rio race to which you, correctly, refer.

Lucia & Philippe left us in Port Elizabeth and Christian & I carried on, with various crew at various times, via Cape Town, St Helena, Fernando de Noronha, the West Indies, Bermuda, the Azores, Portugal, Gibraltar, Mediterranean, etc. and ultimately to 'Les Marines de Cogolin' in the Gulf of St Tropez (October 1980), where 'Paille-en-Queue II" was delivered to a yacht broker to be sold.

I then spent some weeks with Christian & Lucia at their home in Brussels and it was there that the plan to acquire "Blue Shadow" was hatched.

Being originally from Mauritius, I had heard that Yves Betuel was comtemplating selling "Blue Shadow". By way of background, Yves used to run the shipyard at "Taylor Smith" (www.taylorsmith.com) and was also Port Captain of Port Louis in Mauritius.

By October 1980, Christian was back in Brussels, living in a small appartment with his wife, without a boat and he was bored… What's more, I was about to leave him (we had, by then, spent just over 12 months together) in order to join a yacht in Fort Lauderdale… We wrote to Yves Betuel and to cut a long story short, Christian flew to Mauritius and acquired "Blue Shadow".

Without wishing to be rude, please allow me to correct you on a couple of matters, as follows:
Designer: Although her designer may well have been influenced by S&S, she was actually designed and built by a Mauritian by the name of Noel Maurel. To the best of my knowledge, Mr Maurel was an engineer, with no qualifications (formal or otherwise) in naval architecture. "Blue Shadow" was not his first (nor his last) boat - prior to that, he had designed and built at least 4 excellent yachts, all of which, I suspect, are still plying their trade..

Yard: Blue Shadow was, actually and surprisingly, built in Mr Maurel's front yard in Grand Baie, Mauritius, with the help of local tradesmen.. It is possible (and in fact, quite likely) that much of the fit-out might have been carried out by Taylor Smith, above.

Christian & I remained in regular correspondence from 1980 until 1998 when, as you correctly point out in your article, he pitched up in Fremantle in 1998.

By then he had "gifted" (his words) his boat to a Swiss woman (I think) whom I never got to meet and whose name I cannot recall, but assume it must have been 'Jeana Griffiths' to whom you refer in your aticle. I also recall him telling me she had a South African partner, possibly the Peter Kaegi to whom you refer (?). Evidently, the deal was that he was to sail with them for as long as his health would allow and would justify his place aboard the boat by doing the cooking… An odd arrangement in my view, but then again, Christian was not your run-of-the mill character..!

I last saw Christian in July/August 1998 and have not heard a word from him since - prior to that he had been an avid and regular correspondent… My wife & I had a cup of tea with him aboard Blue Shadow in Geraldton one evening ahead of their departure for Exmouth, etc., as you point out in your article, and then nothing..

At the time, Christian was not well - he told me he had developed the early symptoms of Parkinson's and furthermore, was also suffering from a chronic back complaint, the later being the result of an accident suffered some time earlier in Fiji.

Do you happen to know whether he is still alive..?
As for "Blue Shadow", sadly, her original owner, Yves Betuel, died a couple of years ago - see attached eulogy (in French, unfortunately!). Suffice to say, however, that there are many people in Mauritius who would dearly love to know what has become of her, not the least of whom being members of that original Cape-to-Rio race.

In conclusion, therefore, any light you can shed on both Christian Dervichian and Blue Shadow would be very much appreciated.

With kind regards and best wishes
Jean-Michel Merven
Perth, Western Australia

Nous, ceux qui l’aimions, nous l’appelions « Cap ».
Et nous étions nombreux à jouir de son amitié !

L’homme était généreux, organisé, discret et d’une grande bonté !
Ses soucis – et il en avait – il les gardait pour lui.
Ses joies, il les partageait avec ceux qu’il aimait.

Égal à lui-même, il avait tout prévu jusqu’à sa dernière demeure.
A l’entrepreneur qui lésinait . . . il ne pouvait dire qu’il était pressé !

Par un beau matin de Mai, sans faire de bruit et sans donner de soucis,
Il est parti pour l’Autre Rive là où la mer est toujours calme et où il fait bon se reposer..

Blue Shadow avait quitté Grand Baie voilà bien des années.
Dessiné et construit par Noël, c’était le lieu privilégié où il accueillait ses amis.
Là où se perdaient les bouchons de whisky une fois les bouteilles débouchées !
Là encore où les amis s’embarquèrent pour participer à la course de Cape Town à Rio.

Comme dans la légende, Cap est allé reprendre la barre de son superbe voilier !
S’il semble avoir disparu à nos yeux, c’est qu’il navigue sous d’autres cieux !
Attendant. . . que son équipage vienne l’y retrouver, ce qui ne saurait trop tarder !

Sur le quai, chère Madeline, avec tes enfants et petits enfants qu’il chérissait tellement
continuez de guetter l’horizon .
Même si nous n’apercevons plus Cap et Blue Shadow, ils sont juste là de l’Autre Côté.

Un Ami de cette trempe, ça ne s’oublie pas ! Cap, tu seras toujours là.
Peut être pas physiquement. . . mais toujours bien vivant, dans nos esprits !

MERCI ! d’avoir été notre Ami celui sur qui nous pouvions compter !
Nous ne pleurerons pas mon Cap, en te voyant lever ton spi pour le Grand Voyage !
Mais, nous nous réjouirons en nous rappelant ce que Capitaine Yves Bétuel
était pour nous ! ! !

J.R.

Watch Hut blown down but the watchman stays put!


This was the day after the big blow,its a bit of this and that,the marina watch man was on duty,but when I got to the harbour early morning with the gale still howling, there was not a sign of either of the two watchmen from Deep Blue,blown away maybe? this watch hut sure was.

Blowing in the Wind


No Peter Paul and Mary in this house,thats the most expensive roof sheeting sold in this country,no match for Hout Bay though is it!

Blown away in Hout Bay

Some boats did take damage but often this is down to old canvas which should have been tended to long ago.

Our marina is very well built but took strain with this one.

Slightly deflated but ok.

Now I dont want to put anyone off but it can get windy in the cape,Hout Bay especially,its an easterly wind,we have seen them come and go over the last thirty years or so.The one that hit two days back was a beauty,some say seventy nine
knots (79),I was down at my own boat first thing in the morning to check my mooring lines,as my wind speed indicator only reads to 50 knots I never bothered opening the boat to check wind speed,it was off the clock for sure.

Monday 26 October 2009

ZS5MU or Alister Campbell by his other name.


We have been listening to Alister and his wife Davinia ZS5GC for a very long time,all on amature radio,or ham radio as it is known, Alister works from Duban and used to run a resturant ,I am not sure he still does now though?

Durban


Web address....... http://www.sailblogs.com/member/southafricanmaritimemobilenet/

Hello and welcome ! This the UNOFFICIAL website for the South African Maritime Mobile Net. This website has no legal affiliation to the South African Maritime Mobile Net whatsoever. All information on this website is advisory only. Use official publications for navigation and weather information.

The South African Maritime Mobile Net was started by Alistair Campbell ZS5MU some 30 years ago and is ably assisted by his wife Davina ZS5GC and several other coastal Radio Ham Operators. The net operates each day of the week, and provides weather reports from around the SA coast and High Seas, and maintains Ham radio contact with boats off the coast of South Africa "For Met area VII", ie. Brazil's east coast to Australia's west coast and up into the Mozambique channel. There are two regular schedule times as follows:

06:30 UTC: Starts on 14316 kHz for 5-10 minutes, and then moves to 7120 kHz. (New frequency).
11:30 UTC: Starts on 14316 kHz for approx. 30 minutes and then moves down to 7120 kHz. (New frequency).

Main Controller: Alistair Campbell ZS5MU
Position: 30° 38' 29'' S, 30° 31' 3'' E
E-mail = zs5mummnet att mweb dott co dott za
Phone = 039-684-6421
Cell = 083-308-7362
P.O.Box 63
Anerley
4236
South Africa

Secondary Controller: Graham Griggs ZS2ABK
Position: 33.6769 S, 26.6468 E
E-mail = zs2abk att intekom dott co dott za
Phone = 046-648-1071
Cell = 083-756-0288
P.O. Box 159
Kenton on Sea
6191
South Africa

Note: A legal Amateur Radio Operator License is required to work this net.
However, in an EMERGENCY, no license is required.

An empty prison


I have been to St Helena Isle,twice,it has a prison but when I have been there,each time it was empty,they actually have to think quite hard to try and remember who was last in it? You will note its built right next to a church,which came first,prison or the church?