Yachting news: in a nutshell (14.06.22)

Five boats burned down in a fire

South African boat manufacturer Butt Cat this week confirmed the loss of five new boats. The fire destroyed the ship equipment center in Port Elizabeth.

The fire broke out at Brickmakers Kloof, which is currently being rebuilt. The company builds pleasure and commercial boats mainly 16-32 feet (4-9 meters).

Company co-owner Michelle Van Kempen says: “We have lost five new boats at various stages of development. Three of these boats were almost ready, and the other two were somewhere "in the middle" of the way. Boats were intended not only for domestic use. Some of them were ordered from abroad.”

The cause of the fire is still unknown. The company is busy processing an insurance claim. Meanwhile, boat production continues at the main production yard in Bushman's River, an hour's drive from Port Elizabeth.

The company has been selling boats under the Butt Cat and Supreme Craft brands for 60 years. They specialize in fishing and commercial boats for coastal and offshore navigation. 

New marina in Poland

The Polish municipality of Dziwnów has selected Warsaw-based construction company Aarsleff to build a new marina in a project worth around PLN 14.5 million ($3.5 million).

The firm offered the lowest price for the project in a tender held by the municipality. The municipality is located on the Baltic coast. The project will be financed from funds received from the European Union. 

Brussels will provide more than 80% of funds needed to carry out the planned investments. The planned marina will be the second facility of its kind in Dzivnow. The existing marina in the municipality is designed for 61 vessels.

Founded in 1995, the Warsaw-based company is the Polish branch of the Danish construction company Per Aarsleff. Dziwnow is located in the northwestern region of Poland - Western Pomerania, near the border with Germany. The population is less than 3,000, according to Statistics Poland.

I met a killer whale - check it out!

Recently, encounters with killer whales have become a dangerous adventure. Since 2020, there has been an increase in the number of killer whales that in one way or another “interact” with small vessels and yachts. Alas, boats sometimes get severe damage.

The Crewing Association and Groupo Trabajo Orca Atlantica, which studies the behavior of cetaceans, have launched a new online platform for recording sightings and sightings of killer whales in the Iberian Peninsula.

The Spanish Ministry of the Environment has confirmed that it is illegal to harm, annoy or disturb cetaceans in territorial waters. The ministry also stated that “the use of an engine and propeller to turn a vessel towards a killer whale, the use of ‘noise meters’, ‘pingers’, acoustic deterrent devices (ADDs) attached to boats, and the throwing of fireworks, flares, etc. in approaching whales” is prohibited by Spanish law.

Marine scientists at Grupo Trabajo Orca Atlantica don't know exactly why this vulnerable killer whale subpopulation interacts with ships. To help with the research (and future problem solving), CA has launched an online form. 

On it you can leave a report in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish with many fields to indicate the circumstances and conditions when the encounter with the killer whale occurred or killer whales were sighted. All seafarers, whether they are CA members or not, are asked to provide information.

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14.06.2022