One of the Royal Navy’s warships has been put to good use helping conservation experts’ survey marine wildlife off the North East coast.

The commanding officer and crew of Gateshead based HMS Example opened their ship to a team from The Durham Wildlife Trust who were equipped with waterproofs, binoculars and clipboards on the voyage down the Tyne and out to sea.

Durham Wildlife Trust’s purpose is to protect wildlife and promote nature conservation in County Durham, the City of Sunderland and the Boroughs of Gateshead, South Tyneside and Darlington.

British Waterways is urging boaters to plan ahead to make sure they can continue to enjoy London’s waterways during next summer, when restrictions to navigation and use of the waterways will be put in place during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The restrictions are part of measures put in place by the Metropolitan Police Service, the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and other security partners to support the wider safety and security operation for the Games.

British Waterways has been working closely with these organisations to make sure boaters can make the necessary plans to continue to enjoy the historic canals and waterways, while ensuring that the millions of visitors and Londoners in the capital during this period can enjoy this spectacular sporting event safely and securely.

At the PSP Southampton Boat Show The Green Blue (TGB) congratulated six marina operators for completing TGB Marine Toolkit, an online environmental self-assessment tool for marine organisations.   
 
The six marinas include: Carrickfergus Marina, Penarth Marina, Portland Marina, Clyde Marina, Plymouth Yacht Haven and Largs Yacht Haven who were presented with ‘The Green Blue Marine Toolkit Certificate’.
 
Paul Swain, Portland Marina, Simon Limb, Clyde Marina and Hannah Wagstaffe representing Plymouth Yacht Haven were present on the RYA Stand to receive their certificates from Garry Thompson, Coastal Manager at the Crown Estate.
 

Sunsail Racing in partnership with EMG (Event Management Group Ltd) have created a unique sailing experience, the Match Racing Academy, to offer Grand Prix style racing for amateurs and experienced sailors alike. With coaching from professional sailors, such as winning tactician Simon Shaw, champion of the renowned World Match Racing Tour to demonstrate real race tactics to those onboard.

Simon Conder, Head of Marketing for Sunsail said; “this is the next step for Sunsail Racing and allows us to offer the full spectrum of race experiences onboard our new fleet of F40 race yachts.”

As close as it gets to replicating the America’s Cup - the Match Racing Academy lets experienced and novice sailors experience the thrills and spills of high drama yacht racing onboard identically optimised and adapted Sunsail F40 racing yachts.

A maritime charity based on the Thames has received a glowing letter of thanks from the Metropolitan Police’s Marine Policing Unit after assisting in a major training exercise.

The Maritime Volunteer Service (MVS) City of London Unit meet at the Royal Naval Reserve headquarters at HMS President and are part of a national organisation with more than 30 units across the country. 

Each unit trains their members in valuable maritime skills in both afloat and ashore skills which can be called upon by the community in times of emergency. Some of these skills were put to good use recently during a series of exercises with the Marine Policing Unit using the MVS’s 45 foot long launch “Londinium 1.”