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Harbour information at your fingertips



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What is the issue?
Harbour information can be spread across pilotage and tidal books. Bringing the information together when required, takes some time to dig them out and hunt through them individually.

Why address this?
This is a time consuming disjointed activity in conditions that may become urgent and pressurised. It unnecessarily distracts from port entry preparation and can delay or exacerbate reaction in an emergency situation.

How to address this?
When you are surveying a harbour to visit pencil the key harbour data and notes beside the port on your working chart. This simple practice has the key points of information readily available and makes harbour entry much more relaxed. It also provides for fast decisions should an unexpected emergency crop up.

So when you are looking up the harbour in a pilot book try to abbreviate the key points about that port that would be convieneint to have to hand such as:

  • • The harbour’s operating channel

  • • Harbourmaster's phone number

  • • Pilot book and page

  • • Tide book and page

  • • Standard port tide and page

  • • Sub chart number etc.


Then look to the port itself. If there are any areas of concern, sketch out an abort plan, or plans depending upon conditions, and note them onto the chart. In doing so particularly note the point where the Rubicon has been crossed, the 'pull-out plan' is no longer available, and you are committed to the harbour.

Leave the pencilled notes there should you return to the port. If you should want to clear the notes away in the future the pencilled data may easily be erased.

With thanks to:
Phil Murphy, Kilmore Quay Harbour Master.
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