Sunken boats are becoming a familiar sight in Tewkesbury. Photo: Cara Hurren

With a climate change, rising water levels and increased flood risks, the standard of new buildings should be improved, the Association of British Insurers announced today.

Last summer’s floods cost the insurance industry more than £3bn. It’s not just the house insurance market that has been affected, but the boat and marine insurance market as well.

Though a small inflatable boat or canoe stored in a garage can assist in the case of a flood, boats and yachts can be affected to the “beyond repair” extent. In a flood situation, boats can be forced by the current, float uncontrollably and then hit bridges or buildings.

This narrow boat floated into the tunnel as the water level rose, until it filled up with water and sank. Photo: Patrick Campbell

If you are a boat owner, you will be responsible for recovering the vessel, which can be a difficult and expensive task when the water level finally drops. Even worse, you might be responsible for the damage your boat causes to someone else’s property. So, to avoid major financial loss, ensure you have fully comprehensive boat insurance or at least be covered by third party boat insurance.

Sailing in wintertime can prove to be a harsh experience. Cold waters welcome sailors with freezing winds, and if the thought of numb toes and multiple layers of clothes that fail to keep you warm, makes you shiver, we have some advice for you.
The best suggestion is to not sail your yacht, boat or dinghy, but to use the winter time for more cosy and pleasurable boating experiences. Visiting the Grand Boat Show will offer you the opportunity to catch up with the latest marine products, the finest luxury yachts, the cheapest boat insurance and marine insurance deals on offer.

Here are the major boat shows that will keep sailors, boat owners and their families busy and entertained this winter.

11th - 20th January 2008, London
Collins Stewart London Boat Show will feature over 1000 boats and around 650 companies exhibiting marine based products. On 60,000 square metres of covered space and over 100 acres of water, the show will have everything for your boating needs.
There will be something for everyone: a range of fun and educational boat activities for young children; an aerial spectacular Sea Queen Show performed by circus dancers; a Royal Navy Destroyer- a vessel equipped with the air defence missile system will be moored outside on the show’s spectacular marina in the Royal Victoria Dock.

Tickets range from £10.00 to £17.50 and can be booked online.
Visit the website

February 19th -24th 2008, Birmingham
The National Boat Caravan and Outdoor Show will not only feature boats and marine products, but also caravans and tents, cars and motor homes will be on offer.
Two hundred thousand square metres of display space at the National Exhibition Centre allows plenty of room to host free family activities including canoeing, kayaking, archery, climbing plus caravan towing and motor home manoeuvring courses.

Tickets range from £8.00 to £14.00 and can be booked online.
Visit the website

28th February - 2nd March 2008, Mumbai, India
With the British Marine Federation as a strategic partner in the Mumbai International Boat Show, it is the largest boat show in India. On a 10,000 square metre space, a wide range of small and medium sized boats, boat engines, water sports equipment and luxury products will be displayed. Press conference with international speakers from marine and boating industries, VIP preview evening, Networking dinner and other sponsored events will make marine experience in the ‘Gateway to India’ city Mumbai unforgettable.

Tickets range from £2.00 to £9.00 and can be booked online, by wire transfer or bankers draft. When visiting the site please note that prices are shown in Indian Rupees (100PS=1.28GBP)
Visit the website

A new era in British warship construction has been announced with the launch of HMS Daring ….

The beginning of February 2006 saw the launch of HMS Daring into the Clyde River at Glasgow. This is the first of the Type-45 destroyers, which measures a colossal 153 metres in length, weighs 7,350 tonnes and costs an equally immense £650 million. BAE Systems intend to produce a further seven Type-45 destroyers within the next ten years which marks the start of a £6 billion project to equip the Royal Navy with a totally new class of warships.

The Countess of Wessex attended the ceremony along with more than 11,000 on-lookers as the ship surged into the Clyde. Due to the narrow river, the ship had to be restrained with numerous chains to stop it from colliding with the dock.

HMS Daring is the most powerful frontline warship since WWII and is regarded as strong acknowledgment of the highly skilled British ship building industry.

Proving that it is more than brawn alone, the Type-45 took to the water as the worlds most advanced air defence ship, boasting a hugely powerful radar, stealth technology, all-electric propulsion and anti-aircraft missile systems.

Sea trials are expected to start in 2007 when the true capabilities of the T-45 will be tested. In addition, there will be two new aircraft carriers built along with Astute submarines and a supply ship project known as MARS (Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability) which will cost over £2 billion.

The Sea Fish Industry Authority are currently carrying out investigations at sea to try and discover if fishing boats can use vegetable oil to fuel boats. Engines are being created and existing engines modified to convert vegetable oil into the correct energy to power the fishing boat. Soon our fish could be caught by oil not just cooked in it.

The project is trying to help the fishing community by potentially cutting their fuel costs. Vegetable oil is of course far cheaper to use than conventional petrol or diesel.

The study was initiated as a result of the massive increase in fuel prices, which have hit the fishing industry incredibly hard. Independent fishing is a dying trade and the Seafish authority wish to prevent it dying out all together, by making it less expensive for them to run their boats.

The importance of this study is clear to the fisherman but it is also vital to the environment. Diesel used by boats has a much higher sulphur content therefore the emissions at sea are fairly high causing acid rain. These are thought to reduce by more than 99% if vegetable oil and other bio fuels are used.

It is considered relatively easier to convert marine engines to vegetable oil than those of land vehicles, as boats are usually lower revving and can tolerate different fuels.

Even though the actual running costs of a vegetable oil engine are lower than that of diesel there are modification costs. So it will only work if fisherman can afford the upfront costs of modifying their engines and will depend on the typical usage patterns of the boat.

Seafish plan to investigate using vegetable oil as fuel on boats for commercial use by the end of 2007.