Author: Neville Merritt (Page 16 of 43)

I have been to the Southampton Boat Show more times than I can remember over the years, and watched its fortunes wax and wane. I’m pleased that this year it seems to have picked up its vibrancy, although I was sorry there were so few of the small and interesting stalls that used to be in the chandlery tent. There were plenty of boats to look at, and most of them are in the water unlike in earlier years. As a Premier berth holder I took up their offer of a coffee on their stand where I discovered they also had magnificent view over the marina display! There are plenty of reviews circulating in the media so I’m just going to highlight three exhibits that caught my eye and may be of interest to boat anglers.

Tope Hunter Boats

This was new to me, and an interesting alternative to the cuddy clones that dominate the small angling boat choices. The Tope Hunter is 18 feet long and almost open, reminding me of the Shetland Sheltie concept. Built by Steve Paice locally in Sussex, this promises to be a very handy layout for anglers with a good turn of speed from a relatively small engine. Steve formerly built Raider boats so he has a good understanding of the requirements for this market. A cuddy version is on the drawing board which I think will be very popular. Unfortunately the show boat was almost hidden by access steps so I have borrowed a picture from the website. Standard boat ex engine is £18,000.00 including VAT.

SHOXS Seats

The next stand to catch my eye was Allsalt Maritime which featured some very impressive high-tech boat seats and suspension pedestals. These are available for military, commercial and recreational use and it’s always a good sign of design and durability if the professionals also buy the product. Models are available for RIBs, helm and crew seats of varying configurations. You can also buy suspension pedestals for existing seats and I’m quite tempted by the low profile pedestal mount for my KAB helm seat.

Happy Hull

Finally, on the water I came across something different. I have often wondered why nobody manufactured a floating bag that you could wrap around your hull in a marina berth to prevent weed growth. Well, these guys now have and it’s a fraction of the cost and a lot more convenient than those giant Lego blocks you have to drive a boat onto. The current Happy Hull models are best suited to outboard power where the leg can be fully lifted from the water but I was assured that a model suitable for outdrives is under development. I use a lot more fuel as the season progresses and the hull gets more fouled, and this system effectively prevents that from happening. Customers include the RNLI and I think there is a lot of potential for this product.

Obviously there were hundreds more stands and many interesting products to see. As a boat angler, I thought these three were worth a mention but that doesn’t mean there weren’t others of interest too. The SBS is still a good day out, perhaps not every year but certainly worth a catch-up on product innovations from time to time.

Neville Merritt
September 2022

Queen’s Harbour Master Portsmouth LNTM No 100/22

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Queen’s Harbour Master Portsmouth that to mark the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II a 96-gun salute will take place on Friday 9 September 2022 commencing at 1300.

2. The salute will be fired from the Saluting Station on the southern point of South Railway Jetty and blank rounds will be fired at one-minute intervals, with the final round at approximately 1435.

3. The harbour will remain open during the salute and mariners are requested to keep well clear of the Saluting Station.

4. Cancel this LNTM 10 September 2022

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

On Friday 2nd September, a service of remembrance and dedication was held at the grave of the only crew member to be buried in the UK. Ibrahim Hussain, aged 19 was one of only five of the crew whose bodies were found following the wreck of MV Flag Theofano on 29th January 1990, only a few miles from Portsmouth Harbour. The other 14 bodies were never recovered and are assumed to be inside the wreck still.

Thanks to the campaigning of Martin Woodward, author of “The Forgotten Shipwreck” and Steve Hunt who did a lot of the organising, with the help of Portsmouth City Council and others a memorial headstone has been installed over the grave of Ibrahim Hussain. This was unveiled at a service held at the graveside in the Muslim section of Kingston Cemetery, Portsmouth. Those attending included many who had been involved in ship movements in the area at the time of the disaster, representatives from the pilots, harbour authorities and others who wanted those who had lost their lives to be remembered and not “forgotten”.

The Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Tom Coles introduced the service before Sheikh Fazle Abbas Datoo led the service through words and prayers in Arabic and English. After a short address from Martin Woodward, the headstone was unveiled and the assembled congregation stood for a minute’s silence. Wreaths were laid by the Deputy Lord Mayor, Martin Woodward and Roger Thornton on behalf of the Southampton Shipowners Association, Port Agents, Merchant Navy, Welfare Board and Sailors Society Southampton.

If you want to know more about the story of the wreck and subsequent investigation, I recommend Martin Woodward’s book (see link at the bottom of this page to purchase a copy). Martin was one of the RNLI crew serving on the night of the wreck, and as a commercial diver assisted in the investigation. For many years, the cause of the wreck was a mystery, but this book finally provides a public account of what probably happened.

However, as one mystery is solved, others remain. It seems almost inconceivable that the damaged Dean Tail buoy which would have provided vital evidence was quickly removed and has never been seen since. Although it was possible to attempt to recover the remaining bodies from the wreck, permission was never provided. The Greek shipowners have not cooperated even 30 years later with requests for information about the ship such as internal plans which could have helped with the investigation. Was there something to hide or is this simply avoiding any potential blame? The mysteries remain. The largest peacetime disaster in the Solent area since WW2 has been forgotten or ignored by many, but hopefully this headstone will be the first of more memorials to be placed in remembrance of those who lost their lives.

You can watch a BBC South recording here featuring interviews with Martin Woodward and Steve Hunt:

The written report from BBC South Today is here

You can purchase a copy of Martin Woodward’s book here:

Author Martin Woodward MBE is probably the most qualified person in the entire world to write this particular book. Not only was he on the crew of the Bembridge lifeboat on the fateful night of the Flag Theofano sinking, he was also the professional diver called in subsequently to investigate the wreck. He has taken a lifelong interest in the circumstances surrounding the wreck and in honouring all those who perished. He lives in Bembridge, Isle of Wight on the seafront and he can see the wreck site every day.

This short book is a fascinating account of what most probably happened that night and resolves much of the uncertainty surrounding the cause of the sinking. Of course, we will never know for certain, but Martin’s assessment is highly plausible and dispels many of the myths surrounding the sinking.

I won’t spoil the story by revealing the ending, but it is worrying that there is a hint of a cover-up immediately following the sinking. This is strange because the missing evidence would not have implicated any party at the time and could have given some closure to the families of those lost.

The book contains many photographs, incredibly detailed sonar images from as recent as 2022, and excellent sketches drawn by the author to illustrate his findings and theories.

If you are local to Portsmouth, the headstone for Ibrahim Hussain (the last of the five crew members to be found) will be unveiled at 10:00 on the 2nd September. Ibrahim’s grave is at Kingston Cemetery and he is the only crew member to be buried in the UK. The grave has been unmarked for over 30 years, but now thanks to the interest created by Martin’s campaigning there will be a headstone on the grave. The unveiling will be followed by a book launch at Southsea castle.

For the price it is well worth a read and gives a lot more meaning to those two cardinal buoys and the lump on the fishfinder.

You can buy a copy here: