Most days of the week I take a walk to the waterfront. I must have done this a couple of hundred times a year since we moved here. Why do I keep going back there?
Well, for a start, it’s lovely. I enjoy seeing the water, the ships, the weather – well, the sky behind the Spinnaker. If I go fora walk, and when I arrive at the front I see this, then I think of myself as being rewarded. I learn things, for example about the term “Bunkering” an activity conducted by ships like the Janee W shown above.
The harbour is controlled through a Civil Servant, because the main purpose of the harbour is as a Naval facility, the controller is The Queen’s Harbour Master (QHM). QHM is responsible for all safety aspects of the harbour; buoys,controlling shipping etc. QHM publishes a list of shipping movement every day. Anyone can subscribe to the list, I do. Today’s was a little bit unusual, there was a fair bit of movement of naval vessels and the international ferries. What it doesn’t do is show the movement of the local ferry services.
Then there are the small vessels, Haslar Marina can take over 600 boats. Gosport Marina, just to the north can take 500 boats and there is a dry stack, which can take nearly 150 boats. We aren’t taking into account the marinas at Port Solent or Fareham. As you can see, there are a lot of small boats. They even have a route out of the harbour called the small boat channel.
Then there are things like Cumbrian Fisher, A 12,000 ton oil tanker than spends most of its time berthed at a terminal in the harbour. Not quite sure who it services; the small boats or the navy. Haven’t looked in to it.
As you can see, there’s a lot to be interested in at the waterfront.
Bills Posts 