Project KRAKEN aims to raise awareness among partners and maritime communities' of the process to report suspect and suspicious behavior within the maritime environment. It is also intended to deter those who may be tempted to assist or facilitate the illegal entry of migrants via the maritime environment.
What to report
You should report any unusual or suspicious activity near the UK coastline and in maritime environments immediately. This could include:
crew who show signs of nervousness or a lack of awareness of maritime protocols and customs
vessels showing signs of unusual modification or minor damage
increased activity at isolated coastal locations or at unusual times of the day
attempts to signal to vessels offshore or guide them into an unusual location
strange patterns of payment, such as large amounts of cash
people testing site security or an unusual interest in site structures and wharfs
How to report suspicious activity
If you see anything unusual or suspicious you can report it to your local police on 101, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 quoting 'Kraken'.
The following was received by the Club via the North Berwick Harbour Trust and is being provided as courtesy information for our members.
North Berwick Coastal Area Partnership today announced that a series of measures will be tested to enhance pedestrian safety, accessibility and improve parking in and around the east end of North Berwick High Street. The proposals, agreed by the North Berwick Charrette implementation group, include the widening of pavements by applying a low level kerb, the introduction of 30 minute short stay parking on the High Street, the re-designation of long stay spaces in Law road car park to short stay 90 minute no return, and the creation of additional parking spaces for public use on Quality Street. The measures are expected to result in greater turnover of parking spaces in the town centre. This enhanced parking provision is expected to significantly increase the availability of short stay parking spaces. It follows North Berwick Coastal Area Partnership bringing together a working group which included representatives from the North Berwick Coastal Area Partnership’s ‘On the Move’ group, local traders, North Berwick Community Council, cycleforth, members of the community and East Lothian Council. This group has been meeting over the last 18 months to help implement the recommendations arising from the successful 2017 North Berwick Town Centre Charrette consultation. The proposals have also been informed by an event held last May, when more than 600 people attended to give their views about plans to improve the east end of the High Street. It is now expected that East Lothian Council will prepare a draft Experimental Traffic Regulation Order for consultation, which would pave the way for the proposals to be introduced on a trial basis for up to 12 months, during which time the council will monitor the effectiveness of the measures. It is hoped the Order could be implemented from Spring 2020. Hilary Smith, Chair of the North Berwick Area Partnership, said: "We are committed to making North Berwick town centre more accessible, safer and a more pleasant place to be for everyone. The North Berwick Town Centre Charrette, held in 2017, provided us with a roadmap to address some of the issues faced by our busy High Street. “While the High Street is a fantastic place to live, work or visit, its narrowness at points can be challenging for some pedestrians, particularly with close proximity to vehicles.
“After nearly 18 months of deliberation, the North Berwick Charrette implementation group has agreed that it would be appropriate to test the effectiveness of a number of measures aimed at enhancing the east end of the High Street for the benefit of all users. In doing so, we want to enhance the local environment and help support the economy. “These improvements are being led by local people who have worked together to put things in place. The charrette showed what the community wants from its town centre - our goal is to provide it. “With the agreement of East Lothian Council, we intend to test the acceptability of these interventions for up to a year. “Before putting these into place, we’re inviting everyone with an interest – including local businesses, residents and all users of the town centre – to attend an upcoming drop-in event, where there will be an opportunity to see the plans for themselves.” Event details Date: Thursday, 27 February Time: 4pm to 7pm Location: North Berwick Community Centre (small hall), Law Road, North Berwick EH39 4PN Robin McEwan, a member of the implementation group and cycle forth, said: “cycleforth welcomes the announcement of experimental changes for traffic at the east end of the High Street. cycleforth has been campaigning for some years for a pedestrian priority scheme here but accepted the NB Charrette’s conclusions for pavement widening and removal of traffic as a moving in the right direction. “The scheme now announced is a further compromise but cycleforth expects that users of the High Street will still welcome the changes as bringing significant improvements, providing a safer and more pleasant environment. We are confident the experiment will be a success and lead to further changes to improve the traffic environment in the High Street and further afield.” Christiane Maher, a member of North Berwick Community Council and the implementation group, said: "I am hoping the solution we found will make the High Street a much nicer place for pedestrians, while not unduly disadvantaging those who depend on getting to the High Street by car." Kirsty Towler, another member of the implementation group, added:
“I think that the views of everyone matter - that’s why the charrette was important. It looked at getting a community conversation going. The changes take account of all sectors of the community and the focus is on safety and wellbeing for all. We need to be a considerate community - considerate of all of the diverse range of needs of visitors and residents (whether new or old) and of business and the local economy. “I think a great deal has been achieved in getting a compromise. I wish it had not taken so long. But it is a milestone, a significant achievement, and one which is hoped will make life safer and more pleasant for all groups in the eastern section of the High Street.” More info on North Berwick Coastal Area Partnership:
https://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/info/210614/north_berwick_coastal_area_partnership
Ends
Please click on the link AGM February 2020 for the following AGM documents:
Please note that the Mooring Application Form and the Tender Storage Application Form need to be returned by Friday 14th February 2020 as an application must be made every year.
At our AGM earlier this year, I announced one of our short-term development aims for 2019/2020 was to fundraise for new single-handed dinghies.
Our Committee gave approval to fundraise for four boats and a sub-group was formed for this aim. The sub-group approached a number of local trusts and sailing trusts and applied for grants.
A number of cadets and adult members tested a variety of dinghies at Port Edgar and their preferred choice of boat was the RS Zest.
I am delighted to say now that we have been successful. North Berwick Trust provided a 100% grant to purchase four RS Zests including four launching trolleys, four jib packs and four mast socks. In addition the North Berwick Rotary Club have also provided us with funds to purchase equipment to help support the operation of these boats.
We are also fortunate in that we were able to buy the boats from stock and take delivery without any further delay. As a result the 4 Zests are now with us! The plan is build them up and get them ready for their first test sail with our young instructor team on Friday 28th July. Look out for further news on this in the next few days!
The Zests will soon be joining our current fleet of club boats and will be available for hire for all our sailing activities and sail training courses.
This is great news for our club. We can continue to build on previous years successes, encouraging and developing our members, cadets, young adults and adults so they can progress from "can sail" to "can race", and improve the sailing opportunities we can offer to our members. I am hopeful we will also welcome a new class of boat to Saturday and Wednesday racing, the RS Zest!
I would also like to say a huge thank you to all the members, both on and off the Committee that have helped with all the work involved on this initiative.
John Wilcox
Commodore ELYC
The smile count on day 1 of our Push The Boat Out event was mighty high this afternoon!
Derek Braid has kindly provided us with evidence of said smiling faces, which you can check out here!
Remember, there's more to come tomorrow (Sunday 19th), so we hope to see you there!
You can try sailing for free on May 18th & 19th as we "Push The Boat Out". Take a look at the Push The Boat Out page for more info.
Representing East Lothian Yacht Club, Commodore John Wilcox and honorary secretary (retired) Alastair Macintyre attended the RYA Dinghy Show at Alexandra Palace for the final of the RYA Club of the Year.
Not only did they promote ELYC’s outstanding hard work and commitment to sailing they showcased the Club’s stylish new polo shirts.
Warmest congratulations to the winners, Royal Torbay Yacht Club.
Huge thanks go to all our volunteers and members who make our Club so successful and an amazing place to sail.
DODDIE WEIR IS COMING TO NORTH BERWICK HIGH SCHOOL NBHS and Black & White Publishing are delighted to announce that rugby legend and MND campaigner, Doddie Weir OBE, will talk about his playing career and bestselling autobiography My Name’5 Doddie in the school hall on Wednesday 6th March at 7pm. Stewart Weir, award winning journalist and co-author of Doddie’s autobiography, will join Doddie on stage. Stewart will talk about Doddie’s book, his relationship with Doddie and the process of ghostwriting. Tickets cost £20, each ticket admits up to two people and includes a signed copy of the book. Additional tickets costing £5, admitting one person, can be purchased in conjunction with a £20 ticket (maximum of two £5 tickets can be purchased with one £20 ticket). Tickets can be purchased from the Hockey/Rugby Tuck shop (next to astro) on Saturday morning and any remaining tickets from the school office next week or alternatively contact membership@elyc.org.uk. Proceeds from the ticket sales will go to MND and the PTA.
NBHS and Black & White Publishing are delighted to announce that rugby legend and MND campaigner, Doddie Weir OBE, will talk about his playing career and bestselling autobiography My Name’5 Doddie in the school hall on Wednesday 6th March at 7pm.
Stewart Weir, award winning journalist and co-author of Doddie’s autobiography, will join Doddie on stage. Stewart will talk about Doddie’s book, his relationship with Doddie and the process of ghostwriting.
Tickets cost £20, each ticket admits up to two people and includes a signed copy of the book. Additional tickets costing £5, admitting one person, can be purchased in conjunction with a £20 ticket (maximum of two £5 tickets can be purchased with one £20 ticket).
Tickets can be purchased from the Hockey/Rugby Tuck shop (next to astro) on Saturday morning and any remaining tickets from the school office next week or alternatively contact membership@elyc.org.uk. Proceeds from the ticket sales will go to MND and the PTA.
North Berwick Beach Wheelchairs are seeking new volunteers to join their fantastic and highly successful charity.
A range of roles available to suit your time and availability.
An informal meet at the Beach Hut in North Berwick Harbour planned for Saturday the 16th March at 11am.
Members, particularly our 'more mature' members will be saddened to learn of the passing of Bill Amcotts who died at the weekend aged 97.
Bill was a stalwart member of the Club for many years and was probably our oldest and longest serving member.
There is a photograph in the bar of Bill and others on a Greek Island sailing holiday in 1989, all resplendent in yellow ELYC sweat shirts.
Others may remember him as a regular around the harbour and Sail Loft Cafe, always seen in his trademark checked sports jacket.
Bill's funeral is at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Murrayfield Avenue, Edinburgh at 11am on 31 January, then at the cemetery in Drem at 1pm.
A true gentleman.
- Words by Alastair Macintyre
East Lothian Yacht Club | 36-40 Victoria Road | The Harbour | North Berwick | East Lothian | EH39 4JL