7/9/10 - New Nith lifeboat launched
A NEW £65,000 lifeboat covering the north Solway has been officially launched at Glencaple. The boat, a 6.5 metre inflatable with a fibreglass hull is equipped with two 70hp Yamaha outboard engines. The new vessel self righting as is required to meet a strict new code of conduct required by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. It replaces the 'Lena Burton', named after a local supporter of the volunteer team, which was in use for over 12 years.
For more information about the new rescue craft or the nith inshore rescue please visit the nith rescue website.
The new inshore rescue craft
24/6/10 - New aerial photos of the channel
Friend and supporter of the Port of Dumfries Development Group, Dave Pennington from Tyne and Wear, takes to the air over the Solway Firth and Nith Estuary and brings back many spectacular aerial views incuding the Nith channel and the Dumfries channel to Southerness. It gives a new appreciation of the layout of the navigation channels in addition to the electronic waypoints already on the website. It took two attempts to get these fine shots, as deteriorating weather conditions spoilt the first attempt. Dave who commented that this was something he had always wanted to do, flew from Co Durham, a round trip of about two hours.
Looking north over the Nith estuary
9/6/10 - PDDG trials new anchoring system
The PDDG have been trialing a revolutionary new anchoring method called 'The Platipus anchoring system'. Traditionally items have been anchored down by the use the of heavy weights such as old engines, concrete blocks and scrap metal. The use of these items has been banned by some authorities as many anchorages are now littered with such detritus. The Platipus anchoring system eliminates the need for the use ow large weights and scrap. A small but ingenious latching anchor is driven several metres underground. The tests showed a considerable holding power, nearly 7 tonnes applied in one test did not shift an anchor at 3 metres underground.
The anchors can be used singly to moor yachts or in multiples to moor larger vessels. Although the test was carried out on the foreshore at Carsethorn on the Nith Estuary, we are able to install anchors in up to 2.5 metres water at low tide from a specially modified work boat. Platipus anchors have previously been installed in the Mediterranean in much deeper water, using divers.
The anchoring system has been widely used in the civil engineering field with tremendous results. We see huge potential for this idea for the marine industry, but with considerable environmental benefits and cost savings in the installation.
Installation of a new platipus style anchor
28/04/10 - The tide Machine!
On the 28th kingholm quay played host to the first performance of 'The Tide Machine'. In their own words:
"The Tide Machine is a transportable, self-contained, tide powered, kinetic performance art platform which is designed to be installed in tidal docks, marinas or wharves. The purpose of The Tide Machine is to demonstrate, celebrate and focus attention on the phenomenon and importance of the tidal system through live physical performance and continuous-mechanical, kinetic sculpture."
The tide machine band perform while being rowed around the dock by Roy
It truly was a spectacle and wonderful time was had by all. The port of Dumfries development group look forward to hosting other community events and projects in the future. For further details about the tide machine please see their website below:
15/4/10 - First set of new channel buoys on Kelton bank
On the 15/4/10 the first of the new channel buoys were laid out on the Kelton bank. The Kelton bank is the last real hazard a skipper would face while coming up the Ninth to Kingholm quay. So called Kelton bank as it is opposite the Kelton village. While previous skippers have had to rely on local knowledge and the alignment of two 'conveniently' placed traffic cones on stakes on the river side to navigate around the bank now they can rely on a freshly built 5 foot tall channel marker buoy.
The buoys have been built and donated by a local engineering firm. The buoys are built from recycled parts. This early prototype has a radar reflector and a lot of light reflectors. In the future the buoys will have light beacons and will be programmed to display an easily identifiable pattern to enable river navigation in the dark. It is hoped that this will further simplify navigating the river and encourage visitors to the Dumfrieshire harbours.
A local volunteer
It is hoped that this will be the first of 12 buoys that will be installed along the Nith estuary channel.
2/4/10 - Kingholm hailed as a 'role model' for Annan harbour regeneration
A recent article in the Annandale observer has hailed Kingholm harbour as a role model for it's own harbour regeneration. This comes as encouraging news as it shows that people have started to noticed that when it comes to harbour regeneration, the Port of Dumfries development group mean business! Read the full article below:
http://www.annandaleobserver.co.uk/story.php?pheader=1&id=1789
27/02/10 - Kingholm harbour short film.
Local man D. Slater has produced a short film about kingholm quay harbour. In it there is several shots of the surrounding river, harbour itself and the boats moored there. For more details see below:
14/02/10 - What a scoop!
Great excitement on Valentines Day 14th February 2010. No we didn't send a bunch of flowers to the harbour master! Better than that, a sizeable tracked excavator arrived by low loader to remove the last of the overgrown mud bank which occupied the top of the harbour. Volunteers spent the previous Friday building a ramp so that the machine could drive down into the bottom of the dock at low tide.
An estimated 600 tonnes were dug out on this latest effort. The mud bank has all but filled the historic dock for the last 45 years.
There was a mountain of mud the
size of a bungalow on the quayside at the end of the day, but two dumper
trucks were hired the following day to take the mountain along the river
bank where it was leveled out prior to seeding it with grass .
The northern corner of the riverside wharf-age was
cleared out again. This part looks as though it may need to be done
annually, as it silts up quickly.
Looks like this part was done just in time! A twenty meter catamaran work boat has just arrived and now occupies that berth!
Excavations started to open up
the derelict harbour in 2004. It is thought that around 3000 tonnes have
been removed in total, and that it has cost around £15000 so far to
carry out the work.
Last year saw the wreck of the Zen broken up and
removed.
Even though the tide is in, you
can see that this part of the harbour was unusable.
Now the harbour looks huge. Everyone has made
positive comments. “What an improvement” was said to us many times.
There was sadly one complainer, but public opinion, has been very
favorable about what is happening.
Next step is to install pontoons where the mud bank used to be. This will help to control the stream of the dock cleaning sluice system, as well as providing sought after pontoon berths.
The pontoons were brought in by sea from Maryport, Cumbria. Thank you Maryport!
17/07/08 - Dumfries Courier take notice of harbour developments.
The Dumfries local press, 'The Courier' has written an ambivalent article about the potential developments at Kingholm quay. The article covers a few quotes from Roy about the possibility of installing pontoons for yachts to moor on in the harbour . The full story can be read here: