Most of our readers will know Veronica Davies from her legendary fund-raising efforts over more than twenty years with our lifeboats. She has recently been awarded a place on the Scottish Council for the RNLI. The Council selected suitable candidates and then those applications went to The Board of Trustees in Poole for the final selection process.

Veronica's story: "My Great Great Grandfather Walter Fairbairn was Coxswain of Dunbar and Skateraw Lifeboat and was awarded the RNLI Silver medal for gallantry. I became involved partly due to my own family history and my husband's family history with Dunbar RNLI plus the fact that my husband and eldest son are both fisherman; also I lost my cousin to the sea thus realising the importance of this vital voluntary service. In 1998 I began helping by collecting tombola prizes for the Lifeboat Fete, then became Secretary in 2004 and Chair of Fundraising in 2008. I am extremely thrilled and excited to have been successful in my appointment and I am sure that I will do Dunbar Lifeboat Station proud."

Over the years, Veronica has been awarded a bronze badge, a silver badge and an RNLI Excellence Award for fundraising and last year received a Citizen Award from Dunbar Community Council for services to the community. She hopes to bring fresh ideas to the fundraising, operational and strategic aims of the RNLI in Scotland.

photo courtesy Veronica Davies

Harbour users are reminded that  applications for Moorings, 2020 season, need to be returned to the Harbour Master by the end of December. Moorings will be allocated from the first week in January. The form can be downloaded from www.dunbarharbourtrust.co.uk

MPV Hirta is often seen off Dunbar. Did you ever wonder why she's here? Easily spotted, she's a military-looking vessel and all MPVs have a sharp slash of black/yellow colour down their sides. MPV Hirta is our newest fishery protection vessel. Built in Gdansk, Poland she entered service in 2008. She is 84 metres in length and has a gross tonnage of 2,181, with a crew of 17, top speed of 18 knots and is used mainly for offshore enforcement tasks.

Britain's sea fisheries have been protected by authority of Parliament for nearly 200 years, but in 1882 responsibility for Scottish waters was given to the Fishery Board for Scotland.

The first Board vessel was a former Royal Navy sailing cutter "Vigilant", which had worked for some years on protection tasks. Over the years, new ships were added to the fishery protection fleet. Currently Marine Scotland Compliance has three Marine Protection Vessels (MPVs):

Further info: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/marine/Compliance/resources/Vessels

photo courtesy Marine Traffic

Dunbar RNLI's crew-members, Gordon Mackay and Rebecca Miller, can be seen "braving the elements aboard our all-weather lifeboat as they feature in the RNLI's new video to highlight our new national 'Perfect Storm' fundraising campaign. In today's challenging climate we need your help more than ever. A little can go a long way to help saving lives at sea." Watch the video:  

www.facebook.com/rnli/videos/2155593044744725/UzpfSTE5MTU2NzQyMDg3NTU0NzoyNzg3MDkzNTAxMzIyOTEz/

Also Rebecca (Becs) is sailing on a transatlantic adventure !!!!! More info next month.

photo and video courtesy Dunbar RNLI

You may not remember the 'Beast from the East' but storms remember you!

Winter Resilience handout   https://www.readyscotland.org/

Here is a ‘Winter Resilience’ handout with some useful tips and links to help you plan for the forthcoming weather conditions over winter. The best community resilience plan is to ensure that we are prepared ourselves but that we are also aware of any neighbours who may need support if the weather suddenly gets bitter or there is a power cut.  

Do you know who your neighbours are? Are some old or frail or single with small children?

We wish you a warm winter!

photo by Kenny Maule

Look out for these busy, little, noisy birds. Redshanks need to feed along the waterline for shrimps, snail and worms and skitter about nervously, in and out of the wavelets.

Here, in our harbour, their only opportunity is near low tide in Broadhaven; pretty birds with a distinctive, shrill, piping call "tew, tew". You'll see them in winter and summer.

photo by Kenny Maule

A 120-year-old Danish lighthouse has been put on wheels and rails to move it away from the North Sea, which has been eroding the coastline of north-western Denmark. The 'Rubjerg Knude' lighthouse is 23-metre tall and used to be 200 metres away from the coast before sand shifting and erosion put it in danger. The 80-metre move cost £580,000. When it was first lit in 1900, it was roughly 200 metres from the coast; now it is about only six. This lighthouse has the same make of lens as most of our Scottish lighthouses (lens by the French Fresnel brothers in the 1820s)

Navigators --- be careful when taking a bearing on moving lighthouses.

photo courtesy The Guardian newspaper (from Henning Bagger)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/22/danish-lighthouse-put-on-wheels-to-move-it-away-from-eroding-sea

See the video: 

https://www.facebook.com/1010847105623136/posts/3327740593933764/?sfnsn=mo&d=n&vh=e

Sometimes we all need reminding about safety in the harbour.

photo 1: A jet-ski appeared unannounced with his 'rocket-man' attached. After zooming around trying to get airborne, he succeeded for short periods. This is a tricky operation in a harbour with many boats, SUPs, kayaks etc. Under the correct conditions this can be safe and indeed he may be invited to appear at a future harbour event under 'controlled circumstances'. He has now agreed to liaise with the Harbourmaster for permission.

07958 754858 • Mobile  &   07583 463991 • Deputy

photo 2:  A day-boat tried this manoeuvre (a.k.a. voluntary decapitation) without opening the bridge. He hit his superstructure with a crunch as the swell lifted him. Not a great idea, most boaters think to check the tides beforehand; this would be quickest, easiest, and safest.

Click <Read More> below for photo 2

If in any doubt then ask the Harbourmaster, he is around during the day, and available on 07958 754858 • Mobile  &   07583 463991 • Deputy

There are many people who have the bridge keys: the Harbourmaster, fishermen, the RNLI, many yachtsmen and other 'harbour people'.

both photos by Kenny Maule

Dunbar Harbour Trust have a meeting room available at McArthur’s Store, the fishermen's historic store building at Cromwell Harbour.

The facility is available for groups, organisations, and companies interested in meeting in a unique and memorable atmosphere.

The room has seating capacity for 12/15 people and large tables.

For booking enquiries please email us at info@dunbarharbourtrust.co.uk

Coming Events:

The annual Harbour Users’ Meeting has been advertised and booked for 5 December at 7 p.m. in the Gibb Rooms at Bleachingfield. All those with an interest in the harbour are invited