Compass

Just bought this bearing compass (the yellow one) from Viking Marine in Dún Laoghaire @ €65.95.

Not cheap, but useful at sea. Could prevent a collision!

Battery Charger

This Absaar 5 Amp 12 Volt charger came with my boat. Used for charging the boat’s battery. The battery clips have rusted away. Hard to find new ones.

Navigation Course

I order to improve my sailing / navigation skills, I enrolled in the Navigation (I.S.A. Costal Certificate) course in Ringsend Technical Institute. 

The course cost €330 (including examination fee) and they take credit cards. Classes take place over 22 weeks, from 22 September 2008,  on Mondays from 19.00 – 21.15.

The classes take place in an engineering lab, with a nice view over the Liffey.

Coffee and a biscuit costs €2. Tea is €1.50.

I already hold:

• the National Powerboat Certificate (Level 2) (2005), 
  • having attended a course in the Irish Youth Sailing Club / School and Oceandivers in Dún Laoghaire, and 
• the ISA Start Sailing (Level 1) and Basic Skills (Level 2) certificates (2006)
  • having attended Glenans Irish Sailing Club Baltimore Bay course in Baltimore, West Cork, and
• Radio Operator’s Short Range Certificate of Competency (2008)
  • having attended the course run by Sea-Craft in the Motor Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire.

More information about training is available on the Irish Sailing Association Web site.

Radio Operator!

I received a nice letter from the Department of Transport advising me that I had passed the written examination / practical /oral test and I am now the holder of a “Radio Operator’s Short Range Certificate of Competency Granted by the Minister for Transport”.

The Department added that I can now apply for a Ships Radio Licence for my boat.

The Ships Radio Licence Application form is available on-line in PDF and Word formats .

The cost is:

• new licence: €100
• transfer of licence: €30

In the case of a transfer of a ships radio licence, the existing licence holder must compete the Ships Radio Licence Transfer form (available on-line as PDF and Word).

Arturo Ui

Got to see The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at the Abbey Theatre this afternoon.

Times are bad. Prices are rising. House prices are falling. There’s a recession looming. A new leader is needed. It’s 1930s Chicago.

A very impressive production of a play that is relevant today.

VHF Short Range Radio Course

I attended the VHF course run by Sea-Craft in the Motor Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire on Thursday 27 November 7.30 pm – 10.00 pm and Sunday 30 November 2008 9.00 am – 4.30 pm. This was followed by exam on SOLAS (Safety of Live at Sea) amd an exam on Regulations and Procedure, followed by practical test / interview.

Finished at 8.30 pm.

The cost was €204

• €204
  • Course fee and notes €125
  • Examiners fee €35
  • Department of Transport charge €44

Coffee and tea were supplied on Sunday, and there was a bar.

Certificate

On successful completion of the course, the Department issues a “Radio Operators Short Range Certificate of Competance”.

This means that the holder may use VHF DSC equipment on a ship entitled to fly the flag of the country which issues the certificate, in my case Ireland.

Licence

Once you have the certificate you may apply for a Ship Station Licence from Comreg, and if you have bought a second hand boat, the licence can be transferred for €30.

The licence will include:

• Name of boat
• Date of Issue
• The boat’s call sign e.g. EI 9999
• If you have DSC, a MMSI number is included, e.g. 250 123 456
• Name of Licensee
• The Accounting Authority Indicator Code

If a vessel is sold, the call sign and MMSI are cancelled.

The licence lasts for the lifetime of the . If a boat is sold, you can transfer a licence for €30 using this form, and previous owner also have to send a form to the Department of Transport.