This year has been a quiet one for
the association. Equipment has performed well and maintenance checks
have usually been able to be undertaken when visits to the sites for
other purposes have been undertaken enabling us to minimise costs.
Progress on the channel 60 (Emerson
Street) repeater has been slower than planned but a funding
application is pending and considerable progress has been made on
building the equipment.
The provision of weather reports has
become increasingly hard to maintain over the period with the loss of
operators at Moeraki and at the Nuggets. Today, weather reports can
easily be obtained from a variety of sources. It is therefore likely
we that we will have to dispense with the Midday report as this has
become the most difficult to maintain. Reporting of an active fronts’
progress up the coast should not be affected. It is hoped, however,
to still provide a midday service on holiday weekends etc when there
are large numbers of craft on the water. The committee is also
looking into the possibility of a service providing reports on
conditions further south than the present channel 22 provides.
A big thank you to all those who
have been instrumental in bringing the rules revision to its final
draft especially Ian Milne and Mike Harkness. This project has been
in progress for several years and it is good to see it in its final
form.
A visit was made to the Karitane
fishermans’ group during the year. A substantial donation by this
group is appreciated.
A special thank you must go to
Martin Balch and Keith Simon for the weather scheds, the staff at
Port Otago Harbour Control, and Ted and Jim at Oamaru for their part
in the condition reports. Input from those at Tautuku over holiday
periods is also appreciated
Vern Hall
President
