Tide lines: Brits breath test

The British Government is introducing motorist-style breath tests for recreational and commercial boaters, in a move to increase safety on the water. The alcohol limit for mariners on all types of craft will be the same as for road drivers - 80mg of alcohol for every 100ml of blood. The tests will include craft operated on inland waters, fishing vessels and foreign ships operating in UK waters.


Negligence costly

Cutting a search and rescue operation short has led to a cash award to the victims' families of almost $US19 million ($44 million) in damages from the Federal Government. Michael Cornett, of Virginia, and his sons Michael and Daniel drowned after their yacht ran into a Charleston jetty during a storm in 1997.

Bobby Lee Hurd, a cousin, also died. A judge ruled that the impetuous termination of a search and rescue mission 30 minutes before sunrise led to the tragedy. The families had sought $US35 million.


Navigation system

Kiwi Yachting has just introduced a new B&G H1000 navigation system. A fully integrated system of pilots, instruments and chart-plotters, the H1000 displays data in numerous formats, including combined data and graphics screens. This allows speed, depth, heading and wind to be shown together on one display, or a choice of up to 30 data types can be independently shown on the largest display format.