Hydrography is the science of marine surveying. A Hydrographic Survey is the 'mapping' of an area of sea and surrounding coastal detail. The information from a survey enables a cartographer to portray a part of the Earth's surface on a flat piece of paper and indicate by soundings, height and depth contours and spot heights, the various irregularities both above and below the sea surface. For a hydrographic survey, all the details of use to the mariner must be correctly described and positioned relative to each other and their positions located on the Earth's surface.
The first recorded hydrographic survey of the Australian coast occurred in 1606. Cook, Bligh and Flinders were surveyors as well as explorers. The Royal Navy (RN) Hydrographic Service was established 1795. Major surveys of Australian coast commenced in early 1800s and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Hydrographic Service was established 1920. The RAN took responsibility for chart production in 1942 during the Second World War, and in 1946 Cabinet made the Naval Board responsible for surveying and charting.
The Australian Hydrographic Service (AHS) is responsible for providing Australia 's national charting service under the terms of the UN Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention and the Navigation Act. This role requires the coordination and determination of policy and standards which covers both hydrographic surveying and charting, as well contributing to the coordination, exchange and standards related to geospatial data in general. The AHS is also responsible for providing direct support to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for the provision of hydrographic, charting, oceanographic and meteorology services. AHS operates fifteen vessels ranging in size from offshore ships to tinnies and one aircraft.
In the days of sail, surveys were carried out in longboats. At the end of the day the longboat crews could see the sails of their ship to guide them back. In the early days of steam, the iron hulls were often painted black. Longboat crews had difficulty locating their ship and some longboats were lost when they failed to find their ship. So began the tradition of painting survey ships white with a cream funnel. Now, however, modern survey techniques and navigation have eliminated the problem faced by the longboat crews and the Australian survey ships are painted grey.
Products and services offer by the AHS.
* Paper navigation charts
* Australian Notices to Mariners
* Australian National Tide Tables
* A range of Seafarer electronic products including
* Seafarer RNC (Raster Navigational Chart)
* Seafarer ENC (Electronic Navigational Chart)
* Seafarer Tides
Statistics - Australian Area of Charting Responsibility (AACR) 13,335,470 sq nm
- Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) 2,609,596 sq nm
- Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) 762,640 sq nm
For more information visit www.hydro.gov.au
Random breath testing (RBT) has been introduced on the NSW waterways to ensure boating remains a safe and enjoyable part of the NSW lifestyle.
Each year, about 80 people are killed and 1000 are injured as a result of boating incidents around Australia . Research conducted by the National Maritime Safety Council has shown that alcohol is involved in at least 35 per cent of these fatalities. In NSW, alcohol has been a factor in more than a quarter of all boating-related deaths since 1992. Nearly a quarter of those killed when alcohol was a factor returned a high range alcohol content of 0.15 grams per 100 millilitres of blood, or greater.
In light of such evidence, the Alcohol Summit recommended that NSW Police investigate the feasibility of bringing RBT on the state’s waterways into line with roadside RBT. New laws introduced by the State Government recently mean police now have the power to conduct random breath tests on NSW waterways.
Previously police could only breath-test a vessel operator or supervisor if they suspected alcohol was present in that person’s blood or if the boat was involved in an accident which resulted n death, injury or damage exceeding $1,000. Under the new law, any person operating or exercising any control over a vessel can be breath tested at random. This will include those on water skis, aquaplanes or paraflying devices, but not those on vessels that are moored, berthed or at anchor.
In terms of penalties, the breath-testing provisions applying on the state’s roads will also apply on the state’s waterways. That means the penalty associated with operating a vessel whilst under the influence of alcohol will double from $550 to $1,100 for a first offence in the low range. The penalty for a second or subsequent offence in the high range jumps from $2,200 or 12 months imprisonment or both, to $5,500 or two years imprisonment or both. People under the age of 18 years must have a zero blood alcohol content in their systems.
Alcohol consumption can lead to diminished judgment, slower reaction in response times, reduced depth perception, reduced night vision and focus as well as an accelerated onset of hypothermia if a person who has consumed alcohol falls into the water.
Although police alone will have the authority to conduct random breath testing, NSW Maritime will work with police to conduct joint patrols where necessary and NSW Maritime will also be responsible for developing new safety broadcasting messages and multilingual campaigns to promote responsible use of alcohol prior to the introduction of random breath testing. Also see the NSW Maritime information
SECTOR |
VESSELS |
| Coffs Harbour | 16 metre aluminium launch (Image) 7.5 metre fibreglass Noosa Cat 6 metre Gemini Rhib |
| Port Stephens | 22 metre aluminium launch (Image) 10 metre fibreglass launch (Stebercraft) 7.5 metre fibreglass Noosa Cat 6 metre Gemini Rhib |
Newcastle (Lake Macquarie) |
16 metre aluminium launch (Image) 7.5 metre fibreglass Noosa Cat 7.5 metre fibreglass Noosa Cat |
| Broken Bay | 16 metre aluminium launch (Image) 7.5 metre fibreglass Noosa Cat |
| Sydney | 22 metre aluminium launch (Image) 16 metre aluminium launch (Image) 10 metre fibreglass launch (Stebercraft) 7.5 metre fibreglass Noosa Cat |
( Cronulla) |
16 metre aluminium launch (Image) |
| Port Kembla | 16 metre aluminium launch (Image) 7.5 metre fibreglass Noosa Cat 6 metre Gemini Rhib |
| Eden | 16 metre aluminium launch (Image) 7.5 metre fibreglass Noosa Cat |
POLICE RANKS
(BY ALAN LUCAS)
Apparently the Bureau of Meteorology is running scared of litigation law despite getting it right about the terrible depression that decimated the fleet that year, but wrong about its potential full force. This, from the law's point of view, appears to be unforgivable.This supercilious attitude is tantamount to saying that only the perfect should be allowed to remain in a profession. All imperfect people should quit now or eventually face some level of litigation that will destroy them anyway. It fails to mention that the legal profession itself is anything but perfect. According to advice I have had over the years regarding escape clauses and disclaimers, they are little more than empty rhetoric against a legal system practiced in the art of their circumvention. Under fair and reasonable circumstances, and as a means of keeping the shonks at arm's length, the right to litigate is important. But when there is genuine and understandable misjudgment about the finer points of a subject with notoriously flexible parameters, is that fair cause for legal attack?
Weather is fickle and its forecasting is as much art as it is science. Regardless of what computer models say, and regardless of the degree of human concurrence, there remains room for error. That is the nature of the beast and everyone must live with the fact - especially sailors and farmers.In my experience, our weather bureau gets it right most of the time, which is all I could fairly expect. To take anyone's advice as absolute is to throw out common good sense and caution. It is the very knowledge that it is not always right that keeps my wits about me. But, ironically, those wits are being eroded by the legal system's demand that the weather bureau cries wolf much of the time.
Over the past few years, my wife and I have spent more time lingering in port for a strong wind or gale warning to become reality than ever before. In most cases, the warnings amounted to nothing more than law-driven exaggerations. The following is an extreme example, but nevertheless typical of the state of play.In February 2002, together with six other southbound yachts, we were anchored in Camden Haven, New South Wales, preparing to put to sea the following day. Out of the blue came a priority gale warning that a 50 knot southerly change was working its way up the coast.We all stayed put and waited. And waited. The sky remained remarkably clear for a summer day and there was not enough wind to blow out a candle at the height of the "storm". A canoe could have been paddled south in perfect safety. I have no doubt that a computer model predicted the change and, considering its total absence, was possibly disputed by a few human forecasters who knew better. But they, no doubt, bit their tongues and played the game in which lawyers, and not their professional peers, are the umpires.
This cry-wolf type of forecasting will, I believe, produce its own accidents because there are a lot of sailors sick and tired of waiting for a strong wind that proves to be nothing or just a pleasant sailing breeze. I know of two cases where frustration and disillusionment with modern forecasting led to skippers putting to sea during a strong wind warning against what would have been their better judgment pre-1998. (One got away with it, the other got clobbered.) That's what happens when you cry wolf too often - mutual trust breaks down and warnings are ignored; not despite the so-called protection of litigation-inspired warnings, but because of them. Perhaps the flip side of this is that the next person to get into serious trouble by ignoring a warning could sue the legal profession instead of the weather bureau. Now that I'd like to see!
This need to attach a disclaimer to nearly everything society does will turn around and bite itself eventually because, as stated before, in the hands of a clever commission-driven lawyer, it is meaningless: merely an open-ended warning. And I can't see the Bureau of Meteorology's warning being any tighter. Look at it again: "Please be aware that wind gusts may be a further forty percent stronger than the averages given here and that wave heights may be up to twice the height."
Limits have been set here that an opportunistic lawyer would, I suspect, crush in the first hearing. If his client can convince everyone that wind gusts were, in fact, forty five percent stronger and wave heights were, say, two and a half times the height, exactly what has been achieved by the disclaimer?
This is how silly society has become. It reminds me of a background sign in an Emile Mercier cartoon when I was a kid. It read: "This notice is here to notify those who have not been notified for the purpose of noticing this notice." And now we must take such silliness seriously - except, of course, lawyers.
It would seem the only way we can all get on with our lives is to presume everyone else is crying wolf - with our fingers crossed!
Information taken from the Port Procedures Guide S 8.14 issued by the Sydney Ports Corporation
Mondays to Fridays
1015, 1130, 1300, 1400, 1445, 1930, 2030, 2130 (DST only)
Weekends and Public Holidays
0830, 0930, 1030, 1130, 1330, 1430, 1630, 1830, 1930, 2030, 2130
SPECIAL OPENINGS (Eastern Standard Time & Daylight Saving Time)
Monday to Friday 2130 - 0530 (EST) & 2230 - 0530 (DST)
Weekend and Public Holidays 2130 - 0800 (EST) & 2130 - 0800 (DST)
If you need to arrange a special opening, contact the bridge operator on 9948 1018. There are some exceptions to normal opening times. Openings may be suspended while effecting repairs and alterations or when the wind velocity exceeds 65 kilometres per hour.
PROCEDURE
A vessel seeking passage through the bridge should arrive in the vicinity about ten minutes prior to the scheduled opening time, or specially arranged opening, and manoeuvre close to the structure in such a way that the operator cannot mistake the intention.
The core item of business was to hear how each watch was conducting their affairs and to discuss ways of improving how all watches could improve their effectiveness. There was also a session devoted to discussing perceived barriers to improving boat security. A highlight of the day was an inspection of vessels under the guidance of Snr Sgt Larry Malone. Valuable ideas were exchanged and all those attending came away with renewed enthusiasm for the task.
The group decided to hold a further meeting in a year's time - on the 2nd Saturday in July. Watch Committee members are especially encouraged to reserve this date.
SNR CONST FRAN BATTEN
New whale protection measures include:
- New on the spot fines (penalty infringement notices) of $300 for people harassing whales and other marine mammals
- New powers allowing the Minister to declare special protection zones around sick or special animals, such as Migaloo the white whale
- Clearer rules and advice for how boats can approach whales safely without distressing the animals
- new minimum approach distances for seals and dolphins from 3 June 2006
- Better whale disentanglement equipment based in Port Stephens and new National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS)disentanglement crews on the north and south coast to help free passing humpbacks tangled in debris such as fishing nets
- Uunder cover operations and video surveillance cameras for whale watching hotspots such as Cape Solander in Sydney 's south
- NPWS training for NSW Maritime and NSW Water police in Sydney , Coffs Harbour , Ballina, Port Stephens and Narooma to allow joint policing of people reported harassing migrating whales.
