771 Squadron, The Helicopter Unit based at RNAS Culdrose near Helston in Cornwall has been named as the busiest Search and Rescue Navy Unit in the Country.

A helicopter from the base can be scrambled on request of the emergency services and in particular, HM Coastguards, regionally based in Falmouth. The Isles of Scilly fall within the zone covered by the rescue team. The squadron have carried out an unusually high number of outings this year, including transporting a pregnant St. Agnes woman, Niki Burns, to hospital on the mainland in order to give birth. She ended up giving birth on board the helicopter half way to Lands End, making military history.

The Sea King helicopters which are based at Culdrose (or HMS Seahawk) have a range of about 200 miles which means they can fly as far as the Irish and French Coasts to rescue any kind of vessel. They have often been scrambled to assist the St. Marys lifeboat as the above picture is of a helicopter about to partake in such a manoeuvre. This shot was filmed by Scilly News when the St. Marys lifeboat ‘The Whiteheads’ and a Royal Navy helicopter from Culdrose was about to link up during an incident involving the Team Philips Catamaran skippered by Pete Goss.

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Helicopters are also scrambled to rescue crew of stricken vessels and locals often report seeing the Sea King helicopters flying out towards the Western Rocks when the weather turns.

The increase in callouts is attributed to the fact that the squadron are attending more callouts within the community such as assisting the police at road traffic accidents and other emergencies in inaccessible areas.

Isles of Scilly Travel have today released information about a unique experience open to Skybus passengers: two special winter day trips to Guernsey.

The Steamship groups’ Skybus operation will make two scheduled flights from St. Marys to Guernsey in the Channel Islands. This will break with tradition and offer a destination other than the usual mainland airports. It is likely that the eighteen seater Twin Otter aircraft (not pictured) will be used for these flights.

The trips are planned for Tuesday 18th of December and Tuesday 8th of January 2002. The first, festive flight, could be particularly popular with Islanders wishing to get some last minute Christmas shopping done, with the added novelty of flying across The Channel for it! The group have quoted a price of ?92 (return, of course!).

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The flights are due to leave St. Marys at 8:30 in the morning for the hop across Le Manche, arriving in Guernsey at 09:35. Passengers will then be given until 3:30 in the afternoon to do their shopping and visit some of The Islands’ famous restaurant’s, finally arriving back at St. Marys airport at 4:35.

Guernsey is perhaps most famous for being partially tax exempt as the Channel Islands are a part of Britain but in reality, just off the French coast. On this trip, passengers will be able to buy duty free alcohol, expected to be especially popular with the pre Christmas shoppers!

For more information, contact the Steamship Company through their web site.
a href=”http://www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk/” target=”_blank” www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk /a

Many local parents are concerned with standards in the Isles of Scilly Secondary School, despite the LEA topping league tables which were released today.

Parents have expressed their concerns to Scilly News after poor teacher retention over the past five years has manifested in a the fact of the School having to re-shuffle most subjects this year. The teacher plan has changed extensively in the past year and has left some departments with staff shortages. This lack of continuity in the school can be seen in a recent case when a Science teacher came out of retirement in order to teach French.

School governors and council member are hoping that the federation of all the Island schools under one headship will cut costs. Students however are afraid that they will become disillusioned and detached from a head teacher that has to ply his trade over five schools on four different Islands.

Teacher retention has always been a problem for The Islands? Secondary School because of the inadequate housing provisions. In one case, a year group over the five years of secondary school had seven different teachers for Religious Education and four teachers for History.

The Isles of Scilly LEA has once again topped the league table but as the Times supplement ‘Times2’ helpfully points out in it’s annual review of league tables “Disregarding the Isles of Scilly, which routinely heads the local authority league due to the efforts of its only secondary school…” meaning that the effort really wasn’t all that special. In fact, the Isles of Scilly LEA has topped the league table for as long as most teachers can remember.

Many individual schools have beaten the grades achieved by the Islands but the LEA tables have been brought down by under achieving schools in their area. More concerning in Scilly’s case is the fact that the number of passes at A to C grade has dropped by a whole six percentage points. The Average passes at A to C for 2000 were 77% while this year they have been 71%. One explanation for this could be that the 2001 year group had more students taking exams. On the plus side, no students received no GCSE passes and the truancy rate was uniquely recorded at 0.0%.

The Isles of Scilly School has a rocky road ahead of it and stability is needed if standard are to remain as high as expectations. The Council need to monitor the efforts of the School in order to ensure that it does not start to lose pupils to mainland boarding schools. Funding has always been a problem and always will be when resources are stretched in what is a literally isolated LEA. All eyes now will be on the new structures being implemented and the attempts to save the school, and more importantly it’s pupils, from further disappointments.

In July 2001 our local MP, Andrew George, proposed two ?EDMs?. An EDM is an ?Early Day Motion?, it is a way of an MP drawing attention to an issue by making a proposal, and getting the supportive MPs to sign if they are in favour of the proposal.

Both of the EDMs, should they pass, will affect live on the Islands.

Tax Treatment of Second Homes

Scilly has a high number of second homes, and time-share houses. Gradually more people are investing in these types of homes, and leave the Islands in the winter.

There is no need for people to own second homes on the Islands for work reasons, apart from Mr R Dorien-Smith. These buildings are being left abandoned in the winter, and are contributing to the housing shortage on the Islands.

Andrew George proposed to remove privilages on second homes - ?200 mn of tax payers money is being wasted every year ?subsidising the wealthy to have second homes,? states the EDM. It continues: ?there are many thousands of people who live in areas of high second home ownership who do not even have a decent first home,? which is directly relevant to Scilly. The Council is always under pressure to house local workers.

55 MPs have signed the EDM.

Regional Government

His second EDM commended the Govenment?s proposal to devolve power to regional governments. He called for the Government to ?complete it?s unfinished business by providing for the setting up of regional assemblies.

Devolving power to regional assemblies may make Scilly?s circumstances more understood. It is hard to convince the London Government that systems that work on the mainland are not always applicable to the Islands, for example education funding - where Scilly has had to get one headmaster for four primary schools and one secondary school, due to funding problems.

One foreseeable problem is that the local first minister is likely to be re-elected to lead the regional government continually, not allowing for other methods.

88 MPs have signed the EDM.

Official links:
a href=”http://edm.ais.co.uk/weblink/html/member.html” target=”blank”EDMs/a: “Andrew George?s EDMs”

a href=”../../debate”Scilly News? Great Debates/a: “Second Homes”

Photo courtesy of
a href=”http://www.freefoto.com/” target=”_blank”

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The drilling platform that Scilly News reported on several weeks ago has moved into position in order to undertake a new project just South of St. Agnes.

The Rig took under two weeks to install a new rigid marker on the fully submerged North rock of Bartholemews ledge. The project is reported to have cost ?25,000.

As our extraordinary photo shows, the new position for the rig is just off Burnt Island on a outcrop of rock known locally as ?Tinsvolvert?. Most reports seem to indicate that the rig will help to erect a seven meter high daymark on the rocks which will undoubtebly be visible clearly from both land and shore. The traditional colour scheme for such daymarks are white and red horizontal stripes.

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Tinsvolvert is part of the carns connected to burnt Island, joined to the Northern end of St. Agnes at low tide. The carns can be seen in context in the above photo which was taken earlier this year when the trinity house vessel mermaid was renewing marker bouys. At night, residents of St. Agnes have commented that it appears ?lit up like a premature christmas tree!?

“subinfo”The amazing main photo at the top of the article was taken by John Peacock of St. Agnes Boating, a resident of St. Agnes./span

Duncan Nicholls, 37, from St Mary?s, was up against people from all over the country, including the Royal Navy, in Rowing Championships on Sunday.

The British Indoor Rowing Championships were held in the National Indoor Arena for the first time on 18 November, 2001.

Duncan Nicholls is best well known in the Islands for driving Q Cabs.

He came 33rd in the Men?s 35-39 Heavyweight. 115 people took part in his event. Well done.

Official links:
http://www.concept2.co.uk/birc/race_results.php?race=4
BIRC 2001: “Men?s Heavyweight Results”

The Scillonian will make her last crossing this Saturday after what has been a record breaking summer.

The Scillonian has, yet again, transported a record number of tourist to and from the Islands and is set to be laid up for the Winter this weekend. Saturday is likely to be a busy day on board the Scillonian as many will be taking advantage of special newspaper day trip deals and using the opportunity to visit the Islands for one last time this year.

It is thought that the Gry Maritha is back from her refit in Penzance Dry docks and able to resume the freight service that the Scillonian has been covering for the past fortnight. This is one of the reasons why the Scillonian has stayed in service until later this year compared to previous years. Another reason has been in order to qualify for Objective one money from Europe set to be spent on building a new Scillonian due to come into service in 2003.

All passenger transport to and from the Islands will be undertaken by the Helicopter and Skybus services until the Scillonian returns early next spring. The weather is likely to be kind on passenger this Saturday with High pressure forecast over the South West but The Sun may be hard pushed to make an appearance.

This week is the 76 Anniversary of RMS Scillonian, which started service in 1925. The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company (ISSCo) first ship was called the ?Argus?, bought from Admiralty Disposals. She started business on 27 March 1920. ISSCo decided to get a more comfortable ship, and bought the first Scillonian in 1925.

On 17 November 1925, RMS Scillonian was launched and named by Mrs A A Dorien-Smith. She was built by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company Limited at a cost of ?24,500. She started service on 25 January 1926 and served for 29 years. During her service, RMS Scillonian contributed to the war effort during World War Two. “40,000 troop movements being recorded,” explains Scilly Up To Date.

On 25 March 1955, RMV Scillonian II was launched. She was built by Thorneycrofts of Southampton at a cost of ?250,000. Pictured on “Rosevear”.

RMV Scillonian III was launched on 17 May 1977 and named by HRH Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall. She was built by the Appledore Shipbuilders Limited at a cost of ?24,500.

Locals have commented that a conspiracy is afoot, “Are the oil barons really so desperate as to start drilling in Scilly?” The answer, of course, is no. This extraordinary picture shows a drilling platform boring down into Bartholomew ledge between St Mary’s and St Agnes.

Trinity House have contracted them to bore a base for a buoy on the ledges, probably as a result of the Albatros disaster of 1997.

The drilling platform was towed into The Islands earlier this week, prompting much speculation from Islanders. The platform was then seen to anchor off Tresco. The final piece of the puzzle was completed when the Trinity House vessel, Mermaid, steamed into view and it became apparent that the body responsible for navigational marks was working in the area.

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“subinfo”The Trinity House vessel ‘Mermaid’ undertaking work in the Islands earlier this Summer./span

It is not known exactly what work is being carried out on Bartholomew’s ledge, the most likely explanation is that the Bartholomew buoy is having new foundations drilled for extra security. Bartholomew ledge became infamous when a massive cruise liner, The Albatross, hit the ledge while under guidance of the pilot vessel in 1997. A 40-foot gash was ripped in her starboard hull and the ship had to limp back to moor in St. Mary’s roads. Her German passengers had to be transported back to the mainland on the Scillonian III.

It is thought unlikely that a drilling platform would be brought in for just a single project so it is possible that the rig will undertake further work while it is here. It is known that Trinity house have been working on the Islands in particular recently. Scilly News reported in August of two new marker buoys being laid. There are also plans for a structure resembling St. Martins day mark being built on a reef near Annett in the western rocks to help shipping approaching the Islands from the East.

“small”Main Photo courtesy of John Peacock / St. Agnes boating./span

After a dry summer, mild September and driest October on record; Britain faces a threat of drought next summer.

Water supplies are replenished in the ground in two stages: autumn rainfall wets the soil until it reaches it?s soil-moisture deficit (SMD), which is the point where it will stop absorbing the water. Once at it?s SMD, the soil allows rain to pass into the water table during the winter. It is naturally stored in the water table until the next summer. But a particularily dry autumn has not reached the SMD. Winter rains will have to work hard to ?catch up?.

Currently, the desalination plant provides one-third of the water supply, the Higher and Lower Moors provide the other two-thirds to St Mary?s. The desalination plant will have to be in good condition should there be a drought in Britain this summer, as it?s demand may be three-fold.

Global Warming: What is to come?

Amongst concerns made by scientists over global warming is the effects brought on by more tropical weather. Current ?climatic zones? will move north by 300 km in 50 years time. Currently, we are in the temperate climate, but will become Mediterranean, and our climate similar to that of La Rochelle (north of Bordeaux) in France. This may sound appealing, but it will mean many more storms and no snows in the winter.

It is predicted that 40 % more rain will fall on Penzance in 80 years time.

It is also predicted that British temperatures will rise by 1.5? to 4.5?. A consequence of this will be a sea level rise of 0.4 metres. At this height, and with severe storms, the Islands are in an uncomfortable climate. Worse still, if the Lower and Higher Moors suffer salt contamination due to sea level rises, there will be pressure on the desalinated water supply.