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As September fades into October, the evenings draw in. Gales become more frequent. Those snatched weekends in a safe anchorage become ever more precious. Eventually, we face the inevitable, and the boat is brought ashore so that we can get on with all those ‘improvements’ we have thought of during the season. Lifting out is always an anxious moment, even if, as in my case, the boat comes out on its own trolley, built for me by a local member of my club who was (among other things) a Mescherschmidt test pilot during WWII. At nearly 9 tonnes, I just hope the tractor wire will take the strain. There follows the depressing task of pressure washing and removing all the gear. Yet there is a feeling of relief.
But the environmental problems are not over. Far from it! Already, the pressure washing has cast to the ground flakes of toxic antifouling. Left there, they will be washed back into the river. Larger commercial dry-docks regularly have problems with concentrations of TBT and paint near the dock entrances unless the operator takes special measures to collect the loose material. The Environment Agency is becoming increasingly concerned about run-off of chemicals into watercourses. The biggest problem is undoubtedly the diffuse leaching of chemicals, especially fertilisers, from farms, and the run off from storm drains bringing material down from roads (such as the M27 bridge over the River Hamble). But dealing with such diffuse targets is difficult. It is easier for officials to target places where there is an obvious concentration such as marinas and yacht clubs.
Older facilities with a rolled gravel base and no drainage could find themselves targeted by the agency. Modern marinas all have concrete, or properly drained gravel where any materials falling off the boat are collected in interceptors. They may also have areas for pressure washing where all the material is sieved into a basket, or trapped by interceptors.
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