Sailors on the Solent can now check conditions before they've even left the pontoon, with Lymington Yacht Haven installing a live webcam on the Royal Lymington Yacht Club Starting Platform at the mouth of the Lymington River.
The camera, a joint effort between the marina and the yacht club, streams a 180-degree view towards Hurst Castle and the western Solent. Berth holders and visiting sailors can check the feed via the Yacht Haven website before heading out, getting a read on sea state, weather, visibility and traffic on the water.
The Starting Platform has been used for racing in the western Solent for nearly a century, and remains a recognisable landmark marking the river entrance. It sits some 2km from the Yacht Haven office, which made the installation a considerable technical challenge. The system had to be entirely self-sufficient, with its own power and communications capable of delivering a high-quality live stream in a demanding marine environment.
Rupert Wagstaff, Marina Director at Lymington Yacht Haven, says the idea had been on the table for a while before the technology caught up.
"We're really pleased this project is now complete and live for boaters to use. It's an idea that has been discussed for some time, but until recently we didn't have the technology to make it feasible," he said.
"We pride ourselves on providing the best service we can for our customers. As many of our Haven Team are keen sailors, this gave us a good grounding in understanding the information sailors want before they head out onto the water."
Lymington itself draws boaters year-round, Wagstaff notes, with the town home to a busy racing calendar.
"We hope berth holders and visitors will be able to make use of this valuable new asset to assess sea state and weather conditions from the comfort of their marina berth."
Lymington Yacht Haven, part of Yacht Havens Group, is on Stand H208 in the New Wave Hall.
