Weymouth
July 27, 2022
HM 202. Weymouth. A shining Council Harbour with an Aussie twist.
Jamie Joyce was one of the most unusual HMs I have met.
After a career in the Australian Water Police, Jamie arrived in England in 2018 to work in the UK Hydrographic Office. A true "techie", he worked on developing Digital Charts before moving to Hinkley Point Power Station construction site where he controlled the daily arrival of ships unloading millions of tons of building material onto a drying quay with a daily tidal range of up to 13 metres. Hanson trained Jamie as an HM and he moved to Weymouth in 2020.
At the entrance to his office he placed a large scale chart (photo 5) which Jamie uses to help sailors plan their passages - something every harbour office should have. When Jamie completed a complicated Harbour Revision Order (used to change the legislation governing a harbour) his one aim was to turn everything into "plain English" which has a nice irony seeing Jamie is Australian!
I asked him what was the difference between working in Oz and the UK. He explained to me that in Australia there is just one Maritime Authority that controls everything - harbours, navigation, air sea rescue, environment, pollution etc. Every boat user HAS to obtain a license, wear a life jacket and gets prosecuted for drink-driving.
In the UK we have many "historic" autonomous stakeholders - Trinity House, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Marine Accident and Investigation Branch, UK Hydrographic Office, DfT, MMO, RNLI, ... the list goes on, but it does remind me I still have a lot more people to interview for my book!
Weymouth is a gem of a place, still retaining its Georgian elegance alongside a busy fishing harbour, three marinas and a world class tourist beach.
Sadly Jamie returned to Oz just after I interviewed him, but he certainly left his mark on Weymouth in a most positive way. I highly recommend a visit to the friendly Harbour Office - you won't miss the sign!
Jamie Joyce was one of the most unusual HMs I have met.
After a career in the Australian Water Police, Jamie arrived in England in 2018 to work in the UK Hydrographic Office. A true "techie", he worked on developing Digital Charts before moving to Hinkley Point Power Station construction site where he controlled the daily arrival of ships unloading millions of tons of building material onto a drying quay with a daily tidal range of up to 13 metres. Hanson trained Jamie as an HM and he moved to Weymouth in 2020.
At the entrance to his office he placed a large scale chart (photo 5) which Jamie uses to help sailors plan their passages - something every harbour office should have. When Jamie completed a complicated Harbour Revision Order (used to change the legislation governing a harbour) his one aim was to turn everything into "plain English" which has a nice irony seeing Jamie is Australian!
I asked him what was the difference between working in Oz and the UK. He explained to me that in Australia there is just one Maritime Authority that controls everything - harbours, navigation, air sea rescue, environment, pollution etc. Every boat user HAS to obtain a license, wear a life jacket and gets prosecuted for drink-driving.
In the UK we have many "historic" autonomous stakeholders - Trinity House, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Marine Accident and Investigation Branch, UK Hydrographic Office, DfT, MMO, RNLI, ... the list goes on, but it does remind me I still have a lot more people to interview for my book!
Weymouth is a gem of a place, still retaining its Georgian elegance alongside a busy fishing harbour, three marinas and a world class tourist beach.
Sadly Jamie returned to Oz just after I interviewed him, but he certainly left his mark on Weymouth in a most positive way. I highly recommend a visit to the friendly Harbour Office - you won't miss the sign!