EAST COWES NEWS IN BRIEF

By Margaret Prior

“Freedom of the Seas”, Royal Caribbean’s latest cruise super-liner, impressed the spectators on East Cowes esplanade as she passed by on her way out of Southampton in search of warmer climes. The huge ship, the largest so far built, dwarfed a Red Funnel car ferry which escorted her for part of the way across the Solent. The expectant crowd had waited patiently for the delayed spectacle, but the Shore Side café did a brisk trade. The café displays a list of scheduled sailings from Southampton, and is a pleasant place from which to watch the floating hotels pass by.

Many will be surprised to learn that the dreaded East Cowes seaweed is teeming with wildlife. Tracy Dove, who lives in the town and is also the IW Zoo’s education officer, headed an intrepid group of island families, supported by a mobile environmental studies unit from the Medina Valley Centre, as they braved the beach at low tide. Many species were discovered, and Tracy believes that any waterfront development will be a threat to such biodiversity. Readers who are interested in joining in with the survey can borrow an exploration kit from East Cowes library and town hall, Bridge House in Ferry Road, or the family learning centre at East Cowes Primary School.

Sixteen-year-old Charlie Riley will by now be back among his friends at Cowes High School after his leg of Gipsy Moth’s circumnavigation was cut short when the famous UKSA-owned yacht hit a reef as it sailed between the Marquesas and Tahiti in the South Pacific. Charlie, who won his place through a County Press competition, was not fazed by his experience despite having to be rescued by a local boat, and would be happy to repeat the voyage given half a chance.