News and events

YDSA Fellow Member selected as Royal Rowbarge Surveyor

Ted Spears, a highly experienced Fellow Member of the YDSA, has been selected as the specialist surveyor to Lloyd’s Register for the Royal Rowbarge which has been specially commissioned for Her Majesty the Queen in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee. Full story (PDF)

Awards and Fellowships

The Leslie Oliver Award was presented to Guy Simmons at the YDSA AGM on 29 November 2011. This award is for an Affiliate member who is the most promising new member or for the most improvement in an Affiliate member. Guy up-graded from Graduate member to Affiliate member very quickly and the assessors were impressed with the standard of his survey reports.

Fellowships were presented to Richard Ayers (outgoing President), Ted Spears (past YDSA Chairman) and to John Currer (ABYA committee) for his continual support of ABYA on the inland waterways. John has stepped down from the ABYA committee but remains available for advice and support!

YDSA Surveyor Training Programme 2012

Please refer to the Courses section of this website for further details of the training schedule.

YDSA Conference 2012 - 13 March at the Royal Thames Yacht Club

Details in due course but put the date in your diary now! Non members very welcome.

YDSA 2011 Annual Conference - 10th March 2011

Excellent conference at the Royal Thames YC - Over 90 delegates from all over Europe attended. Fascinating Keynote speech by Conidia Bioscience on Bio Fuels plus 9 Knowledge Tables. (review below)

2011 Conference

BOATS, BIOFUELS AND BUGS – What every marine surveyor needs to know

Over 90 delegates, including surveyors, designers and insurance specialists, from as far afield as Jersey, France, Greece and Turkey attended the recent Yacht Designers and Surveyors Association (YDSA) annual conference, ‘Surveying In the Modern World’ held at the Royal Thames Yacht Club in London.

With a keynote speech under the title of ‘Boats, Biofuels and Bugs’, speakers Dr Joan Kelley and George Tippett from Conidia Bioscience Ltd held the audience captivated with some harrowing tales of the infamous diesel bug and its effects within the marine environment. Thankfully, they concluded, most marine diesel bug problems could be alleviated by good housekeeping and responsible risk management. 

YDSA Chairman Ted Spears wrapped up the morning session and invited the delegates to join one of the 9 Knowledge Tables, where topics as diverse as Mast, Spars and Rigging, Engines, Corrosion and Cathodic Protection, Skin Fittings/Seacocks, RCD Compliance, IT, Insurance and Narrowboat Risks were discussed in depth under the direction of the respective industry experts.

 

During the day delegates were able to attend four Knowledge Tables where they shared experiences and best practice with surveyors from across Europe. They were also able to direct more detailed questions to the experts from Conidia Bioscience about specific problems and issues they had encountered with fuel supplies and usage in their particular marine environment.