Sailors face weed problem
A BID to remove algae from Lackford Lake has created problems for sailors.
St Edmundsbury Sailing and Canoe Association provides sailing for the disabled through its Wash Sailability Group.
The association is responsible for maintining its area of the site, which it leases from Suffolk Wildlife Trust.
The association used bales of barley straw to get rid of the algae but this resulted in weed growing in the water which fouled the fixed keels of the boats used by Wash Sailability.
Vicky Forkes, membership secretary for Wash, said: “You can sail for about five minutes and nine times out of 10 it gets weed around it and a power boat has to go around to scrape it off. You really can’t sail for very long.”
Some of the weed growth was featured in the photograph taken by Steve Wilson in last week’s Bury Free Press.
The club is now looking at ways to stave off weed growth next year including attacking the seedlings with rakes.
Kieron Adams, association commodore, said “There’s all sorts of things which we will probably do next year in an attempt not to have a repeat.”
Will Cranstoun, from SWT, said the weed would naturally start to tail off but they would monitor the situation.
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Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Thursday 20 June 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 12 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Thunderstorm
Temperature: 11 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South west
