Hon Kurt Tibbetts takes the helm

Leader of Government Business, the Hon. Kurt
Tibbetts, steers “The Aliceann” for its first official ride
into the water off South Sound boat ramp. Onboard are
Senior Geomatician John Phillips, Registrar of Lands
Ann Kirchman, Minister Tibbetts at the helm and
Director of Lands and Survey Alan Jones.

Friday,  February 3, 2006

Swapping his political hat for a nautical one, the Leader of Government Business, Hon Kurt Tibbetts, took the helm of the Lands and Survey Department ‘s new survey vessel last week at the official launch of “The Aliceann” on Thursday 26 January at a ceremony attended by government officials and Lands and Survey staff.

The vessel is named after Registrar of Land Aliceann Kirchman, who is the longest serving member of the department at 34 years, and the vessel has been modified by the department into a survey vehicle allowing them to take readings to show the contours and features of the ocean floor around the entire Island, as well as give accurate depth readings.

With the data collected from the survey, the Lands and Survey Department will develop several products including a hazard-loss model for hurricanes and new nautical charts for boaters. This is the first survey of its kind by the department, which is being supported by the Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs. 

Before launching the boat the crowd listened to comments by Mr Tibbetts, who noted the importance of the project his department was undertaking and said it was one of the few such survey projects to be done in the Caribbean. Following the launch Minister Tibbetts piloted the boat for a short ride off the South Sound boat ramp.

Mr Tibbetts also got a close up of the Mosquito Research Unit’s new aircraft which arrived last week. This is the first of two Ayres Turbo Thrush aircraft to be delivered to the Island in advance of the busy June-to-December spraying season.

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