Bad weather halts powerboat race

The Sea Trust said there was a high risk boats could hit dolphins

Bad weather has forced the postponement of a powerboat race, only hours after its route off Wales was changed amid fears that it could harm sea life.

The Round Britain Race began on Saturday and was due in Pembrokeshire on Sunday, but organisers called off the leg from Plymouth to Milford Haven.

Boats will go instead by road to Milford and will leave there later than planned for Northern Ireland on Monday.

Its new route means it will avoid Wales' "most sensitive" coastal areas.

The organisers had warned on Saturday that the Plymouth-Milford leg was at risk because of the weather forecast.

They then cancelled Sunday's race because waves were predicted to range from about 6-9m (19-29ft) in the Bristol Channel.

The boats are still due to race from Milford to the Northern Irish port of Bangor on Monday, but will set off after the scheduled times of 0930 and 1000 BST.

It's disappointing that the potential to disturb marine wildlife was not considered as an integral part of the planning and management of this event Welsh Assembly Government

Sunday's disruption came the day after the Welsh route was altered after complaints about the possible effect on wildlife in environmentally-sensitive areas.

The Welsh Assembly Government said it was disappointed the possibility of disturbing marine life had not been "integral" to planning the event.

Marine charity The Sea Trust had claimed boats could kill or maim dolphins and other wildlife.

It also argued that the race sent the wrong message to tourists in an area with many coastal areas with national park status and a number of Sites of Scientific Interest (SSIs).

The first powerboat race around Britain in 24 years, it began on Saturday in Portsmouth, where it is due to end on Monday, 30 June, after visiting eight other ports.

The Sea Trust said there was a high risk off west Wales of colliding with dolphins, and the area also contained such animals as minke whales with calves, porpoises, seals, and turtles, as well as many breeding birds.

On Saturday, hours before the boats had originally been due to arrive, it was announced that the race organisers had agreed to change the route.

The assembly government said the the Countryside Council for Wales and other rural groups had been talking to Green Blue, an environmental body set up by the British Marine Federation and the Royal Yachting Association.

Planning and management

Green Blue had worked with the organisers "to ensure that disturbance to wildlife throughout the duration of the race is avoided".

An assembly government spokesperson said: "As a result of these discussions the race organisers have agreed to adjust the course of the race around Wales so that the most sensitive areas are avoided.

"In particular, the race to the approaches of Milford Haven will only go ahead if no marine mammals are reported there.

"Upon leaving Milford Haven the boats will head directly to the Smalls, thus moving out of the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation and avoiding sensitive areas such as Skomer.

"After this the boats will travel directly to Bangor, Northern Ireland, and will avoid the Pen Llyn a'r Sarnau Special Area of Conservation (off Ceredigion and Gwynedd) altogether."

The assembly government said it was the race organisers' responsibility if there was any damage to wildlife.

"It's disappointing that the potential to disturb marine wildlife was not considered as an integral part of the planning and management of this event," said the spokesperson.

"In Wales we have important and protected populations of seals, cetaceans and seabirds."

Organisers had said before the change was made that they took advice when planning the route, and the boats would be up to two miles apart when racing.

They had also said they considered all wildlife, and would not stage a race where they thought creatures would be injured.