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- The 72′ NSL Discovery, seen here transporting workers to a turbine in the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, helps put the enormous size of these structures into perspective. (Lorelei Stevens photo)
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- Former fisherman Tom Watson is a fisheries liaison to energy companies building or operating seven UK wind farms. His responsibilities include arranging meetings with fishermen before construction, keeping them informed of all matters concerning construction, and then helping them deal with the wind farm once it begins operating. (Lorelei Stevens photo)
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- A Ramsgate-based gillnetter fishes outside of the boundaries of the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm. The turbines in the background represent only a few of the 100 that make up the farm. Each is mounted on a concrete-filled steel monopile hammered into the seabed for a total height of 377′. (Lorelei Stevens photo)
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- The 72’ NSL Discovery navigates through the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm turbines. All together, the turbines have a maximum capacity to generate 300 megawatts of electricity, enough to meet the energy needs of 200,000 UK households, according to project developer Vattenfall. (John Williamson photo)
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- The spinning blades of the turbines in the wind farm create a distorted radar image at the helm of the sportfishing vessel Fish Tickler III. Local fishermen say this distortion makes it difficult – if not impossible – to track other vessels inside the array. (John Williamson photo)
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- The US team met with officials at the Crown Estate, which manages property owned by the British monarchy, including the seabed out to 12 nautical miles. The Crown Estate is working to document inshore fishing grounds as part of an ocean-use mapping project. From left, Meredith Mendelson, Michele Hallowell, Rick Robins, John Williamson, and Colin Warwick, fisheries liaison for the Crown Estate. (Lorelei Stevens photo)
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- CFN editor Lorelei Stevens was a member of the US team that visited England in March to talk with fishermen, energy representatives, and officials to learn more about that country’s offshore wind energy development experiences. (John Williamson photo)
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- The 100-turbine Thanet Offshore Wind Farm is located 7 miles from shore and covers a 21-square-mile area. The distance between the turbines, which are set in rows, is about 1,640′, and the distance between rows is about 2,624′. The minimum clearance between the spinning turbine blades and the sea surface is 72′. (John Williamson photo)
