ROSS REVENGE DRY DOCK APPEAL: CHARITY UPDATE FROM STATION MANAGER PETER MOORE
News Update 14th August 2026
I would like to express my most sincere thanks, on behalf of everyone at Radio Caroline, for your tremendous support of our Annual Fundraiser 2026. After taking into account additional generous cheque donations and direct bank transfers, the total raised during last weekend’s event is now in excess of £85,000.
Many supporters took advantage of our offer of limited edition Fundraiser incentives – 1,007 t-shirts, 336 posters and 335 sweatshirts were ordered. The cost of producing and shipping these items has been deducted from the total raised, and the remaining funds added to our Ross Revenge Charity Dry Dock Appeal.
I am very pleased to announce that the new total for our charity is now £615,000 – an incredible amount raised by our amazing listeners.
DRY DOCK UPDATE
We are in the lengthy process of liaising with the Lottery Heritage Fund, which has expressed an interest in providing additional funding for our project to get Ross Revenge into dry dock in Hull for major structural repairs. This involves providing complex and detailed documentation in support of our application. Lottery funding would enable us to get more work done in dry dock.
When we have confirmation that the Lottery will provide funding, the Marine & Coastguard Agency will make a second visit to see that we have completed all the tasks previously specified. The MCA takes no responsibility, even after saying that Ross Revenge is fit to tow, and the voyage to and from the dockyard must be insured by us.
The MCA will want to know that we have ‘wreck recovery’ insurance of course. We are talking to our insurers who want an independent survey, that we pay for. We have found a good surveyor who the insurers have approved and when we have also completed all that he wants there will be a Towage Approval Certificate – then things start to happen.
The insurers want to see our schedule of planned work, which now has of course expanded after the Fundraiser income. Then they will know that the return journey will not have as much risk as the delivery journey. This is a far cry from the days when we would just hire a tug and head off where we wanted without asking anyone. Those days are gone and never will return.
We cannot give accurate dry dock timescales at this time, there are lots of things to consider involving numerous agencies. But it is safe to say our Fundraiser result and possible Lottery funding will take us an enormous leap forward and enable us to get as much work done as possible on our historic radio ship when she is out of the water.
