Nearly Empty

Nearly every boat is gone. Only a few weeks until dredging work begins.

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In which we do our best Jacob Marley

Along with several other boat owners, we chose today to rescue our mooring lines from the forthcoming dredging work. The sight of men draped in chains walking through the mud was memorable.

More memorable still was eldest daughter getting firmly stuck in the mud for a good 15 minutes. Once self-rescue was ruled out, I had to go in after her. Got her out without losing a Welly. Good job, or my name would have been...mud!

I took my chains home but TBH I think they were hardly worth saving. Anyone fancy joining in on a bulk purchase for the spring?

posted from Bloggeroid

Battleship Grey

Given that it was the only day I had in the whole Easter holidays on which I could do anything with the boat, I was not excited by the forecast.

As you can see from the pics, its best to ignore the forecast and carry on as planned.

With the tide too low to get onto the drying pad (a non-starter in any case as the two boats on it remained on it despite having booked it for Kamala) I had to come up with another plan. Thanks to a tip off from Martin (Vitesse) I knew I had a chance of getting onto the tiny concrete pad next to the blocks on the North Arm.

I was doing this at about 6am with a borrowed 2.5hp and no rudder. (The rudder was at home for a re-profile and re-varnish and my Honda 5hp has died. That's another story for another day.)

The boat slowly dropped with the tide and I stood on the blocks to ease into the right place as it hit the bottom. While the tide continued to fall I began painting the topsides. You can see the grey line round the top.

I returned later on to commence the annual anti-foul job and found the sand bank being removed at harbour entrance. Bottom painting wasn't as foul a job as expected due to the hard work put in last year to remove all the old bottom paint.

Then to add the final touch - a coat of Crown grey undercoat, leftover from a job at home. Why?
a) because it was cheap and all I had
b) because the old paint work was in a such a poor state that even grey undercoat is an improvement
c) because in September I will get a free lift out to the boat park and have her blasted back to gel coat to do the job properly.

So there she is in a her new colours. Everyone seemed to know 'the little red boat opposite the Tenby' but now she's less distinctive. Until September.

PS I did go for a sneaky sail as I put her back on the mooring, just don't tell the wife.

Harbours Response to the Muddy Protest

Further to the Muddy Protest by Roy Deeming at the weekend in relation to the mud build up in St Aubin's Harbour, Myra Shacklady, the Commercial Operations Director at Jersey Ports, was interviewed on Radio Jersey this morning.

CLICK HERE to listen to her comments. (about 5 minutes long)

Apologies for the poor sound quality at times.

Prior to that Roger read out an email from Bob Thompson praising the work harbours have done in association with SOBOA.

Listen to that HERE (50s long).

If anyone reads this blog, please feel free to add your views to the comments below.

A Muddy Protest

Looking at the minutes from previous SABAO (St Aubins Boat Owners Association) AGM's and monthly meetings of SABOA committee with Harbours (see below), you have to say say Roy Deeming has a point about dredging. While blocking vessels entering a dried out harbour is unlikely to raise many hackles it did get the issue aired in all the local news outlets. Thanks Roy.

In the interests of fairness I would add my own view that, aside from this one issue, harbours are doing a good job generally in St Aubins.

BBC Radio Jersey Interview with Roy: Click Here

JEP Article: http://www.thisisjersey.com/news/2011/12/30/boat-owner-plans-new-year-st-aubins-harbour-protest/



Channel TV Article Online: http://www.channelonline.tv/channelonline_jerseynews/displayarticle.asp?id=497652

Extracts from minutes regarding Dredging....

Feb 2009:


"•  The Harbours Office was looking to purchase a small barge for the purpose of dredging. None has
yet been found and therefore it was likely that contractors would be used in 2010 for this operation"


March 2010:

"Dredging - The exact method that the Harbour’s Office intends to use, has not yet been decided. SABOA has no reason to believe that it will not happen some time around summer this year"

Feb 2011:


"Dredging – Jersey Harbours were already preparing for the dredging of the harbour by applying
for permission to dump all the spoil three miles out to sea. Although unconfirmed, it was expected
to take place towards the end of the summer once all other works had been completed. Jersey
Harbours had said that any vessels that were expected to move, would go to La Colette Marina
which itself was due to be heavily reconfigured at some point this year. Again, the timing of this
is not confirmed yet. It will get done, it was just a question of when"


Sept 2011:

"Dredging-PLN confirmed that dredging will go ahead this winter, probably around Christmas time andthe letters asking for tenders are going out around now. More detailed information on how it
is being done and when & where boats have to be moved to will be given once the tender has
been accepted. The sand may be dumped above the ground-chain near the Bulwarks to make
a firmer base for the boats along the wall.
Ways of altering the flow of water through and round the harbour are being actively looked
into by experts from Arups, who are in favour of moving the groyne to the end of the North
Quay instead."

Present:

Jersey Harbours are now saying September 2012.