Brightlingsea Today

[Fire99]

Hi All,

I'm starting to wonder if all my threads will have a 'Today' in them

Just a quick note. Went for a quick trip out from Brightlingsea Harbour (My Winter Home) today and on coming back in forgot that it's not a great idea to try and moor along side with the tide. Had a couple of passes by but I just had too much momentum.

Anyway a very helpful chap (who sadly i've already forgotten his name) advised me to try it the other way (against the tide) but not only that but followed me out and gave eye to my boat whilst I swapped all the fenders over and then followed me back in in his tender and gave me step by step tips as I moored up and I got in 1st attempt.

A top bloke and thought should be mentioned. Another bit of faith in humanity restored.

 

[tillergirl]

I feel a Pythonesque 'you had it easy' comment coming on. In the old days (roll eyes, muffle ears from the sound of lanthorns swinging), there were no pontoons just piles. Nothing instilled fear to the heart of a visitor to Brightlingsea more than to find the Visitors' piles completely unoccupied, a cross wind and a strong spring tide! Our first boat had a quarter installation (anyone still know what that means) Stuart Turner. In reverse it used to spin the boat without a cross wind! You could go in, find the harbour empty of visitors, spend an embarrasing 30 minutes alternatively holding onto a pile or pushing away from it. The second, and I mean second you had a line fore and aft and there were a douzen other visitors appeared from nowhere wanting to come alongside and wait for the harbourmaster to run their lines to the piles!

Once made an utter prat of myself and nearly completed divorce proceedings ("It's not that far to jump!") trying to come alongside the outside of that curved bit of pontoon at the far end with a very strong head wind and a light helping tide. Of course every time I tried it with the tide, the wind dropped. Don't want to think about it again.

 

[johnalison]

I'm glad you've learned to approach against the tide - the world will now be a safer place. If only everyone cottoned on.

If Tillergirl wants to play, he can go to West Mersea where the piles are still in operation, just. Unfortunately some of the rings are missing and it's hard to make fast in a way which will go up & down with the tide without them. I remember the Brightlingsea piles with great affection (faulty memory perhaps), especially riding out the Morning Cloud gales in 1974.

 

[Fire99]

I'm glad you've learned to approach against the tide - the world will now be a safer place. If only everyone cottoned on.

To be fair, I'm no wally so if I wasn't going to be able to slow the boat down to a near stop then I wouldn't be doing it so there was no risk to anyone (or their boat) It was more a point that someone took a bit of time out to help out and to give some pointers without doing the patronising bit.

 

[tillergirl]

I've got a swinging mooring at West Mersea! My neighbour had a pile mooring here and it was ok. Well at least I thought so.

 

[johnalison]

To be fair, I'm no wally so if I wasn't going to be able to slow the boat down to a near stop then I wouldn't be doing it so there was no risk to anyone (or their boat) It was more a point that someone took a bit of time out to help out and to give some pointers without doing the patronising bit.

I appreciated your point about the helpful person and was glad to read it. Unfortunately it brought back many painful memories of having to fend off people trying to "land" on my boat down-tide, which nearly always seems to end in tears, or at least a few scratches. Because the approach is usually made bows-in, what usually happens is that the bows are made fast first and the stern swings out, bringing the sharp end into contact with something. On the rare occasions I moor down-stream, I try to place my boat just away from the pontoon or boat and "reverse ferry-glide" in. It is seldom very satisfactory, and even with my boat which handles very well astern, best avoided.

 

[Fire99]

I appreciated your point about the helpful person and was glad to read it. Unfortunately it brought back many painful memories of having to fend off people trying to "land" on my boat down-tide, which nearly always seems to end in tears, or at least a few scratches. Because the approach is usually made bows-in, what usually happens is that the bows are made fast first and the stern swings out, bringing the sharp end into contact with something. On the rare occasions I moor down-stream, I try to place my boat just away from the pontoon or boat and "reverse ferry-glide" in. It is seldom very satisfactory, and even with my boat which handles very well astern, best avoided.

Maybe.. but as I say, The thing at the bottom of my to do list when mooring is to take risks.
Hence, when I got an offer of help whilst I was casually motoring along the pontoon rather than being wedged in someone elses boat.
I don't need to explain but my only risk of the evening was that I may of been motoring round the pontoons for a few laps and that I may have eventually moored temporarily in the wrong pontoon.

Anyway, none of that was the point of my thread. Time to move on.

 

[Athene V30]

I feel a Pythonesque 'you had it easy' comment coming on. In the old days (roll eyes, muffle ears from the sound of lanthorns swinging), there were no pontoons just piles.

My first boat at Brightlingsea was on the piles. All was fine unless my neighbours had been out so rather than being on the outside I had a boat each side. The outboard was dodgy too. I can recall drifting sideways down the line of boats trying to decide if I get the bl**dy thing started again or fend off! Oh happy days!

 

[Athene V30]

A top bloke and thought should be mentioned. Another bit of faith in humanity restored.

If you ever need a hand give the HM a call on #68. They have to be the most helpful bunch anywhere. If you are still about in April must say hello - Karouise should have been lifted 10 days ago, still waiting but hopefully it will be done this week & I get to start the refit!

 

[Fire99]

If you ever need a hand give the HM a call on #68. They have to be the most helpful bunch anywhere. If you are still about in April must say hello - Karouise should have been lifted 10 days ago, still waiting but hopefully it will be done this week & I get to start the refit!

Hi Peter,

Well i'll probably be moving on at the end of March, but it's a fair time away so I may still be around. Either way i'll certainly be visiting after then from time to time so i'll keep an eye out.

I was chatting to the Harbour Master the other day (already forgotten his name too). He's a decent chap and two other fellas down there moved my boat round with the launch when I first arrived as the weather was kicking up and they thought they were being helpfull. (which they were).
The Chandlery at Brightlingsea is really friendly too. Had a good yarn earlier today and had a good moan about the monstrosity of that Apartment Development there. (The only fly on the Brightlingsea cake IMO)

It's a funny ol place but quite endearing!

 

[Athene V30]

Harbour Master (already forgotten his name too)

Bernie

 

[Fire99]

Bernie

Ahh yes. Bernie. Nice chap!

 

[MikeBz]

Had a good yarn earlier today and had a good moan about the monstrosity of that Apartment Development there. (The only fly on the Brightlingsea cake IMO)

"Cell Block H" as some of us locals call it... Try walking around it, it's utterly soulless. Fabulous place to be in looking out though.

It's a funny ol place but quite endearing!

A bit like some of us locals...

Mike

 

[Fire99]

"Cell Block H" as some of us locals call it... Try walking around it, it's utterly soulless. Fabulous place to be in looking out though.

Hi Mike,

Well i'm probaby saying nothing new about 'Cell Block H' just that I remember coming for a visit before it was there and now i'm berthed there it's hard to ignore.
Also since the water-facing metalwork is already rusting it seems to be going downwards rather than upwards and after closer inspection, the workmanship is somewhere between shoddy and something alot worse.

I hear that a fair few of the dwellers in the complex are workers on the windfarm at the mo. Not quite the original outline i'd guess.

Developments like that annoy me since they seem completely self indulgent and to a visitor like me look like a giant grey depressing blot on the Brightlingsea picture.

 

[Cobra]

Developments like that annoy me since they seem completely self indulgent and to a visitor like me look like a giant grey depressing blot on the Brightlingsea picture.

Strange that...most of the "real" locals also think that it is a giant grey depressing blot on the Brightlingsea picture!

[rant]There were some excellent suggestions around when the old James and Stone site came up for redevelopment including a suggestion that the entire area should be put over to the renovation and maintenance of traditional boats ie smacks and barges. But of course big business and (alledgedly) planning officers fact finding trips (so rumour has it) to the Seychelles etc etc and we get this abomination on the skyline! Anyway...as the car park is actually below MHWS just hope that the drains start to back up!!! But of course that is all local gossip...isn't it!![/rant]

Nuff said!!

 

[Athene V30]

Anyway...as the car park is actually below MHWS just hope that the drains start to back up!!!

I had a good laugh when I heard that.

At least the scrap yard has gone - that's a positive!

 

[sailorman]

I had a good laugh when I heard that.

At least the scrap yard has gone - that's a positive!

damn scrapyard is in Ipswich now

 

[Fire99]

Strange that...most of the "real" locals also think that it is a giant grey depressing blot on the Brightlingsea picture!

[rant]There were some excellent suggestions around when the old James and Stone site came up for redevelopment including a suggestion that the entire area should be put over to the renovation and maintenance of traditional boats ie smacks and barges. But of course big business and (alledgedly) planning officers fact finding trips (so rumour has it) to the Seychelles etc etc and we get this abomination on the skyline! Anyway...as the car park is actually below MHWS just hope that the drains start to back up!!! But of course that is all local gossip...isn't it!![/rant]

Nuff said!!

Well i'm an outsider and certainly don't want to stir the cockles (so to speak) of the locals who are in a much better position to pass judgement.
However, I'm realistic in knowing that waterside land is (or was) at a premium and anyone who owns the land is going to want to get a good return on their investment.
But, and it's a bit but, profit really has gotta be offset against long term impact on the area. Economically, Ecologically and Asthetically.

The development looks like it's been knocked up cheap and ultimately it's just a block of budget flats stamped on the side of a river. Better built develoments have been pulled down in city centres!

I have little issue with Apartments being located there (from a visitors perspective anyway) but with a bit less short-term profit potential and a bit more long-term vision, something very nice could of been built that was sympathetic to the asthetics of the town and also was inclusive of the local industry / economy rather than being one step away from having a 'berlin wall' put around the outside of it.

Once again, i'd very much like to meet the person / people who approved planning permission. I'd even go as far as to wonder what personal gain they made from the project.

[visitor rant over...for now]

 

[johnalison]

I agree. I think the main problem was a lack of nerve in a small authority. I imagine the broad outline was chosen to have a vague similarity to Cook's sheds, but think what a fine modern structure with a decent tower and a restaurant on top looking out over the estuary would have done for the town, instead of the pseudo-industrial-vernacular we, or rather they, have.

 

[Fire99]

Well sadly my Retrospective ranting won't change anything with a development that's 2/3'rds complete but our coastal / riverside villages are some of the best parts of British Heritage and should be preserved ahd cherished.
Anyone responsible for these locations who either lacks the backbone to act in the towns best interests or the ability to remove personal interest should be ejected with a large boot up their backsides.