Does this represent good value for money

[Sneaky Pete]

It will cost a 30-foot yacht more than £160 per night to berth alongside in Weymouth Harbour during the Olympics.
Vessels up to 15-metres (49-foot) long will be charged £18 per metre per 24 hours while the Games are on from July 26 to August 12.
This works out at £137 for a 25-foot yacht, £153 for a 28-foot yacht, £164 for a 30-foot yacht and £192 for a 35-foot yacht for a 24-hour stay.
An anchorage, which will have restricted tender use, will cost £10 per metre per night for yachts under 15 metres.
From July 16-25 and August 13-September 9, which includes the Paralympics, berthing costs will be £5 per metre per 24 hours for boats under 15 metres.
People with pre-booked visitor berths or annual berths in Weymouth will be able to anchor in Portland Harbour to watch the racing, but the race areas are closed to navigation each day from 0800 until the racing ends. It will cost a 30-foot yacht more than £160 per night to berth alongside in Weymouth Harbour during the Olympics.

Now for ordinary people who use this frequently it would appear they are being ripped off someone somewhere is cashing in on this big time, what are the normal tariffs for Weymouth harbour. You could also argue that this is in line with the cost of hotels etc at this time. Is this whole Olympic fiasco enriching the lives of the majority or lining the pockets of the minority.

 

[KAL]

Ridiculous! I heard a story about them chucking out the owner of the local chippie, who's rented the same shop for donkey's years, to allow the 'concession' holder to cash in for the olympics. may not be totally accurate, but, along with the hoarding they're planning to put up along the front preventing anyone seeing anything, it's a disgrace.

'Our' Olympics? says who??

 

[Frankie-H]

All a case of supply and demand. If you don't like it don't go there.

 

[PaulR]

at the boat show had a chat with weymouth harbour master - nice chap who said c50% of space was booked - mind you I suspect he may have been referring to 50% of the berths during the actual racing period not the extended period that the charges apply for - agree with digbydog comments - but hope that casual visitors realise before they arrive - berth and get a shock!

 

[KAL]

All a case of supply and demand. If you don't like it don't go there.

Quite right!

We supply the eager kids who feed the sailing system. We supply the volunteer hours to fundraise for club boats, maintain them, man safety boats in all weathers, fuel to travel all over the place to race training, etc etc.

They demand mortgage money to allow us to see the kids we've nurtured compete for their country.

That's the supply and demand law that applies here.

 

[john_morris_uk]

The harbour master might think that 50% are booked - but I booked before I realise the price was per metre. He will find that lots of people who 'booked' don't actually pay up by the mid Feb deadline...

 

[Greenheart]

How will the actual races be kept separate from the inevitable fleets of spectator boats? A mate of mine has a radio-controlled speed boat with a camera mounted on it.

I'm not actually interested in the racing, but I'd pay plenty to watch five or six paranoid 'security' RIBs, circling and speeding in confused pursuit of a tiny, very fast remote-controlled intruder...imagine the footage's popularity on Youtube!

 

[alahol2]

- agree with digbydog comments - but hope that casual visitors realise before they arrive - berth and get a shock!

'Casual visitors' will not be allowed to arrive and berth. According to the bumf, you will not be allowed in the harbour without a booking. Supposedly, arrangements are in force for 'emergency' situations.

A bigger problem that I see is that, for smaller yachts who prefer not to sail overnight, it is effectively cutting off the south west as a destination. Weymouth/Portland is the normal jump off for Lyme Bay.

 

[William_H]

Olympics Sailing

Fresh from our experiences with ISAF World Sailing Championships I can perhaps give you some forecast of outcomes. The worlds were actually a larger event than the sailing of the Olympics and was a selection trials for Olympics.
The sailing competition and running of the events was considered a great success with only one early day's sailing of 16 cancelled. (due to lightning)
However according to the newspapers the carnival atmosphere in Fremantle that was promised by the organisers was a flop. Perhaps too close to Christmas. Many traders set up for huge crowds which stayed away in droves. Many traders claim they lost a lot of money. Of course many hotels etc did very well. But mostly the town did not. The Fish and Chips shop in Weymouth asked to move out for the duration may well be laughing if he is compensated reasonably.

As it worked out one close in course (out of 6) had great viewing from Breakwater and there was a grandstand built that provided good viewing for some of the course. This was well patronised on finals days.
The womens match racing series ran at the same time also had grand stands and good viewing from nearby wharfes but was not well patronised.
The other 4 courses set well out from shore were in a huge area of closed water. There were around 20 boats of ISAF volunteers dedicated to chasing off spectator boats and coaches. Plus about 10 police and coast guard boats doing the same job. The closed area was marked by about 30 temporary buoys and there were not many intrusions.
The closed areas for each course covered a circle of water such that the start boat moored in the middle and the radius of the circle was the length of the windward leg so that the race could run in any direction within the circle. This meant that a huge area was closed compared to actual area being sailed in being relatively small.
Basically it was hopeless to try to view the sailing from a boat. Forget it for Weymouth.

In the Yacht Club marinas adjacent to the courses some people I have met who have ownership or permanent residence in pen (jetty) type moorings were paid like 1500 squid to vacate the pen for the 3 week period. (some 25million oz dollars 18 million squid was spent on running the show.)

These pens were to accomodate the 15 or so large power boats (40+ft) for starting finishing and pin boats
while a large area of Fremantle Sailing club jetties were given over to end on mooring of the 40 or so 6m RIBs also used in race control. Another 23 6m RIBS were bought for the occasion and were moored at Royal Perth Yacht Club (Fremantle)Annexe. So in total about 120 power boats were official race management boats. 23 were bought by the race organisers (Perth 2011) the rest were privately owned and loaned for the occasion.(Fuel paid for)
In addition to the official boats some 300 coach boats were accredited. ie allowed to enter closed area. They were accomodated in a small area of Fremantle main harbour attached to a lot of swing moorings. Being mostly RIBs they were clustered together OK. 4 Ali dinghies provided a taxi service to the coach boats.
Television coverage was dismal. One of the less popular channels was given exclusive rights. Which unfortunately meant the other networks ignored it. Actual coverage time was about 2 hours on the 2 finals days. When it was aired the coverage was brilliant with helicopter and boat cameras. A GPS tracker and reporting system involving 900 GPS tracker/ transmitters worked brilliantly. Each competitor each buoy and each race management boat had a tracker so relative accuracy was brilliant. Software seemed to be able to determine who was closer to windward mark even on opposite tacks. I guess it being Olympics there will be a lot of competition for air time on TV competing with other sports so you may not see so much.
So that is my take from one of 1200 volunteers it was a good experience to be part of it. Some of our leaders have already departed to help with Weymouth. Lets hope Ben Ainslie can keep his fists to himself. (He disgraced himself at Fremantle resulting in disqualification)
good luck olewill

 

[Bosun Higgs]

Is this whole Olympic fiasco enriching the lives of the majority or lining the pockets of the minority.

Lets hope someone makes some money out of it. I'd prefer it to be the hard pressed taxpayer who has financed this orgy of bull****, but even if it a minority, the taxman will take 40%.

Personally I suspect the sailing will be a flop money wise. Great fun to do it yourself, but like sex , sailing is for doing not watching

 

[William_H]

Olympics

Cities battle very hard to get the right to host Olympics. Surely there must be some national benefit from hosting the Olympics.Although the Greeks might say it sent them broke.
Of course sailing is only a small part of the Olympics. Yes sailing is a sport for doing but I can tell you it is a treat to watch these incredibly fit young people prove they are the best of the best at what we do for fun.
olewill

 

[Theta]

Sneaky Pete.... "Now for ordinary people who use this frequently it would appear they are being ripped off someone somewhere is cashing in on this big time, what are the normal tariffs for Weymouth harbour. You could also argue that this is in line with the cost of hotels etc at this time. Is this whole Olympic fiasco enriching the lives of the majority or lining the pockets of the minority."

If you went to watch Man U play Chelsea you'd be paying £55/seat. If you take your 30 footer to the Olympics (arguably a bigger event) you'll be paying £40/bunk for the day/night. Doesn't seem too bad to me. I wouldn't pay £55 to watch a footie match because for me it's too much. Lots of others don't want to pay £160 to berth in Weymouth for an Olympic night but quite a few will stump up.
If you'd been paying attention you will know that this subject has been aired before and you will also know that Weymouth Harbourmaster is trying to make this a break-even event in order not to load us local taxpayers with a huge burden in next year's council tax. There are significant extra costs involved in putting on major events like this.
Seems fair enough to me.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Lets hope Ben Ainslie can keep his fists to himself. (He disgraced himself at Fremantle resulting in disqualification)
good luck olewill

That he did. But so did the media boat.

 

[KAL]

Sneaky Pete.... "Now for ordinary people who use this frequently it would appear they are being ripped off someone somewhere is cashing in on this big time, what are the normal tariffs for Weymouth harbour. You could also argue that this is in line with the cost of hotels etc at this time. Is this whole Olympic fiasco enriching the lives of the majority or lining the pockets of the minority."

If you went to watch Man U play Chelsea you'd be paying £55/seat. If you take your 30 footer to the Olympics (arguably a bigger event) you'll be paying £40/bunk for the day/night. Doesn't seem too bad to me. I wouldn't pay £55 to watch a footie match because for me it's too much. Lots of others don't want to pay £160 to berth in Weymouth for an Olympic night but quite a few will stump up.
If you'd been paying attention you will know that this subject has been aired before and you will also know that Weymouth Harbourmaster is trying to make this a break-even event in order not to load us local taxpayers with a huge burden in next year's council tax. There are significant extra costs involved in putting on major events like this.
Seems fair enough to me.

Hope you enjoy the show Theta. Let us know what it was like. I just think it's rotten that kids and their parents who sail week in week out, year round are effectively being deprived of the opportunity to see their sport being practised at the highest level.

In the SW we are used to our water bills and council tax being hiked to pay for visitors and we welcome them (the visitors, not the hikes). I couldn't get sailing tickets, nor can I afford the racketeering prices set for berthing. You takes your choice or you pays your money.

 

[Theta]

As it happens I won't be watching either and I'm not in the slightest bit interested in the racing. What I am interested in is avoiding a hike in my council tax to help pay for a holiday for rich people who are interested. They're the ones paying their money and taking their choices as well. The kids who kick a ball around and love football can't afford Man U prices either. These prices just need to be put into perspective.