Falmouth tender charges again

[jsl]

The harbour commissioners say there has always been a charge for the mooring of tenders. At present it is £6 for a short stay, and they have instructed their staff to be more rigorous in collecting it. 'Facilities have to be provided' etc. Just lunatic: the 'facility' is the otherwise useless pontoon under the bridge. I wonder what the local chamber of commerce has to say. In fact, I think I'll ask them.

 

[Poignard]

[ QUOTE ]
I wonder what the local chamber of commerce has to say. In fact, I think I'll ask them.


[/ QUOTE ]

Let me save you the trouble of asking. They will say nothing. They have far more important things to think about than encouraging trade and prosperity, such as where to have their next lunch, what kind of lapel badges to wear at their next seminar etc?

 

[Allan]

Just the same in Cardiff. Loads of bars etc overlooking empty pay and display pontoons. When I lived in France there was no charge for a lunch or shopping stop. Even the pay and display for cars was off at lunch time. When will these councils learn that you have to attract people in to these places. There are still empty shops on Mermaid quay, I wonder why?
Hate the fact that we are used to increase the value of shops and flats then ripped off. "Come and pay 30-50% extra for a marina flat and overlook loads of boats that have also been ripped off!"
Allan

 

[Drascomber]

Move to France

I have just come back from a week in the Morbihan where for the Semaine du Golfe week they attract boats in order to (successfully) attract grockels.

Free registration, free launch & recovery, free mooring, free water taxis, free magazines, free food, free wine, free oysters, free entertainment, great organisation . . . Eat your heart out.

 

[Anonymous]

Do you mean the tender park adjacent to the Falmouth public marina? There's no bridge there, tho'. You used to have to pay to anchor off the marina near the commercial wharf (and move when ships move day or night) and that would entitle you to park your tender there while ashore - at least that was the case when I was last there in summer 2005.

 

[TiggerToo]

Can't you park it in the small harbour surrounded by high walls? Or am I thinking of the wrong place.

 

[jsl]

The 'bridge' is the access ramp to the summer pontoons.

 

[jsl]

Well, I've now fired off a salvo of letters, so we shall see. I wonder if the YM local correspondent knows about this.

Of course, it is possible that payment for anchoring or use of a mooring covers the use of a tender - which it absolutely ought to - but that is not what FHC told me this morning.

 

[Anonymous]

It certainly did in 2005 - though when I say 'did' I mean that the local staff believed that to be the case which is not necessarily the same /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Of course you need tender and water access if you are paying for anchorage - not to provide both is outrageous and must surely be wrong - i.e. some local bod has misunderstood.

I had a stand up row with the HM of the port in 2005 after the HM cutter behaved in an intimidating, dangerous and heavy-handed manner at 0500 to clear the anchorage for a departing vessel. They gave no prior warning but motored around the anchorage shouting orders, gunning the throttle of the loud and powerful launch threatening to pull peoples' anchors up. No warning was given at all. I was bringing up my anchor when I saw a 60' Swedish ketch bearing down on me at 5 knots; the skipper had been intimidated into moving without cleaning his sprayhood and he was trying to see through early morning condensation. I let my anchor down again and fell back enough under the force of the wind to avoid him by metres. The people in the HM launch did the equivalent of a V sign when I called on frequency. I waited till the HM office was open a few hours later to have it out with the HM in person. In getting through to see him (stand up row with his staff in the hall and would not take no for an answer, threatened a report to the local police) it all became clear that there were huge problems with staff in the setup. There are at least three different groups all managed by different divisions. It was a dog's breakfast. The whole setup there is an accident waiting to happen - unless they have changed it.

ISTR that the three groups were the HM, the people running the public marina and the pilots. The pilots considered themselves above everybody and did not always bother to inform anyone about forthcoming movements even when they had been booked weeks before. This upset the HM and his staff who all had huge chips on their shoulders. The marina staff were treated like dogsbodys and had no respect for themselves or the other staff - but were really nice and helpful to yachties, this meant that you could always park your tender and get water and they didn't always collect the money from the boats at anchor - i.e. declined to take it.

Weird set up in what must be one of the nicest natural harbours in the world, shame.

 

[jsl]

Very interesting. Chap on the phone this morning was polite, but not in listening mode at all - so I have contacted Town Clerk, Tourist Officer, Chamber of Commerce, and two newspapers. My case is that trade in the town will be damaged, and that the cost of the shallow pontoon is covered by the charges for the marina itself. Let's keep stirring this one.

 

[Slow_boat]

I'm still trying to get my head round the paying to anchor. In the med. it's used as a means to stop people from visiting private bays etc., so I take it Falmouth are trying to stop people visiting their town.

 

[philip_stevens]

I sent the URL of the previous thread (bit further down the page of threads) to the Falmouth Harbour Commissioners / Falmouth Port via their website - so far no reply.

 

[JayBee]

[ QUOTE ]
The pilots considered themselves above everybody and did not always bother to inform anyone about forthcoming movements even when they had been booked weeks before. This upset the HM and his staff who all had huge chips on their shoulders.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's strange. No ship moves in a UK harbour without the knowledge and permission of the Harbourmaster or his deputies. As for movements being booked up weeks ahead, this would only apply to warships, cruise liners and the like. The Harbourmaster would certainly have detailed knowledge of these.
However, it is all too easy for circumstances to change. Adverse weather, a cut in predicted tidal levels, cargo handling problems and so on, mean that ship movement schedules are always TBC (to be confirmed) right up until they actually happen.

 

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
That's strange. No ship moves in a UK harbour without the knowledge and permission of the Harbourmaster or his deputies. As for movements being booked up weeks ahead, this would only apply to warships, cruise liners and the like. The Harbourmaster would certainly have detailed knowledge of these.
However, it is all too easy for circumstances to change. Adverse weather, a cut in predicted tidal levels, cargo handling problems and so on, mean that ship movement schedules are always TBC (to be confirmed) right up until they actually happen.

[/ QUOTE ]At Falmouth (and I am talking about summer 2005) they have a board on the top of the steps leading to the public marina so that those at anchor who are ashore (leaving their tenders at the foot of the gangway) can see what time they are expected to clear the anchorage for ship movements. The HM staff and the marina staff both complained that the pilots did not tell them about booked movements often until the last moment. I can't tell you any more than this is what I was told and it was consistent with a sudden activity by HM launches causing last minute havoc in the anchorage.

An onlooker watching this happen day after day would conclude that they did it out of some perverse pleasure. Or total incompetence or lack of concern for the safety of others. Hopefully they have got rid of those elements but it was a very unhealthy environment and I suspect they would have needed a change at the very top to get it sorted out.

A shame, it is otherwise such a lovely place. There are several local posters on this board who might know but often the locals don't know what happens in visitors' areas.

 

[duncanmack]

Re: Move to France

Slack'n Girdle??

 

[halcyon]

Re: Move to France

Prior to racing it is standard practice to phone the Harbour Master to check for shipping movement, as it has priority over racing yachts. Some times it may be delayed due to the docks, but normally there info is ok. The problem may be movement in the docks, as the area of the Customs House quay is a turning area for large ships.
The problem tends to be a Carrick Council one, we used to park free on evenings, Sundays and Bank holidays, now we just pay. They tend to charge you if you stop for any reason.
Though at the moment we have problems with Falmoth HC, they are trying to OK a mussel farm in Carrick roads, just about in the middle of all race courses, and the Mylor approach.

Brian