Guernsey Marina confusion

[Yacht Breeze]

Guernsey is one of our favourite destinations but there are a couple of things which mean we'll give it a miss in future. It is irritating to be disturbed at 8 o'clock each morning by someone wanting to see proof that the mooring fees have been paid and this despite sticking the receipt in the window as requested. I can think of no other marina in the UK or Northern France which polices it's moorings so aggressively.

There does not seem to be a lot of planning either. We were moved twice to accommodate a rally. The marina knew the rally was coming, apparently it had been booked in months in advance, but instead of reserving a space for the visiting boats it was all accommodated ad hoc with the result that there were a lot of unnecessary and duplicated boat movements and, yes, you've guessed it early in the morning. One explanation for all this I was given was the fact that a lot of the 'old timers' who used to run the marina efficiently retired last year and the new guys were not fully trained and up to speed. However the staff we saw, probably work experience students, had a jolly old time zipping about the harbour on the ribs causing far too much wash. bring back the 'old timers' I say.

Anyone else had similar problems?

 

[fireball]

All the zipping about and general mayhem was what attracted us to start with. It's a welcome change to watching the box ...
Never had a problem with the receipt in the window - although they did come across the boat to check those outside of us.

 

[npf1]

Yes! Last summer I was not too happy with them…

Wanted to go on the visitor's pontoon and they wouldn't let us, even though there were a couple of spaces we would fit in without rafting. And loads of spaces if they would move someone, i.e put us on the inside of a raft and them on the outside (as we're rather heavy and most people wouldn't want us on the outside of them).

So they directed us to that rather high commercial pier poking out from the jetty that leads to the chandlers. Problem with that was my rig was rather close to bashing the pier with each passing wash (BTW: the overzealous unconsciously incompetent in the rib wanted payment before we'd tied up!). After 30 minutes rigging one hell of a lot of rope as well having to climb a 30-40ft ladder (a bit of help from the rib muppet would have been nice, but wasn't essential), I asked to speak to the harbourmaster as worried about the rig touching. He came along and said "what are you doing here?" Your muppets put us there! Anyway, he found us a place where the France passenger ferry comes in. Not pretty but better than nothing, but, of course, we would need to vacate it when the ferry was due.

Next morning, as several boats left to catch the tide, I had a quick scoot around the visitors pontoons in the dinghy to see if there were any spaces. Much to my relief, there we at least three plus a couple more if they were prepared to move some boats further along their respective pontoons and even more if they’d put us on the inside of a raft. So I called the harbour control to be told "you can't go there cos it's too shallow". Despite me pointing out that I'd parked there for several days almost every year since 2005, they still wouldn't let me move.

Has the harbour silted up that much in ten months? IIRC, it's soft sand under there so wouldn't really matter if we hit the bottom.

Ended up going to Beaucette, which, given the conditions was pretty (actually, VERY) hairy to get into.

As you can imagine, I was rather hacked off with the whole episode so will be avoiding in the future.

Interesting that you say the ‘older generation’ have now moved on, only to be replaced by people “in training”. I’ve never had an issue there before as the existing guys were happy to move boats around so that they could try to make a space for everyone – seems that the current guys won’t do that.

 

[Talulah]

Just started planning the summer holidays to Brittany.
No flights to/from Brest on Saturday 14th July with Flybe.
Equally Condor ferries seem to be running from Weymouth, not Poole.
Olympics related? I'm trying to escape the b****y Olympics.

 

[ksutton]

Back in 2009 had my boat damaged by a neighboring boats departure at 11pm. Didn't get the boats name and when I inquired at the marina office, they refused to give it to me quoting data protection.
Love the marina location and St Peters Port but the marina organisation leaves much to be desired, admittedly much caused by the entry/exit sill and in my experience lack of caring staff.

 

[Sans Bateau]

On one occasion whilst waiting to go into the marina, we had a French guy next to us with a rope around his prop, he was diving without a mask, knife in his teeth to free the rope, the jobs worth harbour bloke came up *******ing him for diving, "its not allowed in the harbour". Poor French chap could not understand but I gestured to him 'nothing wrong', and I took up the argument with jobs worth, by the time the argument was beginning to get heated, and I was likely to get myself into trouble, Froggy appeared at the surface, broad grin and rope in his hand, OK! No diving I agreed!

 

[Koeketiene]

No flights to/from Brest on Saturday 14th July with Flybe.

Bastille Day

 

[Tidewaiter2]

Yes! Last summer I was not too happy with them…

Wanted to go on the visitor's pontoon and they wouldn't let us, even though there were a couple of spaces we would fit in without rafting. And loads of spaces if there would put move someone, put us on the inside and them on the outside.

So they directed us to that rather high commercial pier poking out from the jetty that leads to the chandlers. Problem with that was my rig was rather close to bashing the pier with each passing wash (BTW: the overzealous unconsciously incompetent in the rib wanted payment before we'd tied up!). After 30 minutes rigging one hell of a lot of rope as well having to climb a 30-40ft ladder (a bit of help from the rib muppet would have been nice, but wasn't essential), I asked to speak to the harbourmaster as worried about the rig touching. He came along and said "what are you doing here?" Your muppets put us there! Anyway, he found us a place where the France passenger ferry comes in. Not pretty but better than nothing, but, of course, we would need to vacate it when the ferry was due.

Next morning, as several boats left to catch the tide, I had a quick scoot around the visitors pontoons in the dinghy to see if there were any spaces. Much to my relief, there we at least three plus a couple more if they were prepared to move some boats further along their respective pontoons and even more if they’d put us on the inside. So I called the harbour control to be told "you can't go there cos it's too shallow". Despite me pointing out that I'd parked there for several days almost every year since 2005, they still wouldn't let me move.

Has the harbour silted up that much in ten months? IIRC, it's soft sand under there so wouldn't really matter if we hit the bottom.

Ended up going to Beaucette, which, given the conditions was pretty (actually, VERY) hairy to get into.

As you can imagine, I was rather hacked off with the whole episode so will be avoiding in the future.

Interesting that you say the ‘older generation’ have now moved on, only to be replaced by people “in training”. I’ve never had an issue there before as the existing guys were happy to move boats around so that they could try to make a space for everyone – seems that the current guys won’t do that.

+1, The old 'Constables' are sorely missed-we were not impressed by the youngsters boat handling, excessive and unnessesscary wash, and understanding of their own harbour last season- we were rafted 14 out x 3 wind swung rafts til 20.30 hrs, in constant risk of damage for 3 hours(in spite of many lift keelers), then 'rush hour' in the dark, our 37/12tons told to go outside a lightwieght 20' yacht, with our rudder a fag paper width off the square concrete base at the root of the inner harbour pontoon and our bow ditto the quay base at low water-PUFO'd PDQ out of there to a safer berth next am when we saw the position next am, and told HM exactly why we'd moved.

Didn't even bother to go in the outer harbour on way back from Paimpol, dropped hook in Havelet Bay and cleared out next am.
Would have gone to one of the Basse-Normandie ports altogether, if tide had served.
Will go in outer harbour in future, if we do go via CI and not coast hop but don't (and won't)get me on that water taxi 'service'

 

[Sailfree]

On one occasion whilst waiting to go into the marina, we had a French guy next to us with a rope around his prop, he was diving without a mask, knife in his teeth to free the rope, the jobs worth harbour bloke came up *******ing him for diving, "its not allowed in the harbour". Poor French chap could not understand but I gestured to him 'nothing wrong', and I took up the argument with jobs worth, by the time the argument was beginning to get heated, and I was likely to get myself into trouble, Froggy appeared at the surface, broad grin and rope in his hand, OK! No diving I agreed!

Had exactly the same problem with a polythene wrap round the prop got in Gernsey dirty harbour.

I put on all scuba gear and was told off when in the water. I said I had no alternative as boat could not move and ignored them.

 

[Poignard]

Back in 2009 had my boat damaged by a neighboring boats departure at 11pm. Didn't get the boats name and when I inquired at the marina office, they refused to give it to me quoting data protection.

'Metaphor' - hit me too. Her skipper promised to berth on pontoon outside and return to sort things out. He did a runner instead.

Maybe, as Vera Lynn sings, "We'll meet again".

 

[longjohnsilver]

Plonked in his dory almost caused our boat to be severely damaged in Aug 2010 when he insisted on rafting a 72'+ ally French sailing boat outside us against all my protestations. ******** French skipper used us ram into to reduce his speed, by this time we had about 10 pushers off from other boats on the pontoon all helping to fend this guy off, naturally had no fenders set as he came alongside. If these kind souls had not sprung into action we would have suffered serious damage. HM chap on his dory refused to move this boat and French ******** skipper just laughed at our protests.
Last year on same pontoons in the pool at about 3 am we were awoken by a loud bow thruster. Woke up fast to find another larger French boat alongside tied up to our stanchions. This time HM chappy did listen to us and moved him off.
So our experience of SPP staff not particularly favourable.
My email to HM after 2010 debacle elicited an almost rude response. Wery unimpressed. Shame cos we do enjoy Guernsey. Beaucette will see more of us in future.

 

[cliffdale]

I was there, I'm one of the pushers!

Dory man absolute fruit cake.

 

[Robin]

We stopped using St Peter Port other than as a truck stop some years back, either bypassing completely or overnighting in Havelet Bay or off Sark instead and moving on with the next tide.

I forget the year now, but they bumped up the cost significantly in one hit. With our draught of around 7ft the marina was not an option and we used the outside pontoons, which is fine, except that the charge is the same as for being able to walk ashore in the marina, there is no power available and you could be rafted up three deep. Time was that they would know the comings and goings and arrange boats so leaving was not too difficult, but in our last visits they would plonk someone outside of us even though they knew we were leaving early and the new one arrived late at night. The water taxi 'service' was a joke. One year we used it as we were only staying one night and didn't want to mess with our own dinghy, yet when we went to go ashore for a meal that night were told it wasn't running later and we would need to hitch a lift back with one of the harbour control dorys, right about when the Le Mans start was in progress with boats going 'in'. So, dressed for a smart meal, we then had to get our dinghy up and running instead, which if we had done it earlier would have saved us quite a bit, apart from the dirty clothes.

Don't even get me started on the restaurants. We used to really enjoy several but when en masse they increased prices of everything by 35% between our visit in May and again in September the same year enough was enough, their loss became French restaurants gain.

We visited their stand at SIBS with our comments which were shrugged off, 'nobody else complained' and plenty still come kind of comments. Over the years we had spent thousands of pounds on the island, yet overnight it stopped dead.

 

[longjohnsilver]

I was there, I'm one of the pushers!

Dory man absolute fruit cake.

And very grateful we were Cliff. How's life on the darkside?

 

[nimrod1230]

Oh dear, not our experience at all last year. In spite of being bigger and deeper than the top limit we were allowed on to the hammerhead just inside the marina entrance and stayed afloat despite our 2.1m draft. sticking the receipt in the appropriate window also seemed to work well. we did have nice neighbours rafted outside us but again a visible receipt was all that was required for the harbour staff. We were all stuck for 5 days due to the weather and enjoyed the experience all be it watching the time for cruising slip by but very gratefull to be tucked up safe and comfy. The down side of a small island/town in stormy conditions is that easily explored activities run out fairly quickly. Leaving was another matter altogether though no fault of the harbour staff who left most people to their own devices. We moved to an alongside berth on the outer pontoon at a civilised hour to catch the next morning tide and things gradually filled up with rafts forming. The problems came much later with a 180deg wind shift which tested the mooring techniques of some of the boats and indeed we were accused of adding to the problems even though we were tied tightly to the now lee side of the pontoon and our immediate neighbour was also secured to both us and shore lines to the pontoon. None of this could be sighted against the harbour staff as the rafts had formed with each boat making its own decisions, not always the right ones! As to price, well as we later found, somewhat cheaper than the French ports visited later.

 

[Daedelus]

First time we went in they found us a nice place in the corner and we were then approached by another yottie who warned us it was shallow and we'd go aground at LW - we went to see harbour staff who poo-pooed the whole notion, "He doesn't know the depth of his keel" they said, "with your 1.5m draft you'll be fine", woke up at 4am with boat heeled right over and fortunately resting on fenders. Hardly dared move until tide came back and shifted boat as soon as another space was available and went and told harbour stafff what i thought of them.

Didn't seem to have much impact.

Do you suppose it's inbreeding?

 

[cliffdale]

And very grateful we were Cliff. How's life on the darkside?

Slooooowwwww!

My average speed has come down from 30k to 5knots. You might have gathered from previous posts, I have thrown the towl in and taken early retirement. Shmbo is still working and is keeping me in the manner I am accustomed!

So now having more time, sailing is great. I can spend all day at sea for £1 of diesel!
There is no way swmbo will take a 24 hr passage, 4 hours was enough for her.
The plan is I sail alone and Judith will take the fast ferry with car and meet up at various marina's.

May see you in Guernsey this year.

Cliff

 

[JSYmartini]

Do you suppose it's inbreeding?

Probably, the donkeys are notorious for it.

I don't know why anyone would go there in the 1st place, Jersey officially has more sunshine and we've got visitor berths with 2m or 2.4m for those that need it.

And a holding pontoon that's connected to dry land...

 

[cliffdale]

Probably, the donkeys are notorious for it.

I don't know why anyone would go there in the 1st place, Jersey officially has more sunshine and we've got visitor berths with 2m or 2.4m for those that need it.

And a holding pontoon that's connected to dry land...

The bit I like about Jersey is they put us inside mostly in order of first arrive first in.

Guernsey seems a bit hit and miss how you enter the marina.

 

[snooks]

Probably, the donkeys are notorious for it.

I don't know why anyone would go there in the 1st place, Jersey officially has more sunshine and we've got visitor berths with 2m or 2.4m for those that need it.

And a holding pontoon that's connected to dry land...

Our experience of Jersey wasn't great to be honest, as a boat owner, you're left to fend for yourself and find a berth, get half way down the narrow alley at the far end, (a helpful skipper said there was a space, and there would have been if we were two foot shorter) and then have to reverse back out while all sorts of yachts are coming in leaving about 2ft clear astern, we even had one chap try to tie alongside before we were tied up!

Then you are moored in the middle of a city. I live in a city, I go sailing to get away from groups of drunk teenagers, and tits driving around on mopeds into the night.

Oh and it's also nice of the local fisherman to lay their pot on the transit coming in from the west, bang on the transit.

Yep we had a great experience in Jersey