OUCH Bloody OUCH !

[Praxinoscope]

Our local council that ‘runs‘ Aberaeron harbour has just informed usthat our mooring rates for 2023 are over 30% higher than 2022, this despite the fact that they provide no facilities apart from the cross chains for our risers and the occasional buif of dredging, electricity, water, showers toilets are all provided by Aberaeron Yacht Club and for a harbour that dries out and is only navigable for about 8 hours in 24.
An 8 m boat on a fore and aft drying mooring is now almost £600 for the Summer season April 1st to October 31st.

 

[C08]

That does not sound out of the way for a mooring apart from only being the summer period. I pay £780 plus £130 harbour dues for a Dartmouth mooring that almost dries for a similar length boat.

 

[Sandy]

You aught to try the Exe, I was paying way more than that.

 

[billyfish]

Try the Solent. Not even going to say

 

[Praxinoscope]

there is a slight difference between Aberaeron and the South Coast, particuarly in that we don’t have the pressure for moorings in this area which is also not so popular, and we don’t even have a waiting list for moorings.
Aberaeron is also now loaded by insurance companies as an unsafe harbour, 5 years ago 9 boats were sunk in one day.

 

[chriss999]

That’s pricey. I pay about £360 for a swinging mooring on the Exe, similar size boat, floating 16 hours in 24. (Plus maintenance as required)
The operator probably thinks that boat owners don’t have choices.
(Do you have choices?)

 

[Praxinoscope]

Chriss999, Unfortunately no real choice, we are not blessed with numerous cruiser moorings in mid Cardigan Bay, in the 100 nm stretch between St Davids Head and Barmouth we have Fishguard/Goodwick, Cardigan, New Quay, Aberystwyth, Aberdovey then Barmouth.
Lower Fishguard is a beautiful little harbour, but festricted number of moorings, Goodwick is larger but moorings are. limited by much of the better area is taken up by the ferry terminal, Cardigan is predominantly drying, limited moorings and a difficult entrance, New Quay is the best dinghy beach in this area and has drying and deep water moorings all of which are very exposed to N or NW winds, it is the base for an RNLI station, but the council has restricted the number of moorings it will allow.
Aberaeron a small drying harbour currently with about 70 fore/aft moorings, access for shallow draft vessels about 2.5 hours either side of HW, open to N or NW winds, Aberystwyth the only marina in this part of Cardigan Bay, also has a few council moorings with long waiting list, supposed to be 24 hr access but this is fairly rare, (general warning is that access should only be attempted between 3 hrs before and 4 hrs after HW) the marina has about 100 berths. Aberdovey recomended that entrance should only be made before HW through to shortly after HW as the ebb can reach 5. knts, a few moorings within the harbour itself, and drying moorings within the estuary.
Barmouth, can be difficult to access and only 2.5 hrs before to 2.5 hrs after HW and not recommended in strong winds, buoyed entrance channel leads to floating and drying moorings within the harbour, anchoring is not permitted, tidal streams within harbour can reach 5 knts.
A rough estimate of available moorings across all the above possibly totals no more 800-900 suitable for boats with drafts of up to about 3’ - 5’ ( bilge to allow for drying )
I do think our local council are ‘trying it on‘ with their mooring fees, but it was the sudden 30% increase that really propmtee me to start this thread.

 

[lustyd]

Raises the obvious question of who has a commercial interest in developing the harbour for other uses? They obviously want your boats gone for some reason.

 

[TSB240]

Gwynedd council run marinas and Harbour trust are generally putting up prices by 15%. The marine and property group prices had increased a similar amount but wanted payment up front.
Given their precarious financial position some are now paying between 20 and 40 percent more for a berth.
I have obtained and had laid a sheltered seasonal mooring on the Menai.
The initial capital outlay is less than a third of last years dock fees. The only ongoing cost will be annual checks and Harbour dues and eventual gear replacement.

Our rapidly silting up Marine Group dock berth fees would have been in excess of 5K!

Same problem but on a much larger scale.

 

[C08]

Chriss999, Unfortunately no real choice, we are not blessed with numerous cruiser moorings in mid Cardigan Bay, in the 100 nm stretch between St Davids Head and Barmouth we have Fishguard/Goodwick, Cardigan, New Quay, Aberystwyth, Aberdovey then Barmouth.
Lower Fishguard is a beautiful little harbour, but festricted number of moorings, Goodwick is larger but moorings are. limited by much of the better area is taken up by the ferry terminal, Cardigan is predominantly drying, limited moorings and a difficult entrance, New Quay is the best dinghy beach in this area and has drying and deep water moorings all of which are very exposed to N or NW winds, it is the base for an RNLI station, but the council has restricted the number of moorings it will allow.
Aberaeron a small drying harbour currently with about 70 fore/aft moorings, access for shallow draft vessels about 2.5 hours either side of HW, open to N or NW winds, Aberystwyth the only marina in this part of Cardigan Bay, also has a few council moorings with long waiting list, supposed to be 24 hr access but this is fairly rare, (general warning is that access should only be attempted between 3 hrs before and 4 hrs after HW) the marina has about 100 berths. Aberdovey recomended that entrance should only be made before HW through to shortly after HW as the ebb can reach 5. knts, a few moorings within the harbour itself, and drying moorings within the estuary.
Barmouth, can be difficult to access and only 2.5 hrs before to 2.5 hrs after HW and not recommended in strong winds, buoyed entrance channel leads to floating and drying moorings within the harbour, anchoring is not permitted, tidal streams within harbour can reach 5 knts.
A rough estimate of available moorings across all the above possibly totals no more 800-900 suitable for boats with drafts of up to about 3’ - 5’ ( bilge to allow for drying )
I do think our local council are ‘trying it on‘ with their mooring fees, but it was the sudden 30% increase that really propmtee me to start this thread.

A very good resume of Cardigan Bay. A lovely sailing area but with only Pwelli (SP) at the bottom and Cardigan at the top as ports of refuge and little in the way of sheltered anchorages in between is a bad spot to be caught out in a big blow. It was always in the back of my mind when we sailed there but never happened fortunately. Ruffty tuffty sailors uop there not exactly Solent sailing!
I used to love our moorings at Shell Island and Porthmadog but the urge to sail new waters is strong in many.

 

[ylop]

Raises the obvious question of who has a commercial interest in developing the harbour for other uses? They obviously want your boats gone for some reason.

Or they just think there is a potential source of revenue for a cash strapped council and apply the "yachties can afford it" stereotype.

I do think our local council are ‘trying it on‘ with their mooring fees, but it was the sudden 30% increase that really propmtee me to start this thread.

How have the fees changed over say the last 10 years (which is roughly 30% inflation)? People often get more upset when there is no increase for 10 years and then a big jump than if there has been a 4% p.a. price increase every year - which actually results in basically a 50% uplift over 10 years. In my experience councils can be quite lazy at putting prices up by small amounts every year - it means updating and reprinting stuff, perhaps the numbers are not round any more, someone has to chase up the incorrect standing order payments etc.

 

[Praxinoscope]

Lustyd is probably correct, the Council don’t want the effort of running the moorings, they thought they would get The Marine Group interested, fortunately this went tits up, but they are still trying, so yes we think that is the overall plan.
Ylop, the fees on average have gone up above inflation for at least the last 10 years, apart from the period of Covid where they remained the same, so 30% in one swipe hurts!

 

[steveeasy]

Try the Solent. Not even going to say

Just got a quote from Deacons. I recon their rate has increased 30 percent in a year.
steveeasy

 

[Praxinoscope]

Just got a quote from Deacons. I recon their rate has increased 30 percent in a year.
steveeasy

I wonder what their excuse is, Way above inflation.

 

[ylop]

Would the sailing club take them on? assuming you think the dredging etc can be run on an economic basis?

 

[Supertramp]

Gwynedd council run marinas and Harbour trust are generally putting up prices by 15%. The marine and property group prices had increased a similar amount but wanted payment up front.
Given their precarious financial position some are now paying between 20 and 40 percent more for a berth.
I have obtained and had laid a sheltered seasonal mooring on the Menai.
The initial capital outlay is less than a third of last years dock fees. The only ongoing cost will be annual checks and Harbour dues and eventual gear replacement.

Our rapidly silting up Marine Group dock berth fees would have been in excess of 5K!

Same problem but on a much larger scale.

My Pwllheli bill went up by 15% driven by 150% increase in (unmetered) electricity. the underlying increase was 7 or 8%. Not welcome but understandable in the current times.

Many prices (not just to do with boating) seem to be gratuitously increasing by heady amounts. Either opportunism or attempts to plug gaps between income and expenditure. Might have to go back to work.......

 

[Praxinoscope]

Would the sailing club take them on? assuming you think the dredging etc can be run on an economic basis?

We have looked at it, but not sure about the practicalities, a local company have just declined the option of taking over, and the club would need to look at a permanent employee to handle the harbour management (not really viable as a voluntary position) dredging is not so much of a problem as really the only area that silts up is Doc Bach along the front row, most of the harbour is kept fairly clear of silt by the river and only occasionally needs some JCB work to shift a build up of stones/shingle in some areas.
The proposed new flood prevention renovations to the harbour should reduce considerably the silting in Pwll Cam,
I would welcome the club adopting the moorings but there are many wh feel it a step too far.

 

[tico]

When I lived in the area there was a significant waiting list for moorings.... so much so that it was a case of 'dead mens shoes'. Had to wait for the demise of a mooring owner before one moved up on the waiting list/ It's obviously changed.
There were also plans afoot for the inner harbour to have a gate/lifting flap to keep boats afloat - guess thats not practical on silting grounds.

 

[Telstar26]

I feel your pain. I'm still waiting to see what Pembrokeshire will charge for Fishguard this year. We've now got the novelty of a moorings waiting list...

 

[Praxinoscope]

Hi tico, yes when I started sailing from Aberaeron the only ways to get a mooring were either as you suggested dead mans shoes or buy a boat already there with a mooring and transfer occupancy, a lot has changed, I estimate we had about 25% empty moorings in 2022. A lot of owners have been scared off by the high loss of boats we have had over the last few years (9 sunk in one day), and the increasing fees with no additional services. It can never really be a fully utilised harbour being accessible only about 8 hrs a day, and if anyone was daft enough to think a marina conversion would work, the harbour would look nice and pretty with boats afloat, but the access times would reduce considerably for shallow draft vessels and potentially exclude entry on night time tides.
There are new flood prevention plans supposed to be under way by now that include a ‘gate’ on the inner harbour, but not seen any exact details only the Councils intentions.