Our Anchorages are disappearing Fast

[Aja]

There are now four permanent moorings in Caladh at the top of the Kyles. There is even a mooring in the bay to the South of Caladh where the steps are for the old Castle.

In another five to ten years anchoring in the Clyde will be a thing of the past. Shame.

Donald

 

[pagoda]

There are now four permanent moorings in Caladh at the top of the Kyles. There is even a mooring in the bay to the South of Caladh where the steps are for the old Castle.

In another five to ten years anchoring in the Clyde will be a thing of the past. Shame.

Donald

If it's not permanent moorings, it's their left-over ground tackle. Even Port Bannatyne bay -north of the marina has several abandoned moorings lurking about, Elsewhere fish/mussel farms occupying almost anywhere safe...

 

[Kelpie]

New fish farm sites tend to be in exposed locations where you wouldn't want to anchor. So it's not all bad news. But the old sites continue to clutter up some of the best spots- removal of these ought to be a condition of allowing new sites, IMHO.

As to new moorings occupying anchorages, maybe pontoons are the answer. You can fit a lot more yachts onto a pontoon than you could in the equivalent space given to buoys.

 

[Quandary]

Can't see how more pontoons would be a solution, these are usually individual moorings laid by local folk for their own boats, though of course 'local' now includes anyone who has bought a holiday cottage. The Crown Estate takes money for them but does not seem to control their spread. Wham? used to try to do it on the west coast but not sure how active they are now. Perhaps the Clyde Cruising Club might take it up? There is a balance to be struck that needs some independent input to ajudicate on need versus loss.
I agree with Aja's concern, harbours like Caladh have been enjoyed for generatations, losing access to them should be a concern for all of us.

 

[pagoda]

New fish farm sites tend to be in exposed locations where you wouldn't want to anchor. So it's not all bad news. But the old sites continue to clutter up some of the best spots- removal of these ought to be a condition of allowing new sites, IMHO.

As to new moorings occupying anchorages, maybe pontoons are the answer. You can fit a lot more yachts onto a pontoon than you could in the equivalent space given to buoys.

I have no objection paying £10-15 for a mooring , or finding space for an anchor. I do find it annoying when in the places new pontoons appear, deep water berths are sometimes occupied by wee local day boats. Some of the funding benefit should go to locals, but it would be better if it were more systematic.
Paying £30+ for a space on a pontoon is not something I NEED to do much of the time. Charging extra for a very few watt-hours of electricity if batteries need a top up also annoys me somewhat. Balance is lacking...

 

[Kelpie]

My experience is that pontoons act like fly-paper... lots of yachts get stuck to them and it frees up space elsewhere... but maybe it's different further south.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

That’s a shame but there have been moorings in Caladh since the 80’s, on and off. On one occasion I tied up to the rock ledge to keep clear of an anchored vessel and have also tied my stern to the island when anchored.

If I owned the place I would have a big mooring in deep water of the bay. At the end of the day these places are private property and owners may wish to utilize the space for their own ends.

Let’s not forget that sailing as a leisure activity has grown significantly, hence demand on space is up. It’s just the way it is.

 

[dunedin]

Not in the Clyde, but further north ...... some muppet has put a small pot buoy, that submerges at high tide, right in the prime spot for anchoring in Loch Moidart. Masses of weed so clearly been abandoned there for some time.

How does one get such things removed (other than a dark night and a sharp knife)?

 

[Aja]

That’s a shame but there have been moorings in Caladh since the 80’s, on and off. On one occasion I tied up to the rock ledge to keep clear of an anchored vessel and have also tied my stern to the island when anchored.

If I owned the place I would have a big mooring in deep water of the bay. At the end of the day these places are private property and owners may wish to utilize the space for their own ends.

Let’s not forget that sailing as a leisure activity has grown significantly, hence demand on space is up. It’s just the way it is.

I may be wrong but I don't think the Ingham Clark's own Caladh. They may own the island but not anything below MLWS. Whoever laid a brand new mooring this year has placed it in a perfect spot for wiping out a good part of the deep pool in the harbour. I suspect that CE have fully authorised it's placement but if say a 30' boat is put on the mooring that will make nonsense of going into Caladh in a N W'ly.
Donald

 

[Aja]

New fish farm sites tend to be in exposed locations where you wouldn't want to anchor. So it's not all bad news. But the old sites continue to clutter up some of the best spots- removal of these ought to be a condition of allowing new sites, IMHO.

As to new moorings occupying anchorages, maybe pontoons are the answer. You can fit a lot more yachts onto a pontoon than you could in the equivalent space given to buoys.

There are very few fish farms left in the Clyde and tend to be well away from traditional anchorages. I'm thinking of two in L Striven and a big one up L Fyne at Portavadie and further up at Kilfinan Bay.

Further north outside the Clyde there are thousands of miles of quiet lochs that can take fish farms. Unfortunately in the Clyde there is ferocious battles going on between pontoons and visitor moorings and anchorages are losing out. As I previously said it seems to be the end of traditional anchoring in the Clyde.

All those ' Club ' boats who leave their Marina's every weekend have to tie up somewhere....
Donald

 

[Seajet]

Sadly I have not sailed the Clyde, have briefly on the Forth.

May I add a couple of observations from a southern English yottie.

Despite what people say, there are many good anchorages left all around Chichester Harbour, The Solent and West Country.

It's unusual for a pontoon to work / survive in even a mildly exposed place where a swinging mooring would.

Public moorings are fine as long as someone maintains them, which is a can of worms re regular checks, type of mooring, how big was the last boat on it in a gale, insurance etc but can be a welcome sight after a long hard sail especially to the less experienced.

Even if moorings are instituted at one's favourite spot there's usually somewhere to anchor.

Around here and Im sure the same in Scotland 'It's illegal to simply plonk new moorings down; they have to be on the position of established ones.

So those old moorings on the seabed may actually be a resource in the near future, I' wouldn't be too hasty to try to clear them.

Maybe good fishfinders or even a survey - either pro or a pool of info among boat owners - with results available to anchoring boats may be the best answer for now ?

 

[JumbleDuck]

There are now four permanent moorings in Caladh at the top of the Kyles.

Not just the row of moorings to the north side then, but actually in the useful bit? That's a shame ... but if it's any consolation the place was full of moorings in the late 70s and the early 90s. They come and go, like karmakarmakarmachameleons.

You could always ask the CE if they have authorised anything there. I reported a whole bunch of un-tagged and stupidly placed moorings in Bull Hole and they were very receptive and keen to do something about it.

If it's not permanent moorings, it's their left-over ground tackle. Even Port Bannatyne bay -north of the marina has several abandoned moorings lurking about

Port Bannatyne has a major problem with abandoned moorings at the moment ... there is one within 10m of my own. I had a meeting with people from Bidwells, the Crown Estates agents, there last month and I understand there will be a major sweep of the place later this year. It's a slow process, though - they have to sticker all unauthorised moorings, wait a month, sticker them again, wait a month, lift them, store the tackle for a month and then finally dispose of anything not claimed. Costs thousands per mooring.

 

[Seajet]

Unauthorised moorings should certainly go, but at least mark the positions of established moorings on a semi official looking chart ( a moorings owner should do this but with GPS not the old guesswork ) - if and when sailing recovers you may prefer proper visitors moorings to a concrete development with a small marina and lots of ' waterside apartments ' as holiday homes...

 

[Kelpie]

Not in the Clyde, but further north ...... some muppet has put a small pot buoy, that submerges at high tide, right in the prime spot for anchoring in Loch Moidart. Masses of weed so clearly been abandoned there for some time.

How does one get such things removed (other than a dark night and a sharp knife)?

Is that in the pool to the east of Riska? Saw a small buoy right in the middle of that spot last week. Nothing in the bit by the castle except three submerged cables, which seem placed almost as if to reduce anchoring space as much as possible. Grr.

 

[NormanS]

Is that in the pool to the east of Riska? Saw a small buoy right in the middle of that spot last week. Nothing in the bit by the castle except three submerged cables, which seem placed almost as if to reduce anchoring space as much as possible. Grr.

Yes, one of the places where it's probably worth using a tripping line buoy. But on the other hand, you tend to lie to the tide there, and tripping line buoys and tides don't mix well.

 

[Aja]

Around here and Im sure the same in Scotland 'It's illegal to simply plonk new moorings down; they have to be on the position of established ones.

Seajet
I'm not sure that is the case on the Clyde or I'm sure there would be a waiting list(s) for a mooring. The mooring in question is a brand new mooring without a tag that can be seen. Caladh unfortunately is not on the same scale as where you are describing with probably enough space for five or six sensibly anchored yachts.

Donald

 

[[2574]]

Worse still, where there are visitor buoys placed at Kilchoan, on the tip of Ardnamurchan, the buoys are in a poor state, unusable. Four buoys but only two with strops. No room to feed a chain through the top shackle of the stropless buoys and the strops on the other two buoys looks distinctly dodgy - manky polypropylene that I wouldn’t trust overnight.

 

[dunedin]

Is that in the pool to the east of Riska? Saw a small buoy right in the middle of that spot last week. Nothing in the bit by the castle except three submerged cables, which seem placed almost as if to reduce anchoring space as much as possible. Grr.

Yes, East of Riska - that’s the one. And as you swing with the tide blocks a lot of the useful space for zero useful purpose

 

[NormanS]

Worse still, where there are visitor buoys placed at Kilchoan, on the tip of Ardnamurchan, the buoys are in a poor state, unusable. Four buoys but only two with strops. No room to feed a chain through the top shackle of the stropless buoys and the strops on the other two buoys looks distinctly dodgy - manky polypropylene that I wouldn’t trust overnight.

Yes, but there is absolutely nothing to stop you from anchoring.

 

[NormanS]

Worse still, where there are visitor buoys placed at Kilchoan, on the tip of Ardnamurchan, the buoys are in a poor state, unusable. Four buoys but only two with strops. No room to feed a chain through the top shackle of the stropless buoys and the strops on the other two buoys looks distinctly dodgy - manky polypropylene that I wouldn’t trust overnight.

Yes, but there is absolutely nothing to stop you from anchoring.