Saltash town Pontoon

clyst

clyst

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What has happened to the "free" town pontoon ???? Went there today and quickly left !! The whole pontoon has been taken over by feral youths using it as a playground riding bikes (WTF ??) and throwing buckets of water over everything ....boats included . According to a couple of "locals" I should see it night times if I think what I witnessed was disturbing .

My memory tells me that max stay on the pontoon is/was 24 hrs . The boats that festoon the pontoon now look like they have been there for months and uncared for .Including the SSC boats !!

The pontoon use to be a good safe overnight stop but not anymore apparently . Come on Saltash Look after your facility that encourage visiting yachts . Each boat brings money into your town .
 
Last stayed there for a night about 5 years ago... went past last summer... there was at least one of the boats still there....

Could be a great little facility... but it was already doomed 5 years ago... there were at least 3 boats who were permanent residents.... and the pubs were ****.
 
A few years ago it was a useful stopping off point but the last couple of years I have only been able to berth there once, it seems that a small group of SSC boats have claimed it as their own.
 
You're quite right. I'm berthed just up river of it and it's hard to get for a quick stop most of the weekend becuase of powerboats. They're shallow hulled and get dropped off the slipway, so why do they refuse to crew up on the slip. Diadem draws a bit too much to use the slip but most of the time i can't get to the pontoon because of the RIBs.

As to the local boat owners, I've never been refused for asking to raft up and have always been warmly received and helped. The kids though are little buggers from the local estate (salt mill). Darwin would give approval for his theory to be tested.
 
a good word for the Jubilee Pontoon and its urchins

monkfish24 said:
You're quite right. I'm berthed just up river of it and it's hard to get for a quick stop most of the weekend becuase of powerboats. They're shallow hulled and get dropped off the slipway, so why do they refuse to crew up on the slip. Diadem draws a bit too much to use the slip but most of the time i can't get to the pontoon because of the RIBs.

As to the local boat owners, I've never been refused for asking to raft up and have always been warmly received and helped. The kids though are little buggers from the local estate (salt mill). Darwin would give approval for his theory to be tested.
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I have been a heavy user of this pontoon (not much thsi year, though). It is a brilliant facility which I'd love to see multiplied x 100 in the South West.

Yes, it is abused (at times), yes there are yachts and boats outstaying their welcome (I believe the official allowed time is down to 2 hours. Yes, there are kids playing on it, fishing from it, jumping in the water in December and January. But also it is FREE.

If you want a closed community feel, there is plenty of choice in Plymouth (Mayflower, QAB, Sutton Harbour etc). But how to get the balance right? I don't know. Not being a Saltash resident I can't have much say or "do" in the matter. But if the local watering holes and eateries got their act together, they could very well make it work as a landing place for potential customers. It is in prime location for access. Probably the best on the Tamar and in Plymouth Sound (literally 2 minutes from the A38). It has huge potential. I just hope that it will not be commercialised (too much).

In the UK we are very good at managing the "commons" (as in the large areas of green grass in towns and cities: why not do the same for landing or anchorage "commons"?
 
Before the Swan Inn closed down I also used to use the North Corner pontoon at Devonport where the usual absence of other boats made the local youngsters more of a worry. It was quite good when the linkspan had collapsed and I would then use my dinghy between the pontoon and the foreshore
 
Lady Campanula said:
I've passed details of this thread onto a local councillor. It will be interesting to note any response.

:)
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if you really have do this and he/she reads it, how about this for a proposal:

provide a tap with water, put a parking meter on it to allow us to park legally for up to 24 hours and make a bit of revenue for the council?

they could then send round someone to keep an eye on things from time to time.

To encourage local businesses, there could be a notice board with up-to-date info on where to wine and dine, where to shop, directions to the loos etc.

Sounds a bit like France, really.
 
TamarMike said:
A bit south of the Torpoint ferries, beneath the bridge linking the the two parts of the Dockyard in front of the Steam Packet Inn. It is the public landing stage once used by the market boats.
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I am trying to locate it on Google earth - and I can't find it: can you help?
 
The pontoon was put there by the now-defunct Caradon Council. It is now presumably the responsibility of Cornwall Council, the new 'unitary' authority. It seems to us in East Cornwall that the new council is only interested in their own area so we can expect the facility to be neglected. The notices saying max 2 hours have long been vandalized as have the signs saying the upstream half is reserved for emergency services.

On the odd occasions I've been there local lads have been using it for fishing etc but that hasn't been a problem apart from being speared by fish hooks on the cleats. The main problem I have had is small power boats blocking the whole length. It's the only all-tide public access on that side of the river for guests to get on and off so the selfish git who parks a 12 ft boat in the middle of a 50 ft length of pontoon is a right pain.

Incidentally the berths on the inside of the pontoon are for members of the local club.
 
snowleopard said:
The main problem I have had is small power boats blocking the whole length. It's the only all-tide public access on that side of the river for guests to get on and off so the selfish git who parks a 12 ft boat in the middle of a 50 ft length of pontoon is a right pain.
.
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If said SG is not around, I have taken the liberty of reposition their boat elswhere alongside the pontoon.
is that non-kosher?
 
TamarMike said:
Before the Swan Inn closed down I also used to use the North Corner pontoon at Devonport where the usual absence of other boats made the local youngsters more of a worry. It was quite good when the linkspan had collapsed and I would then use my dinghy between the pontoon and the foreshore
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Ah the Swan !! Now they are happy memories .
 
TiggerToo said:
if you really have do this and he/she reads it, how about this for a proposal:

provide a tap with water, put a parking meter on it to allow us to park legally for up to 24 hours and make a bit of revenue for the council?

they could then send round someone to keep an eye on things from time to time.

To encourage local businesses, there could be a notice board with up-to-date info on where to wine and dine, where to shop, directions to the loos etc.

Sounds a bit like France, really.
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What's 'Janner' for Syndicat d'Initiative?


Dear Cllr 'Campanula',

Thank you for your e-mail and sharing your thoughts on the facilities in Saltash.

I have now passed your e-mail on to Cllr E*****, several other Cllrs and also to the local Chamber of Commerce and the Saltash Gateway Area Community Interest Company....

Kind regards

'DA'

Temp Town Clerk
Saltash Town Council
The Guildhall
Lower Fore Street, Saltash, PL12 6JX
Tel 01752 844846
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