Stangate rumours and Blue Circle certainties

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Firefly

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I've heard a rumour that Medway Ports want to lay buoys in Stangate Creek and ban anchoring on environmental grounds - I assume the buoys will not be free and I doubt if there will be enough of them, if true.

Also, Bretts have applied for permission to fill in the lake that Blue Circle Sailing Club use at Cliffe on the Thames, and already have the Environment Agency and RSPB (wading birds) on side. A pond club but with lots of history and effort by members -memories for me of many Frostbite series.

Anyone got any more info?
 
Firefly said:
I've heard a rumour that Medway Ports want to lay buoys in Stangate Creek and ban anchoring on environmental grounds - I assume the buoys will not be free and I doubt if there will be enough of them, if true.

Also, Bretts have applied for permission to fill in the lake that Blue Circle Sailing Club use at Cliffe on the Thames, and already have the Environment Agency and RSPB (wading birds) on side. A pond club but with lots of history and effort by members -memories for me of many Frostbite series.

Anyone got any more info?
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No info. "Environmental" hahahaha ! It's the mud of ages, industrial sludge seasoned with Napoleonic corpses!
 
I have the following rebuttal from Max Taylor, Deputy Harbourmaster of Medway Ports:

"I can confirm that there are NO current plans to lay moorings in Stangate Creek OR to restrict the normal practise of anchoring in the area. Hope this helps to clarify the rumour."

That's a relief then!

Tony Lavelle
MSBA Secretary
 
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Where does this stuff come from?!
Recently I heard that someone was going round saying that the Copperas Channel off Reculver had silted badly last winter.
Well, Trinity House surveyed it a few weeks and told me that it has barely changed at all.
 
Rumour control is rife around the village I live in at the moment, you wouldn't believe how many times I've heard them about me :encouragement:
 
Cantata said:
Where does this stuff come from?!
Recently I heard that someone was going round saying that the Copperas Channel off Reculver had silted badly last winter.
Well, Trinity House surveyed it a few weeks and told me that it has barely changed at all.
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We went through it last weekend and didn't see less than 1.7m under the boat (1.9m). This would have been about 2 hrs after LW Margate.

We were encouraged to start using the inside overland route again by some good chaps from the Benfleet yacht club.

Edit to add - I can't see moorings in Stangate Creek happening.
 
xyachtdave said:
We went through it last weekend and didn't see less than 1.7m under the boat (1.9m). This would have been about 2 hrs after LW Margate.

We were encouraged to start using the inside overland route again by some good chaps from the Benfleet yacht club.

Edit to add - I can't see moorings in Stangate Creek happening.
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The administration cost would be astronomic just collecting fees alone
 
All nonsense, I'm sure - no doubt this rumour started as a result of wild speculation following the decision that there will be an MCZ in the Mudway.
Stangate Creek, a cracking place to overnight, is probably as polluted as anywhere, judging by what comes up on my anchor. It was a Navy munitioning anchorage for years and years, who knows what's down there! There were prison hulks nearby in the 1800's, and I don't expect their occupants were too bothered about what they dumped over the side.
 
I've just noticed Tony Lavelle has edited his post to confirm moorings aren't currently planned in the creek.

They've obviously done the math with Sailorman......

'Ok, we've got 30 moorings to lay, let's say £600 each for those, yearly maintenance £120, we need to buy a boat to collect the money, maintain it and keep it somewhere, put diesel in this boat, pay a couple of blokes to collect the money.......'
 
It's well known that the creek, and Dead Man's Island, are haunted...a dreadful fate of screaming torture awaits he who dares to lay a permanent mooring on the cursed bones of Captain Michael Mudd! The Parson stole my grinning skull for his holy churchyard hole, a pox on him, but my bones, and my crews' rot here still in foul corrupted sludge and they worship only our Admiral the devil, and damn the eyes of the first man who presumes to rent out our hideous cadavers for a golden ducat!
 
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That accounts for the awful noise of grinding chains which went on all night when we anchored there last. :eek:

I shall take care to hang some garlic from the rigging next time we are there.
 
jerrytug said:
It's well known that the creek, and Dead Man's Island, are haunted...a dreadful fate of screaming torture awaits he who dares to lay a permanent mooring on the cursed bones of Captain Michael Mudd! The Parson stole my grinning skull for his holy churchyard hole, a pox on him, but my bones, and my crews' rot here still in foul corrupted sludge and they worship only our Admiral the devil, and damn the eyes of the first man who presumes to rent out our hideous cadavers for a golden ducat!
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That's dead creepy

Well done!
 
jerrytug said:
It's well known that the creek, and Dead Man's Island, are haunted...a dreadful fate of screaming torture awaits he who dares to lay a permanent mooring on the cursed bones of Captain Michael Mudd! The Parson stole my grinning skull for his holy churchyard hole, a pox on him, but my bones, and my crews' rot here still in foul corrupted sludge and they worship only our Admiral the devil, and damn the eyes of the first man who presumes to rent out our hideous cadavers for a golden ducat!
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Oh good, that fine piece of prose should keep the place quieter this summer!!
 
MikeBz said:
Very sad news x2.
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If this is happening, it is the result of the MCZ designating everywhere on the East Coast as some sort of special area for the benefit of slug worshipers.

My attitude is that no one consulted me as part of the plan making process. As such I do. ot consider the plan is valid.
 
Very glad the Stangate thing isn't true, but I thought, having heard the rumour, it was worth sharing if only to get a firm rebuttal (which we now have). One of the benefits of this fine forum is that people in authority take notice.

The sad probable demise of Blue Circle Sailing Club is not a rumour however.
 
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