Unwelcome at Southwold

Tomahawk said:
This tale simply adds to my sense that the all pleasure has been taken out of cruising by the over raction of everyone with a little bit of authority they can throw about.
Why is there no rafting?
Why are the showers closed?
It’s easier to say "not allowed, I am in charge" than to work out how to provide a service in difficult times. Perhaps if the HM had to compensate the pubs and restaurants for the trade lost, he might take a different approach. But it doesn’t affect him.
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The HM is employed by the local Council, who own the harbour, and he is no doubt required to follow their instructions for managing it.
 
Cantata said:
The HM is employed by the local Council, who own the harbour, and he is no doubt required to follow their instructions for managing it.
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Local council... says it all.

Process has become the objective. .
Impose rules.
Regulate to restrict
Control to constrain

Much like the despised Ramsgit where you are welcomed with a series of don't do this don't do that signs together with a huge sign demanding money .
 
Leighb said:
Sadly the Harbour Inn and the cafe were also closed. I believe the pub may be opening this week. In any case the whole place was seething with day trippers and people from the caravan site. No shortage of punters, us yachties would only add a small percentage of potential custom.
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the harbour Inn was open yesterday. The cafe was closed. The town was very busy.
 
MikeBz said:
... and he may not be very happy about it (which is no excuse for the OP's experience, but we all go pop eventually).
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He also has to manage the caravan site at the same time, as the site manager is off sick or “shielding”, I didn’t quite get the details, so yes he is moderately p****ed off with his bosses at present. Having said that he behaved as normal to us other than not coming down to take lines and pass the fender board, no doubt more “rules” imposed by senior management?
 
It would be interesting to know if their usual over-enthusiastic fees have been reduced to reflect the current absence of the normally quite inadequate 'facilities'.
Something tells me...
 
Slowboat35 said:
It would be interesting to know if their usual over-enthusiastic fees have been reduced to reflect the current absence of the normally quite inadequate 'facilities'.
Something tells me...
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Not sure if this was “official” but I only paid £40 for two nights inc electric, boat is 9.3m. Regarding charges there is an oddity in their published tariffs. One price band is up to 30’, 9.15m, the next band starts at 31’, 9.45m! I did suggest to Peter that as we were in the Nomans land in between, we should not pay anything.?
 
Leighb said:
Not sure if this was “official” but I only paid £40 for two nights inc electric, boat is 9.3m. Regarding charges there is an oddity in their published tariffs. One price band is up to 30’, 9.15m, the next band starts at 31’, 9.45m! I did suggest to Peter that as we were in the Nomans land in between, we should not pay anything.?
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There are, or were, two different rates, depending on whether one was using the harbour-owned pontoons/pilings or the privately-owned single pontoons/pilings.

I haven't been this year but on several previous visits I've found the HM and his assistant to be the very model of friendliness and helpfulness. I do know that the harbour was controlled by the usual range of local council jobsworths and their ilk, some of whom knew nothing about boating. I thought and hoped that the last couple of years of political wrangling had resulted in a better structure, but perhaps it isn't so. As has been suggested, quite possibly the HM and his assistant have been affected by this, especially during these Covid-19 times.
 
Council 'jobsworths' seem to be the bane of Council owned harbours, our harbourmaster seems to constantly prevented from doing something which one would consider normal operation for a harbourmaster. i.e he is not allowed to go out in into the harbour in his dinghy. I wouldn't blame him if on occasions he is not as 'sociable' as he used to be!
 
The ONLY council employees who know anything at all about the harbour and its working are Pete and Jerry.
The line boss (who was recently sacked and replaced by his boss) really has no clue about how to run the harbour.
I have a lot of time for Pete, he knows his stuff but he's caught between the Devil and the shallow brown sea.
All the cock-ups like the, not fit for pupose harbour wall, the stupid mooring fees, the crappy facilities lay with others.
The daft rules are passed down and they have to uphold them and tell people like me off on a regular basis for ignoring them.

I'm moving boats on the river every day, too and from our yard to moorings and the slip.
In and out of the harbour doing sea trials, setting up electronics, autohelms etc.
Trying to communicate to the powers what should be done and what should not be done on the river, falls on deaf ears.
They rather just employ and listen to external consultants that know nothing of the local conditions, than listen to actual harbour users.
 
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Leighb said:
Not sure if this was “official” but I only paid £40 for two nights inc electric, boat is 9.3m. Regarding charges there is an oddity in their published tariffs. One price band is up to 30’, 9.15m, the next band starts at 31’, 9.45m! I did suggest to Peter that as we were in the Nomans land in between, we should not pay anything.?
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Very reasonable IMHO. Try comparing that to many touring caravan sites.
 
Easticks28 said:
Very reasonable IMHO. Try comparing that to many touring caravan sites.
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Most of the touring caravan sites I visit are between £3-5 cheaper per night than "normal" marinas (i.e. not St Katz) and the facilities are way better quality... e.g. 2 weeks ago at a site in Suffolk it was £56 for 2 nights (inc electicity). The last time I visited Shotley/Burnham/ Levington/ Ipswich Haven they were around £32 per night and that was 2 years ago
 
Southwold is a Harbour of refuge, so for a cheap stay, pretend you were heading for Lowestoft (god knows why :)) and you found your engine wouldn't start, or you ran out of tea bags or anything serious like that, then you can seek refuge at Southwold for repairs (or tea bags (tell Pete it was Yorkshire tea bags))
and your stay will be for free.

This will probably be a one time only offer.
 
Bru said:
Are you sure? I thought that proposal had been kicked into touch and a Harbour Management Committee was being set up?
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The proposed management committee is still not agreed, but Sentinel are still the employers and have been for several years.
It's on their website with a list of the facilities they run around the area, including some in Norfolk

Edit
- It's not on their website anymore and neither is Beccles Town Quay, which was part of the same company - The harbour masters used to cover each of the areas as and when required, so perhaps they aren't running it.
I certainly couldn't say when this happened and I know the consultation on the proposal has closed in June, but not heard any thing more from that.
 
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That's what puzzled me, that it's not on their list of facilities

I believe there's a further consultation, or recently has been, about some further minutiae, on the HMC
 
We booked ahead and stayed Monday and Tuesday night this week. Harbour staff were very helpful and we had a great stay even though Southwold was in more of a lock down mode than other places we have visited.
 
How locked down?
Is it still worthwhile visiting?

We tied up at Halfpenny pier and called in at the Alma. You have to wear a mask to go the toilet! But you can take it off when sitting. How does that work... apart from making life unpleasant and not worth going back until they come up with a more pleasant way of doing things.
 
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