Views of those who visited Alderney in the last 2 seasons?

[Poignard]

, ......dinghy parking ......need improving.

Dinghy parking there, and everywhere else, would be greatly improved if selfish *****s could be persuaded to secure their dinghies to the pontoon using LONG painters.

Apologies for thread drift - short dinghy painters are a pet hate

 

[Channel Ribs]

Dislikes
- The MESS - when is it ever going to end. It feels like its been going on for ages!!

That is an easy one to answer, I am very pleased indeed to say that the work is 99% complete and that all will be tidy and clean well before the start of the 2010 season.

You can have a look at the finishing off work being done here:

http://www.alderneyquay.info/

I agree with a previous post that it is a shame for the old granite quay to have been "sheathed" in nasty concrete, but needs must when the entire community depends on this single point for all commodities!

 

[shmoo]

Have done a stop over a couple of times on the way to western Brittany. We plan to actually go there as a destination, i.e. spend a couple of days and walk around maybe in 2010. Reason: because it's an island; we just like them.

 

[snooks]

Staff on the mainbrace are as good as gold, as is their chandlery (offered to give me some acetone to finish a job). It's a nice quiet place to take in the scenery or walk up to the town, the rock formations on the way up to the swinge are incredible and look prehistoric. That's the good bit, now for the bad

Not enough room to swing a cat (or a 32ft monohul if you're on buoy no.14 and and the empty buoy 6ft away gets taken up by a optimistic French boat which swings around at slack tide bumping into you at 3am)

Some of the buoys are too close together, last time I was there (July 09) I saw the davits of a Ovni resting on the pushpit of the boat behind. The time before (June 09) I mention above

What size boats are the moorings supposed to be for? May be space them out a bit more?

Would it really be that hard to put pick ups on them? at £15 odd a night it might be nice not to have to kiss the wet deck to get a line through. Yes I know about mooring aids, and about ropes with chain in the middle, and I use a rope with hope pipe to reduce chafe, but if you want to improve Bray harbour...make it easier, not everyone is aware of how quickly the buoys can chafe through a rope and I've seen boats close to ram each other while they were trying to thread that rope through the buoy...it all comes back to the spacing of the buoys

Oh and the swell, it can just roll all night sometimes

It's a nice place to walk around, but they really need to sort out the moorings...and if the facilities (toilets/showers) were better maybe more people would use them, as they are the toilets are like every other seaside toilets.

It's a handy jumping off point back to the UK, or somewhere to sail to when you want to go from Cherbourg to the channel islands and it's blowing old boots from the southwest.

It's also good for learning tidal gates and navigation. And is a beautiful place to visit.

 

[anniebray]

A transit stop for me too, on the way back every time ! This year I was there early August so the buoys were pretty full & a club member turned up so I felt duty bound to offer him a berth alongside. What a worrying night that was! His boat was I think a Colvic about 35' & 9t & me a Sadler 290 about 6t all up. He appeared to roll a good deal more than me but we took care & no damage done.
I find Alderney to be a place I enjoy & intend some time to explore more. Enjoyed the railway trip, also the Fish & Chipper. Wasn't impressed with the parking facilities for tenders.

 

[Networks]

We went over to Alderney on reading a thread on this site. We stayed in Braye a couple of days, the first we walked up to the top of town then back down along the coast. The second we hired bikes and rode around the island (highly recommended) and had a very relaxing couple of days. Mind you it helped that the weather was good.

We came back early as a front was coming in!

 

[longjohnsilver]

I love Alderney. The pace of life, the people, the community feel, the Divers and the First & Last. I second the appeal not to turn it into a marina though.

I love the place, have always found everyone very friendly. But the moorings are too closely spaced.

 

[Pete7]

Dinghy parking there, and everywhere else, would be greatly improved if selfish *****s could be persuaded to secure their dinghies to the pontoon using LONG painters.

Apologies for thread drift - short dinghy painters are a pet hate

As Parsifal says, please sort out the dinghy parking, even if it means giving locals their own pontoon over the other side, shouldn't be too expensive to sort.

Swell also a problem, solution probably not cheap but worth raising.


Pete

 

[properjob]

Visited Alderney in 2008 and 2009, one visit as part of a channel island tour that I now do every 3 or 4 years and the other en-route to Brittany. I have been sailing to Alderney regularly since 1985 and over that time have explored nearly all of the island, mainly on bicycles in the earlier years. I find the few changes and improvements that have taken place since then to be generally beneficial for the visiting sailor.

As others have said don’t even think of making Bray Harbour into a marina, most of its attraction is because it is like it is. The problem of dinghies being moored to the pontoon with short painters is sadly not only a problem at Braye, I see it in most places where a dinghy is the method of going ashore. I don’t recall it being so much of a problem 20 years ago. A longer dinghy pontoon would be a great improvement.

Another suggestion would be to allow craft to dry out on the beach as was the case in years gone by, not everybody that dries out is going to scrub off antifouling onto the beach. Last year I had to wait till I got to Herm harbour to dry out and remove a sheet of PVC from my propshaft.

 

[PaulR]

been many times and great times - when children younger enjoyed the beach - have enjoyed the strolls -have enjoyed exploring - have slept ashore in north easter and we will always remember that trip as night one of the NE got a b+b, thought weather going to be better for night 2 but oh dear - wind picked up from NE again so back ashore - b+b's all gone so resigned to sleeping on club house floor complete with babe in arms (3 months old and his first summer cruise) Roland of mainbrayce driving watertaxi as soon as he realised our intention insisted on driving us to his home and putting us up - Mrs R insisted on babysitting so we could have evening out - what lovely people - for us Alderney always special- thankyou

 

[fantasia7628]

I love Alderney for its unspoilt charm, great pubs, history and scenery. Haven't been for 20 years, but usually got over busy moorings by anchoring and landing at the east end of Braye beach or even on one occasion drying out on the wall of the inner harbour. Perhaps this is no longer possible, but please do not spoil it by introducing too many comforts or a marina.

 

[KREW2]

We were stuck there for 5 days in 2008, it's as good as anywhere to get pissed just costs a bit more if you use the water taxi.

 

[Gwylan]

Well we got there 'cause of a calculating error leaving Jersey and missing the tide window! Otherwise the next stop was scheduled for Vlissingen.
Seemed a nice place whilst we waited for the tide.

 

[doris]

Good and bad

I can remember parking a Sigma 41 on the mooring with no problems about swinging room. Despite the HM telling me that the anchor blocks don’t move I now have a problem with a 39 footer.

Attitude of a significant number of hostelries is appalling. On the plus side others are terrific.

Is it necessary to build an entire wall for a bit more protection? Just some form of wave breaker would suffice wouldn’t it? It would not be for all conditions, just enough to take the edge off marginal swell.

Love the island, bike tours round and about are always an essential adventure.

 

[rickp]

Are you only interested in the opinion of sailors, or do motorboaters count as well?

 

[Channel Ribs]

Are you only interested in the opinion of sailors, or do motorboaters count as well?

Motorboaters are most certainly welcome

 

[kingfisher]

We were there this summer.
Reason for visiting
Visiting an island with your own boat is what it is all about, so we had the Channel Islands as destination for our summer holiday.

Due to too many westerlies, a planned one week stay tour of the CIs was changed to an enjoyable 2 day stay on Alderney.
Crew:me, SWMBO and son nr1/2

We arrived in the afternoon from Cherbourg. SWMBO's first ever pick up of a buoy went fine. We inflated our second hand tender for the first time (except for a trial in the garden) and puttered off to the landing. SWMBO thought it was full, I showed her that you just move others aside and bob's your uncle. Huge win of credits. We went for dinner in the hotel where movie goers go for the intermission pint. Great food.

PROBLEMS OCCURED:
-no signs at the harbour to show you the way to town. Tired, hungry crew need several signs that says "town centre" My wife actually made me ask some people the way. The shame. Repeat "Town centre" signs every 20 meters, pls

- we come from France, we need non-euro money. There is a pub close to the port, but you need to go to town to get money. Again a long walk.

Next day we sailed round the island and anchored off a beach on the south side, as an ENE wind was expected. We BBQed on the beach (probably illegal). Son loved every minute of our pirate existence. The next morning we again walked up the hill to Braye, had a nice pub lunch, bought food, walked down,to our relief found tender still on the beach, with engine. Puttered back, deflated tender, stowed tender, raised anchor and sailed back to Cherbourg.

The marina
- helpfull staff
- great place: DO NOT MAKE IT A MARINA,pls. There is a reason why we chose Alderney as our only destination: sandy beach for the kid and a port with moorings for 'real' sailors.
- The showers were full of sand, as the construction workers were using them as well, despite a sign on the door forbdding them. I understand , I'm not a fan of rent-a-loo either.

 

[TiggerToo]

Motorboaters are most certainly welcome

I haven't been there but i am longing to go. As others have said: work on making it an attractive place WITHOUT a marina. If you really want to improve the harbour, how about some sort of effective breakwater system?

If what others have said is true, get the local hostelries to improve their customer relations.

I look forward to the experience soon!

 

[Boathook]

Visited this June.

Good - not a marina, slower life, shops supply basics, locals friendly.

Bad (or not so good) - harbour shelter, dinghy pontoon, showers (could be cleaner, etc), building works (hopefully gone next year), mooring fees.

Will I go back - yes, hopefully next year.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Part of the seamanship and pilotage challenge of sailing the Channel Islands tidal streams without using your motor.