News...  

La Collette Progress Report

The La Collette Marina refurbishment project is progressing according to plan, with completion scheduled for 6th April 2012. Click here to see the latest progress report with photos & plans.

25/1/12

January Committee Minutes

The draft minutes of the first meeting of 2012, including information on marine pollution regulations, can be read by clicking here.

23/1/12

Saint-Cast Plaisance Newsletter

The latest information from Saint-Cast marina is published in their January Newsletter here.

16/1/12

Escort Vessels Needed

This year's round the Island swimming relay between able-bodied & injured forces personnel was cancelled, due to bad weather. However a bigger event is being planned for September 2012. Organiser, Charlie Gravett is seeking volunteers to escort the swimmers - for further information & contact details, click here. 

10/12/11

Support for Martin Colligan

Martin will be known to many members as Fox Marine's engineer and driver of their racing powerboat. Sadly, he is seriously ill and his friends have launched a fund-raising campaign to support him and his family in this difficult time. For further information on his situation and how to contribute click here. There will be a retiring collection for Martin at the Association's AGM on Tuesday 6th December.

30/11/11

Harbours & Airport Integration

Group CEO Doug Bannister has issued a progress report, including a list of senior appointments made so far in the combined structure. Click here to read the .pdf.

25/11/11

Annual General Meeting

The Association's 21st AGM will be held at St Helier Yacht Club on Tuesday 6th December at 7.30pm. Doug Bannister, the new Chief Executive of Harbours & Airport will be joining us and Myra Shacklady, now Commercial Director of both Harbours & Airport, will also be attending to answer members' questions.

18/11/11

November Committee Minutes

The Draft minutes of the November meeting, including updates from recent meetings of the Marina Depelopment Group & the Marine Leisure Growth Group, are now available here.

18/11/11

October Committee Minutes

The draft minutes of the October meeting, including arrangements for the Annual General Meeting, can be read here. 

9/10/11

Invitation from Gorey Boat Owners

Members of the Association have been invited to join the Gorey owners at their Laying-Up Supper on Saturday 22nd October at the new Liberty's Restaurant in Liberty Wharf. For further details. including the menu and an application form, click here.

7/10/11

Good News on Bio-Diesel

Following an article in this year's Newsletter (available on the 'Downloads' page), we lobbied the suppliers of marine fuel with the aim of ensuring that red diesel supplied locally is 'fit for purpose', i.e. does not include potentially damaging amounts of bio content. The situation is complicated by the variety of companies involved in the importation, storage & supply of fuel and the prohibitive cost of bringing in specific marine grade diesel separately.

Steve Huelin arranged a meeting to address the issues in July, attended by our chairman & vice chairman and senior executives of Rubis, including their senior scientific officer from Paris, the result of which was that Rubis agreed to arrange for a formal statement to be issued. La Collette Terminal Ltd have now provided the following statement, which, for clarity, means that diesel with an effectively de minimis bio content will be supplied unless we are advised  and consulted beforehand:

"The fuel farm at La Collette, is owned jointly by La Collette Terminal Limited (LCT) (60%) and Esso UK (Esso) (40%), “the shareholders”. LCT are responsible for managing and operating this facility on behalf of the two shareholders. LCT, in its capacity as Terminal Operator, is responsible for the safe importation and storage of all petroleum products. The storage facility and importation infrastructure necessitates that a single grade of ULSD is imported for Road and Marine use. Fuel is imported by two companies; Fuel Supplies (CI) Limited (FSCI) and Esso UK Limited.

EN590 is the overarching specification used in importing this product.

The ULSD imported into Jersey meets the specification EN590 with a FAME value (Bio Content) of less than 0.3%. In addition and in order to comply with marine specifications, the imported ULSD meets a minimum flash point of 60 degrees C.

It should be noted that the specification EN590 allows for a FAME (Bio) content of up to 7%. However the two importing companies, undertake not to import ULSD with a FAME (Bio) content higher than 0.3%.

La Collette Terminal Ltd. will consult with the appropriate bodies and give prior notification should this situation change."

We are advised that the FAME content of less than 0.3% and the minimum flash point of 60 degrees Centigrade are important standards to maintain for marine diesel engines.

Our thanks go to Steve Huelin for facilitating this resolution of the issue, to Chris Parlett of Total Jersey for his input,  to Chris Gladish, who sourced a raft of technical info & reviews and to Rubis & the other companies for their action in recognising and addressing the concerns of the boating community.

16/9/11

Gold Anchor Questionnaire

Jonathan Rubber, Harbours Deputy Commercial Director, has made the following request for marina berth-holding members of the Association to complete a questionnaire:-

"The Yacht Harbour Association are preparing for their audit of Jersey Marinas on 3rd October. As you are aware, we currently enjoy five gold anchors status, which we are hoping to achieve once again. As part of the assessment process, the association have asked if some marina berth holders could complete a short anonymous questionnaire. I would be very grateful if you could place the questionnaire on your website for completion and return to the Marina Leisure Centre by 30th September."

Please click here to download the questionnaire.

9/9/11

September Committee Minutes

Draft minutes of the first meeting after the so-called 'summer' break can be read here. Issues discussed included the parking problem at Elizabeth, the latest on diesel supplies & prices and allegations of queue jumping the marina berth waiting lists.

8/9/11

Elizabeth Parking Update

Myra Shacklady informs us that she has today reached agreement with the States of Jersey Development Company (successor to WEB) that the current parking arrangements will continue unchanged at least until 1st May 2012. In the meantime, discussions on renewal of the lease will continue with SoJDC and Treasury.

23/8/11

Elizabeth Marina Parking Problem

Owners were shocked to find on Friday morning that 20 of the spaces reserved for boat owners had been painted out and, unsurprisingly, the remaining allocated area was full. This appears to have been an error either by WEB, or their contractors and following intervention by the Association Chairman, Mike Stevens, Myra Shacklady took immediate action & reported back that WEB would have the 20 spaces repainted in the afternoon.  

The background to this issue is that Harbours only have control of the marina itself, the surrounding waterfront land being controlled by WEB, so in campaigning for adequate parking for a '5 Gold Anchor award winning marina' we have been faced with two States bodies with different priorities. Harbours' lease on the parking spaces is due to expire at the end of this year and they are in negotiations to have it extended. Your committee will be taking a close interest in developments.

21/8/11

Port of Jersey - New Weather Page

Harbours have expanded the weather and tidal information on their Port of Jersey website. Check it out here, or via the weather section of our Links page. 

11/8/11

La Collette Pontoon Replacement

    Some 50 La Collette berth holders attended a presentation on 26 July at St Helier Yacht Club outlining details of the proposed replacement of the marina's pontoons, which is scheduled to start in November. For the benefit of those who were unable to be there, details are available on the Port of Jersey website here.

4/8/11

South Pier Ground Works - 'Time to move back in'

Jersey Harbours and it's contractors have now finished all the ground works at South Pier, you should have had a letter in the post from Harbours showing where your mooring will be located. You should try to lay your mooring chains ASAP, as any boats that were moved in to La Collette or another marina, must be back on their drying berth by the end of July 2011, failing to do this will end in you being charged marina fees. Please feel free to contact us with any comments.

La Collette Marina 'Upgrade' public meeting

South Pier Ground Works - 5th Update

Harbours have posted another update on their website, which can be read via this link.

22/6/11

Road works on Commercial Buildings

TTS have advised us that as of June 28th 2011 work will commence on re-surfacing works from the steam clock to La Collette. Please find the details of the work HERE. All businesses will be open as normal during all works.

South Pier Ground Works - 4th Update

Harbours have posted the latest update on their website and it can be read via this link.

6/6/11

May Committee Meeting Minutes

The last meeting of the spring session was held this week and the draft minutes are published here.

Before the formal meeting, the Committee spent a happy hour & a half folding & enveloping this year's Newsletter, Penny Hatter, our stalwart Treasurer, having applied the address labels & stamps in advance. We hope you find it a useful read - do let us have your feedback, brickbats or plaudits,  via the 'Contact Us' page.

28/5/11

South Pier Ground Works - 3rd Update

Latest information received from Harbours this afternoon: "The new pontoon design was signed off today and delivery date is mid June so all going well the all the boats should be back on their moorings by the end of June. I know this is a little bit overdue but the original mooring overhaul became a revamp of the whole layout and will be worth the wait in the end."

And Myra had passed us this technical report from Ande, regarding the dinghy pontoon, which hopefully will reduce the expected barrage of comments:-

"Whilst we are awaiting the arrival/installation of the remaining RSJs, we have re-positioned two of the dinghy pontoon swan neck brackets, to allow us to move the new South Pier working berth pontoon into position - this is essential, in order to allow us to prepare the remainder of the dinghy pontoon, ready for re-positioning onto the western arm, prior to the scaffold and fixing of the remainder of the RSJs.

These swan neck fittings are only being installed temporarily, and will be replaced with the RSJs, as planned, once the RSJs have arrived.

Mich and I believe we will be faced with a barrage of comments from boat owners, seeing this temporary installation and believing it is the finished job, will no doubt offer numerous remarks on the subject.

We are also anticipating further remarks when we remove these fittings to install the RSJs, as no doubt the boat owners will believe their opinions proved correct and suggest we made the error and had to rectify it.

As we all know, this is not the case, and the works are very much under control however I thought it might be prudent to keep you up to speed with this one as no doubt you will be the first point of contact for some of our concerned boat owning folk."

18/5/11

April Committee Meeting Minutes

Last month's draft Committee minutes are now available here. Unfortunately, due to matters beyond our control, the safety event & buffet, due to be held in May to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the forrmation of the Association, have had to be postponed.

3/5/11

Further Update - South Pier Ground Works

Mike Stevens clarified the following at a meeting with Harbours on Thursday:-

- There will be a fairway between the dinghy pontoon on the arm and the moorings, the mooring buoys are to be adjusted to accommodate this.

- The contractors will be having a break till 3rd May.

- Mooring space on the wall by the steps to work on a boat will be bookable in future.

- A 0.9m wide pontoon with fingers for the front row has been ordered, with 4-5 weeks delivery.

- Letters will be sent to all owners in mid May, allocating their space and advising on chain lengths. A further 2 weeks free use of their marina berth will be permitted whilst they fit their chains.

24/4/11 

Owners' Parking During Boat Show

As usual, the St Helier marina car parking area will be closed for the Boat Show from Thursday 28th April to Tuesday 3rd May. Alternative arrangements are set out in this notice from Harbours.

South Pier Ground Works Update

Harbours have issued a progress report on phase 1, which can be read by clicking here.

20/4/11

Blessing of the Boats

Harbours invite everyone to a service of blessing, which will be held during the Boat Show, outside the Maritime Museum at 10.00am on Sunday 1st May, following an inspection of a Guard of Honour. Click here for further information.

31/3/11

Vandalism at St Helier Marina

There has been a weekend of vandalism at St Helier Marina. Following up on information from a member, the Chairman contacted Harbours and they have advised as follows:

"We had a number of issues this weekend including groups of youths verbally abusing boat owners, youths exposing themselves, youths causing damage to the sailors rest cafe, damage to the STHM visitors facilities, a fire was started in the skate board park itself, life buoys thrown into the marina. All of the incidents are reported internally and the individual reports are collated and sent to Jeremy House at The States of Jersey Police (Crime Reduction Officer) who, I understand, will communicate with his beat officers to coordinate the amount, and, appropriate times for police patrols. We try to capture CCTV footage when possible.
The weather is improving now which in turn attracts more skateboarders and 'hangers on' to the area, we also have the May bank holidays, Easter and of course the summer holidays on their way along with concerns of increased anti social behaviour. We have informed the assistant minister of the facts."

This is very disturbing, particularly to those on the receiving end. Once again our objections to building the skate board facility beside the marina (dismissed as 'speculation' by the Planning Officer) have been borne out. Fortunately, it seems they did not get onto the pontoons on this occasion and everyone is advised to be on the look out and to take care not to let youths through the security gate.

29/3/11

March Committee Meeting

This month's draft Committee minutes are now available here. The minutes include a report on a meeting with the Agricultural Tractor Review Group, from which it is clear that there are legal anomalies in the use of tractors to tow boats. The DVS have issued an information leaflet on the subject, which can be read here.

Your Committee would like to know if any members may be affected by the current problems and any potential changes to the law. If you tow by agricultural tractor to launch or recover a vessel via any crane or slipway in St Helier, please use the 'contact us' page to let us know.

26/3/11

Dog Rules Relaxed for Elizabeth Marina

In response to several requests, Harbours are to allow dogs to be taken on board boats in Elizabeth marina. This will be for a trial period until the end of September and they must be carried, or transported in a dog carrier. Click here to read  the announcement from Harbours.

25/3/11

Work on South Pier Moorings – advance notice

The first meeting of the Working Party to plan the re-organising of moorings has taken place, with representatives from Harbours, the Association & St Helier Yacht Club. It is expected that the actual work will commence in early April and finished by the month end. Owners will need move their boats to spaces to be allocated in a marina and also remove their chains, so that the contractors can have access to the area. The area concerned is bounded by South Pier on the south & west and on the east by the fairway to the blocks.
As soon as the plans have been finalised, owners will be sent full information by Harbours.

16/3/11

Update 18/3/11: Harbours letter to owners is being mailed today and can be read here.

Do You Use The Pipettes Beacon?

Jersey Coastguard are seeking information about if & how this beacon is used. The request from Deputy Harbour Master, Capt. Peter Moore reads: "As part of our commitment to improved aids to navigation we would invite comments from your members on the usefulness of the Pipettes beacon. Does anyone use it as a lead, mark or reference point when navigating in that area. Some comments and feedback would be useful."
Please use the Poll on the Home Page to vote and if you wish to make specific comments, do use the Contact Us page and we will forward them to Jersey Coastguard.

9/3/11

February Committee Meeting

Draft minutes of the meeting, including a report on discussions with Myra Shacklady, are now published here.

5/3/11

Holding Pontoons

Unfortunately, due to abuse by a minority of owners, Harbours have removed the low cost 3 day facility for use of the holding pontoons on 4/5 berths and La Collette yacht basin in their 2011 tariffs. However, following a meeting this week we are pleased to announce that Myra Shacklady has agreed to some practical improvements to the holding arrangements:-
The free period for local boats is being increased from 12 hours to 24 hours, which will avoid the safety risk of moving a boat during the hours of darkness. There must be 18 hours of absence before a new free 24 hours commences and any stay beyond 24 hours will incur the daily rate for the size of boat.
Secondly, boats holding in La Collette are to be segregated, with those <8m on the inside and larger boats using the outside of the pontoon. Notices to this effect will be installed in due course.
As we all know, the holding areas can become very congested and members are encouraged to use them considerately by rafting when possible, rather than taking up space on the woodwork and not remaining for unnecessarily long periods.

11/2/11

January Committee Meeting

The first meeting of the year was held on 27th January. The Chairman reported on a meeting with the Economic Development Minister, at which  subjects had included Harbours' payments in lieu of fuel duty, funding of 'heritage' repairs and the draft Island Plan. Practical alternatives to the new fee structure for use of the holding pontoons were discussed & are to be put forward to Harbours.

Click here to read the draft minutes.

5/2/11

Draft Minutes of 2010 AGM

The AGM was held on 7th December 2010. A proposition to oppose any annual increase to mooring charges by a level over 10% for the drying harbour was defeated and, after the formal business, Myra Shacklady was quizzed on a number of topics. To read the draft minutes click here.

A short Committee meeting was held before the AGM. Click here to read the minutes.

29/1/11

Boat Registration

Members may have been concerned by the article on page 2 of the JEP 7th January, which gave the impression that there is a new requirement to register all boats of 8 feet & above by 31st January. In fact annual registration only applies to boats from 8 feet to 30 feet, with a design speed or capablility in excess of 12 knots, i.e. those with a JY number. Boats 8 - 30 feet that do 12 knots or less & all those over 30 feet only need to be registered upon acquisition and again upon change of ownership.

Full details of the requirements are on the Port of Jersey website here.

8/1/11

Full 2011 Tariff List

Harbours have published a full schedule of marine leisure charges for next year on the Port of Jersey website. Click here for a direct link. The 2010 list remains on the 'Links' page, so you can compare the changes.

22/12/10

Chairman on BBC Radio Jersey

Mike Stevens was interviewed on Hometime 10/12/10 and talked about the mooring fee increases for 2011 and a working group to improve moorings in the old harbours. Whilst it remains on the BBC iPlayer, you can access the interview via this link, then use the slider to go forward to 1:06.25.

11/12/10

South Pier Marine to End Members' Discount

Regrettably, due to tighter pricing from their suppliers, South Pier Marine have announced that the 10% discount they offer to members will cease from 31st December 2010. Click here to read their letter.

The Hon. Secretary has written to thank the directors for their past generosity and to express the hope that they may be able to re-introduce a scheme in the future, once conditions have improved.

In the meantime there's still time to stock up with those Christmas presents!

8/12/10

Island Plan Review - Inspectors Reject our Submission

Back in February the Committee submitted a paper arguing for more recognition of the marine leisure industry in the draft Island Plan. We also raised objection to a statement in the Plan that marina development in the Marine Zone would be forbidden. Senator Cohen, the P & E Minister was not pursuaded to make any change.

We put our case again to the Inspectors during the Examination in Public in September and received a sympathetic hearing and strong support from the Harbour Master and others present at the debate. Unfortunately however, the Inspectors have concluded that no changes to the Plan are warranted.

This effectively means that any marina development over the next ten years will be limited to the regeneration zones within the existing area of St Helier harbours - inevitably focussing attention once again on the old harbours.

Click here to access the Inspectors' Report and read their considerations & conclusion on pages 26-28 (paragraphs 4.13-4.24) and page 44 (paragraph 7.25).

The Plan is expected to be brought to the States for debate next spring, so there remains the option of making a case to politicians for an amendment.

3/12/10

Notice of AGM

The Association's Annual General Meeting will take place at St Helier Yacht Club on Tuesday 7th December, starting at 7.30pm. and followed by a buffet. All members and prospective members will be welcome and Harbour's Commercial Director, Myra Shacklady will be present to answer member's questions.

Click here to see the final agenda, which includes a proposition from Chris Fairbairn.

30/11/10

Missing Trailer - Found

We are pleased to hear that the trailer, which disappeared from South Pier early October, has turned up at St Catherines & has been re-united with its owner.

30/11/10

November Committee Meeting

The fee increases for 2011 were the main topic for discussion this month. Click here to read the draft minutes and here to see a list of the fees signed off by Senator Alan Maclean, the Minister of Economic Development.

25/11/10

October Committee Meeting

Click here to read the draft minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 21st October.

26/10/10

Winter Contracts to be Limited

Myra Shacklady has advised that winter contracts this year will only be available until the end of January 2011. It may be possible to extend thereafter on a monthly basis, but there is no guarantee. The reason for this is the planned work to replace the old pontoons in La Collette marina, which will require the temporary move of boats one pontoon at a time. Owners with winter contracts and those with boats in La Collette will be advised once Harbours & TTS have finalised details of the work schedule.

7/10/10

Missing Trailer

Paul Le Neveu advises that a 15' boat trailer has recently gone missing from South Pier & would appreciate any information. Click here for a description and here for the drawing.

5/10/10

Meetings Galore!

  The Association was invited to two meetings held at the same time on 22nd September. Mike Stevens attended the 'defunct' Marine Leisure Growth Group and learned, inter alia, about a further stay of fuel tax and disturbing news on the financing of essential works at St Aubin & Gorey. Click here to see his notes.

Following our submission on the Draft Island Plan (posted on this page, below the April Committee Report), Peter Donne Davis participated in an Examination in Public debate to argue against a prohibition of any marina development in the sea. Click here to read his report.  

30/9/10

September Committee Minutes

   Click here to read the minutes of the first meeting after the summer break, which include information on Harbours' latest ideas to create some additional marina berths.

28/9/10

Elizabeth Marina Temporary Disruption  

Please read the following file explaining the works that will be carried out in Elizabeth Marina for the next 12 weeks which will affect electricity in the marina, please read this for more information.                                                       

Elizabeth Marina Tide Gauge

After awaiting spare parts for some time, we are pleased to advise that T.T.S. have repaired the electronic tide gauge and it is now operational again.

May Committee Meeting Report

Matters Arising

Guernsey Boat-Owners – MS said a 2010 committee had appeared on their website, but his emails to the secretary had bounced & he would try to phone him.

St Helier facilities notice board – MS said it now contained current adverts.

SOLAS V Guidance – PDD reported work pressure meant that the lawyer was not in a position to respond yet.

Chairman's Report

Boat Show – MS said by all accounts it had been a success. He had been invited to the VIP area for the beating of the retreat & to a lunch with the naval officers & had sent a letter of thanks & congratulations. In response to RT he said it was too early to learn it it was a commercial success for Harbours.
Elizabeth mooring buoys – had not been checked yet & the tug was away for a six week refit. PR said he, for example, could not use them earlier that one hour before opening, putting more pressure on 4&5 berths.
Cartaret dry-stacking – He read a letter from Cartaret Yacht Club campaigning against a plan to site stacking adjacent to the club, with noise for the visitors pontoon & loss of parking.
Berths for Boat Show sales – responding to an issue raised by PR, MS & PDD said that Myra had previously confirmed that no purchaser jumped the queue, but traders were allowed to permit use of their own moorings until the owner reached the top of the waiting list & NW said this was his experience. However PR said he had been told by a trader that Harbours would actually allocate him an additional 'traders berth' & his wife intended to raise this with Myra.
MS said evidence of this alleged practice was needed before we could complain.
St Helier marina incident – a member had sent him a copy of his complaint to Sen. Maclean of abuse from a number of youngsters whilst working on a boat on the drying pad. MS said Harbours staff had been helpful, the police had been given CCTV footage & he understood that Sen. Maclean was discussing temporary closure of the skate-board park.
Elizabeth Depth Gauge – MS asked if KH, in his new job with TTS, could find out what was happening & NW highlighted the danger when moving craft for the first hoist lift.

Treasurer's Report

PH reported that membership had increased to 604 with only two subs awaited.
She said Magellan Flags had been unable to quote due to factory problems & she tabled quotes from House of Flags. These were 50 for £466.31 (£9.33 each) or 80 for £595.91 (£7.45 each). MS suggested purchasing 80, giving a lower unit cost & keeping the sale price at £10 & this was agreed.
Following her research for the newsletter, she had been sent a supply of St Cast marina booklets, which she handed out.

Newsletter / Website

PH explained the difficulty she & PR had had getting detail of Jersey Post's new size & price bands. The upshot would be an extra £72, a 50% increase, for the A4 size. She had therefore labelled B5 envelopes, although these could be retained for the AGM mailshot, if it was decided to send the newsletters unfolded. It was agreed that the extra expenditure was not warranted & PH thanked PR for his assistance. (PR left the meeting at 1820)
PDD tabled a mock-up of the newsletter in A5 format as an alternative, but felt it was only practical if stapled. It was agreed to proceed with the folded A4.
PDD then referred to the problems in publishing the new website and said that unless they could be resolved shortly, he reluctantly recommended deferring the launch to coincide with the AGM mailshot. NW said he had spent considerable time trying to make the necessary html code adjustments & had researched web forums from which it was clear that there were fundamental difficulties in uploading the database & he felt the only solution was for him to set up a clean Joomla site for PDD to replicate his localhost site manually and this was agreed. (NW left the meeting at 1830)
PDD said in anticipation of this outcome, he had edited the newsletter, replacing reference to the launch of the new site with other copy & MA agreed to proof read the changes.
PDD confirmed that Len Stevens had kindly agreed to produce the photocopies & he would arrange a mailshot session when they were ready.

AOB

Pink ticketing – KH said there was some confusion about the operation of the system & the time allowed on La Collette holding berth particularly on both sides of neap tides. MS said he would obtain clarification & also establish how long users have to pay at the office, before being sent a bill & admin charge.
Elizabeth marina - MA reported that, since the electricity points had been replaced, berth numbers had not been reinstated.
Boats on Sth Pier – RT said that he had been billed for last winter & Myra had responded to his query within 24 hours, cancelling the charge. MS confirmed that the charges had been re-instated, but only applied to drying moorings.
Sth Pier parking – MS said that the new layout would be painted once the remaining boats were removed & parking over the lines would be policed.
Harbours new website – PDD had circulated some comments about the inadequate weather information & SOLAS content. MA said the tide tables had no indication whether the times were GMT or BST and it was agreed that PDD submit the suggestions for improvement.Pink ticketing – KH said there was some confusion about the operation of the system & the time allowed on La Collette holding berth particularly on both sides of neap tides. MS said he would obtain clarification & also establish how long users have to pay at the office, before being sent a bill & admin charge.
Elizabeth marina - MA reported that, since the electricity points had been replaced, berth numbers had not been reinstated.
Boats on Sth Pier – RT said that he had been billed for last winter & Myra had responded to his query within 24 hours, cancelling the charge. MS confirmed that the charges had been re-instated, but only applied to drying moorings.
Sth Pier parking – MS said that the new layout would be painted once the remaining boats were removed & parking over the lines would be policed.
Harbours new website – PDD had circulated some comments about the inadequate weather information & SOLAS content. MA said the tide tables had no indication whether the times were GMT or BST and it was agreed that PDD submit the suggestions for improvement.

Next meeting - will be arranged in September, unless urgent matters arise during the season.

April Committee Meeting Report

New Member - MS welcomed Peter Rose and said he was delighted that he had agreed to join the Committee

Matters Arising

Minister's letter - PDD had send a reminder & a copy of our letter, but a response was still awaited.

Guernsey Boat-Owners – MS had not been able to make contact & intended to try another source.

Jersey Rowing Club – MS said they had approached him for advice, having been notified of a sharp increase in rental for their yard & he had suggested they speak to Myra.

Boat Show – MS understood that Sara had now been given organising responsibility.

Chairman's Report

MS said he had written to Myra with the matters raised at the last meeting and he & PDD had met with her to discuss them:-

Elizabeth disabled toilets – were now functioning again, but were the subject of an on-going dispute with the developer.

Holding buoys – she had been advised that they had not moved, but would have them looked at with a view to the possibility of repositioning and additions.

Albert Pier Racers – Planning had agreed that Harbours were exempt from the requirement to obtain consent for a barrier, however, due to the high cost, other solutions such as traffic calming were being considered.

Management of holding pontoons – no guarantee at present, as she cannot recruit seasonal temps en-bloc, but now has to justify each addition to head count, due to States economy drive.

La Collette holding – pink ticketing is being re-introduced and the +/- 8m idea is to be considered.

St Helier parking abuse – will be monitored & '3 strikes & you're out' policy applied.

Non-residents on waiting lists – funding for Elizabeth was agreed on the basis that 18% of berths would be for non-residents, bringing benefit to the economy, so Harbours pay 82% of the amortisation, which has two years to run.

Use of blocks – Myra has agreed to charge per metre from next year. NW felt that the blocks should be free for boats on old harbours moorings, but MS said this was not warranted by their low fees.

Drying pads – recognising the problems with the other marinas, Myra confirmed that owners could book the town marina pad.

Elizabeth Depth Gauge – advised that TTS were awaiting parts.

Inshore Safety Regulations – MS had pressed his suggestion of insurance discs as evidence of cover. PR said they could be similar to the stick-on surf board licences. Myra has passed some preparatory paperwork to PDD, which he said raised some potential problems.

Rowing club – have been given temporary use of one of the La Folie sheds to help them tidy their area & the adjacent area is also to be cleared.

PH said when phoning Harbours about her account, she always got an answer-phone & her messages never received a reply. MS agreed to raise this. PDD said messages he had left on the marina office number, 447730, advising that he was returning, had always been acted upon.

Treasurer's Report

PH reported that she was pursuing leads on further flag suppliers and expected to be able to put a proposal at the next meeting.

She said she paid out the donations to RNLI & CIAS, agreed at the AGM & had received letters of thanks. Bank balances after these payments totalled £8,116.50.

She was pleased to announce that a personal ambition had been achieved, as membership had reached 600.

Newsletter Progress

PDD reported that over the last few days he had received several articles & now had almost enough content to fill 6 pages. He would be filling the remaining space with 'Snippets'.

AOB

New website – PDD reported that the data had been transferred from his to NW's computer & NW said that the next stage of uploading to the host was proving more complex than expected. He was making progress, but still needed to write some code.

Marina works – PDD said he & MS had met with Ian Lamy & Ray Hines, who advised that funding was available in Harbours' budget for the necessary replacement of La Collette pontoons & some St Helier marina piles. They were therefore working on ideas for the practical coordination of the replacement work to give flexibility to fit into any future development plans, avoid duplicate works and create some more berths to reduce the waiting lists.

Security breach – NW said that some 30 youngsters had got into the St H marina on 1^st April with bikes & skateboards. MS said that there had been no reports of vandalism, but they had been abusive to marina staff and it was a concern that the police had taken an hour & twenty minutes to respond.

Next meeting - 13^th May 2010.

Barraques Renovation

It's good to see renovation work being carried out on the historic barraques on South Pier, which had fallen into a sorry state of disrepair.

 

Following lobbying by the Committee last year, Myra Shacklady took up the cause and funds were allocated in Harbours' 2010 budget. We understand that the work will be carried out in stages as & when T.T.S. can allocate staff.  You can read about the history of the barraques in Nick Wood's article in the 2009 Newsletter on the 'Downloads' page.

March Committee Meeting Report

Matters Arising

Minister's letter - MS said no reply had been received and asked PDD to send a reminder.
New website – PDD said he had progressed in resolving some issues, but the Joomla v.1.6 upgrade was running late. However a satisfactory conversion from 1.5x was promised and he proposed to launch in the current version.
Committee vacancies – Prospective new member, Peter Rose, attended the meeting.

Chairman's Report

South Pier - MS said that a cable supporting the dinghy pontoon had been replaced, involving 3 days work & a crane.

Fees - He reported on a meeting with Myra on 11th March at which she had produced a printed schedule of all Harbours fees for 2010. Marina fees had been increased by the agreed 4%, however the square metre calculation for drying moorings had been replaced by LOA with one rate per metre up to 9m and a higher rate above 9m. MS had questioned this and persuaded her to cancel the higher rate. She had also agreed a lower flat rate for smaller boats using the blocks and he had since suggested a simpler rate per metre charge.

She is also re-introducing the lapsed charge for winter standing on the quays. There remained issues on holding in La Collette on vacant fingers and with staff interpreting the fees incorrectly. PR & MA referred to problems with the timing constraints when holding on 4/5 berths. PH asked if there was a charge for use of the drying pad in St H marina, MS said it was free for marina berth holders & that should apply to those in the other marinas as the pad in La Collette was for fishermen & that in Elizabeth was subject to dangerous surges. He suggested everyone study the schedule and email any aspects of concern to PDD for collation & he would then refer them to Myra.

Inshore Safety Regulations – Myra expected the regulations to be brought into force in June or July, including a new one-off boat registration structure and 3rd party insurance requirements. She had agreed to consider his suggestion of insurance discs as evidence of cover. PDD said he had asked her for a copy of the draft regulations in time to summarise them in the Newsletter.

Treasurer's Report

She had circulated what appeared to be a copy of a letter sent to Harbours in December by a member, critical of declining service standards in Elizabeth marina. PR said he had seen boats going out on the plane & ignoring the traffic lights. MS said he would respond to Mr Pyman.
18 subscriptions remained outstanding & she was pursuing them.
She said she had obtained quotes from two other flag suppliers of £22.50 & £44.50 per flag. PR & PDD agreed to obtain details of alternative suppliers.
Finally, she said she would be paying out the donations agreed at the AGM before the month end.

SOLAS V Guidance

Gus Lewis, the RYA lawyer had expressed serious doubts as to whether Jersey Coastguard's Guidance Notes provide adequate protection from unwanted consequences from the regulations. Further local advice is being sought.

Island Plan Consultation

PDD had circulated a draft submission, critical of the lack recognition, support and protection of Marine Leisure & its associated industries afforded in the Plan. It was agreed that the paper should be submitted on behalf of the Association, with copies to the Minister, Asst. Minister & Harbourmaster.
Newsletter Content.
PDD said he was looking ideas for external contributors, to add some variety to the basic news content. Several ideas were put forward and will be followed up.

AOB

PR raised a list of matters:

He asked about meetings with the Marine Traders body, suggesting a means of giving them feedback on issues arising from pontoon chat. NW said that a number of small businesses were not members of the federation.

He said he felt it wrong that Harbours marketed berths to non-residents when locals were on the waiting list and allowed purchasers at the boat show effectively to jump the queue and he had written to Myra. NW said that the traders did get worthwhile extra business from non-resident owners.

He asked about the proposed barrier by Maritime House, to stop the noise of boy racers on Albert quay disrupting crew holding overnight. MS said the first application had been refused by Planning, but he understood it was being resubmitted.

Finally, he reported that the Elizabeth electronic tide gauge was out of order and some holding buoys had moved, or been removed. MS said he would add these matters to his list.

KH asked about CCTV & MS said the new system was in place & connected to the Coastguard & police station and additional cameras were on order.

He also referred to the idea of segregating boats holding in La Collette by size & asked about holding on the South Pier fuel barge. NW believed the barge would be reopened shortly & MS added the 8m reminder to his list.

NW suggested another Safety Evening, perhaps at a hotel or school with a pool. MS said use of a hotel would have to be out of season and he would make enquiries with a view to arranging an event in the winter

Next meeting - 15th April 2010.

Island Plan Review

The Review document, which runs to over 500 pages, classifies the areas East of the Albert pier, including La Collette, as Regeneration Zones, but has very little to say about St Helier's harbours from the perspective of marine leisure.  The Committee is concerned at the development potential of waterside land being given preference over the provision of infrastructure necessary to support boating.

At its meeting this week, the Committee agreed to make a submission to Planning, objecting to the lack of recognition, support and protection that the Plan affords to Marine Leisure and its' associated industries and encourages members to make their own comments on the Plan before the consutation period ends on 31st March.

Click here to read the Committee's submission.

Click here to make your own comments to Planning.

Boat Jumble 27th March

St Aubins Boat Owners Association is organising a sale at St Aubins parish Hall to raise funds for a defibrillator. For further information, visit their website via our 'Links' page.

February Committee Meeting Report

Matters Arising

SOLAS V: - The need for the recently issued Further Guidance Notes had been highlighted by Gus Lewis, the RYA lawyer at the Coastguard seminar last June. It was therefore proposed that his advice be sought as to whether they provided adequate protection from unwanted consequences from the regulations.

Boat park security – clarification is to be sought as to the time & responsibility for closure of the gate.

Committee vacancies – candidates are being sought.

Chairman's Report

Following the vote against flooding the old harbours & the joint survey of members, the Chairman & yacht club Commodore had held two meetings with the Harbourmaster and agreed the need to maintain a good working relationship on other matters, notwithstanding the differences on this issue. Subsequently, the Economic Development Minister had suspended all Harbours' development plans and, with his agreement, MS had publicised this decision.

Treasurer's Report

As the stock of house flags is running out & the existing supplier's prices have risen sharply PH is seeking another source.

32 of the 43 new members since the end of October are based in the old harbours.

Minister's letter suspending Harbour's plans

Consideration was given to the Minister's proposed new marina development group & its relationship with the East of Albert Project Board. It was agreed that a formal response should include a number of questions and concern at the loss of the Marine Leisure Growth Group, which had a wider remit and also at the delay in reducing the waiting list by creating extra finger berths in St Helier marina, with a consequential loss of income to Harbours. Click here to read the letter.

New Website & Image

Plans were outlined for an improved website, including a 'members only' section, which it is hoped will be launched in May and a new letterhead was agreed to provide a consistent image.

AOB

St Aubins BOA will be running a boat jumble at the parish hall on 27^th March. Phone Jan Chapman on 07797 765 735 to book a stall, or to donate items to their stall, which is raising funds for a defibrillator.

Next meeting - 18^th March 2010.

Further Guidance on SOLAS V

At their seminar on the new Regulations last June, Jersey Coastguard explained their intended pragmatic approach to policing leisure vessels. On the advice of the RYA's Legal Manager, they also agreed to produce further guidance relating to some difficult aspects of Regulation 19 (Carriage of Equipment), which we were concerned could, inter alia, allow insurers to avoid settling a claim.

We are pleased to report that Jersey Coastguard have at last issued formal further Guidance Notes. They are posted on our 'Legal' page, together with an explanatory note from Capt. Peter Moore.

All Harbours' Development Plans Suspended!

Economic Development Minister, Senator Alan Maclean, has suspended all work on plans for the reconfiguration of St Helier Marina, 4 & 5 berths and the Old Harbours.

The Marine Leisure Growth Group is to be replaced by a Marina Development Task and Finish Group for which he will appoint an independent Chair, who will also join the East of Albert Project Board. Please click here to read the Minister's letter to the Association Chairman.

The Committee will be meeting next week to consider this development. 

Old Harbours on the Radio

Following a meeting with the Harbourmaster, Mike Stevens was interviewed yesterday by Chris Raynor on BBC Radio Jersey 'Hometime'. Click here to hear what he had to say.

PDD 30/1/10 

January Committee Meeting Report

Summary of matters discussed at the meeting on 21st January.

Matters Arising & Chairman's Report:

SOLAS V: PDD had reminded Peter Moore about the further guidance notes & on 20th November, he had agreed that they would be produced in a few days. MS suggested another chaser.

Old harbours concept plans: As required by the proposition carried at the reconvened AGM, PDD had drafted a letter to the authorities and it was approved & signed by MS. (Click here to read the text.). There was disappointment at the JEP article, quoting the Harbourmaster downplaying the vote as a small proportion of the so-called 5,000 registered boats & it was agreed that MS should respond.

Elizabeth parking – MS had received a complaint from a member whose car had been blocked in a drop off space by a dog walker's car

Treasurer's Report:

Membership had increased to 601, representing 420 boats, however 55 subscriptions remained outstanding & were to be chased.

Members Survey:

MS, PDD & the St Helier Yacht Club Commodore are to discuss the results with the Harbourmaster & Commercial Director next week.

Any Other Business:

Committee vacancies – Two candidates were suggested and it was agreed that they would be followed up.

Next Meeting: 18th February.

Our vote hits the headlines

Mike Stevens and Myra Shacklady appeared on tonights Channel Report. Click here to watch the video.

PDD 19/1/10

Overwhelming vote to retain drying harbours

St Helier Yacht Club was packed last night as the AGM reconvened to consider the proposition against any loss of the drying harbours in St Helier.

Using a flip chart, proposer Chris Fairbairn summarised Harbours' concepts for ponding the area and highlighted a number of failings in their ideas, which he emphasised would be detrimental to users. After many members had spoken in support, the Chairman asked if anyone wished to speak against the proposition and this was met with silence. He then called for members of the Association to vote and the proposition was resoundingly carried by 114 in favour and 2 against.

PDD 19/1/10

Members Survey Results

191 members of the Association and the two yacht clubs completed the survey on Harbours' marine leisure development concept plans. For a summary of the results, click here.