Harbours should focus on what boat owners really need
LISTENING to the radio, I heard one of the Harbour Authority's directors talking of surveys and how to make visiting Guernsey a better experience for visitors. At first I wanted to laugh as obviously one of the ways to make visitors have a better experience is to get them here by boat in a comfortable, timely fashion. Unfortunately this seems, at present, to be beyond the capability of Condor. The director from the harbours seemed to be intimating that we need better facilities, better toilet facilities, possibly duty free, better cafe facilities. All these things are in the 'nice to have' category. They are not necessities. The fact of the matter, in my opinion, is that harbours have been badly managed for the past few years, island boaters would like affordable rates so that they can moor their boats with water and electricity supplied.
The annual mooring charges have steadily increased and are threatened to double or triple in the near future. Islanders are getting rid of their boats and it is rumoured that there are 150 or so vacant mooring places in the marinas. The water hoses were removed in the marinas for 'health and safety' reasons – anyone who can walk up or down the ramp to the marina at low tide would be able to step over a hose.
Harbours has been responsible for the disruption of Town all last year and are starting again this year. Hopefully the new-look States of Guernsey will be able to control their spending and stop them from more mistakes which cost Guernsey people their way of life and hobbies. Turn back the clock and reconfigure the harbour so we get our parking back as it was, sort out their own structures without spending money and instead of creating new surveys, ask the boat owners what they would like and what would make sense in a boating world.
ROSIE HENDERSON,
Ma Carriere,
Le Petit Bouet,
St Peter Port,
GY1 2AN.
Editor's footnote: Sarah McGreevy, harbour director, responds: Thank you for the opportunity to address these points.
One point of correction. The radio interview your correspondent refers to was with our commercial manager, not director. Her role covers both Guernsey Harbours and Guernsey Airport and is to work with businesses in identifying and managing commercial opportunities at the ports.
The survey in question was carried out to identify where improvements could be made to improve the experience one gets when travelling through St Peter Port Harbour. It is all about listening to our customers and, in that respect, the findings reflect the views of more than 500 port users.
Some were of a similar mind to your correspondent and felt most improvements would fall into the 'nice to have' category. However, the majority said they wanted better facilities when they travel. Now that we know what port users say they need and want, we can look to work with the private sector to hopefully address some of the gaps in provision.
The sort of enhancements identified need not involve major cost to satisfy the needs of the majority of customers. They also provide opportunities for local businesses and potentially additional income for the harbours, which will help fund investment in the substantial assets that make up the harbours, marinas, estate and public realm areas.
Just to answer some of the other comments – both water and electricity are supplied in all Guernsey Harbours marinas, and the suggestion mooring fees have steadily increased is a little misleading. For several years now our charges have only gone up in line with inflation, therefore speculating about fees doubling – let alone trebling – is not particularly helpful.
The number of moorings that are currently vacant is around half the number your correspondent suggests. We actually have around 97% occupancy, with the majority of vacant moorings under seven metres, which we will allocate immediately rather than via the waiting list. Anyone thinking of purchasing a boat of this size we would welcome. However, what we do not have is enough larger berths, which is something we are looking to address so we can better match supply to demand.
Our desire is to encourage and facilitate boat owners' enjoyment of the water. To this end we have an ongoing dialogue with the local boat-owning community and are making improvements where we can. The Swan pontoon link-up is a good example. It has created a 'walkashore' facility that is accessible on all tides, which is something that is in short supply around the harbour. It has proved really popular with both visitors and local boat owners alike and goes to show major improvements can be made at relatively little cost. It is about making the most of our facilities to benefit our customers.
Changes around the Albert Pier to accommodate visiting cruise passengers were recently modified to take account feedback from various parties. That has resulted in improvements for this season, when we expect around 125,000 passengers to come ashore.
These visitors contributed more than £4m. to the local economy last year – which is a financial boost to the island as a whole, not to Guernsey Harbours.
St Peter Port was also named Best Port of Call by a major cruise industry website, which is something we should be proud of.
Next month, we will be one of just nine stop-offs on Disney Cruises' first ever voyage around the British Isles. This shows just how well established the island is, in an industry experiencing very significant growth.
