Latest News
Commissioner matters
Following John Partridge’s retirement as Chief Executive, Harbour Master Bernie Hetherington has taken responsibility for both roles with Ian Cole acting as temporary Deputy Harbour Master to assist with the admin needs.
Recruitment is currently taking place to find a new Harbour Master to take over from Bernie who will continue as part time Chief Executive once the appointment of the Harbour Master has been made. Anyone interested in applying can obtain an application pack from the Harbour Office.
New Appointments -
Following a selection and interview process Brightlingsea Harbour are pleased to welcome two new Commissioners. Graham Adams, a berth holder in the Harbour, was appointed for full term of 4 years following his co-option in October. Jim Addison was also appointed. As a former magistrate and Head of Braintree College, as well as a berth holder in the Harbour, we look forward to his input to the running of the Harbour.
Retirements -
Geoff Gritton deserves our thanks for the contribution he has made to the Harbour during his time as a commissioner.
Interreg IVA "2 Seas" Transcoast Project
Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners are pleased to be partners in the recently approved Interreg IVA Transcoast (Transformation of ports and harbours to strengthen the socio-economic potential of coastal areas) project. Funded through the 2 Seas programme European Regional Development Fund, the project brings together 12 partners in the UK, France, Belgium and Holland. The only other UK partners in the project are Pioneer Sailing Trust and Colchester Borough Council.
The project will provide funding for various projects around the Harbour involving safety, the Ferry, a Hydrological Study and provision of sailing activities for local primary schools.
BBC Coast programme
Brightlingsea and the river Colne are due to feature in the BBC Coast programme on Wednesday 1st September at 8pm.
Gadget Show
A feature on solar powered boat filmed at Brightlingsea for the Channel 5 Gadget Show was shown on Monday 23rd August at 8pm. The river Colne featured briefly as a testing ground.
Colne Maritime Oral History Project DVD
A double disc DVD entitled ‘Colne Maritime’ is now on sale. This includes a feature length documentary on the history of Brightlingsea and Rowhedge and includes accounts of life as work and leisure changed from the 1890’s to the 1990’s with the fortune of sail power. Other bonus features include a separate film about ‘punt gunning’, sea shanties and additional chapters on barge renovation, sail making and racing under sail.
The DVD costs £7.50 and is available from the Harbour Office, Brightlingsea Museum or Brian Percival on 01206 304870. All proceeds will go Brightlingsea Musuem.
Colne Smack Race
The Colne Smack & Barge Race is due to take place on Saturday 4th September. The race starts are, 9.30am for Smacks and 10.00 am for Barges both from the start line off Bateman’s Tower.
Pyefleet Week
Pyefleet Week is a week of dinghy sailing organised by Brightlingsea Sailing Club. The 2010 event was, despite the weather, a great success with over 100 dinghies competing and a week of lively evening entertainment for participants to ensure complete enjoyment and exhaustion for everyone by the last Saturday night.
STS Pogoria visits Brightlingsea
We were pleased to welcome the Tall Ship STS Pogoria to Brightlingsea for the weekend 13th – 15th August. She was only the second square rigged vessel to come into the river in the last 30 years and presented a fine picture and a reminder of times past. She was crewed by 43 trainees from Poland between the ages of 16 and 18. STS Pogoria was sailing from Hartlepool to Ijmuiden in The Netherlands after the 2010 Tall Ships Race and anchored in the River Colne off Brightlingsea for a short break. The skipper Adam Jasser last visited Brightlingsea in 1975 in a smaller Polish training ship at the invitation of the Ocean Youth Club which was based here at the time.
The crew were welcomed at Brightlingsea Sailing Club on Friday evening and joined in the evening festivities which are such a feature of Pyefleet Week. On Saturday the crew joined in International Camp activities at East Mersea Youth Camp before spending the afternoon visiting Colchester. On Saturday evening a formal reception for the Officers and a barbecue for the crew were organised with the Town Councillors, Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners and the Cinque Port Liberty, at the Coach House Coffee Shop.
On Sunday morning there was an opportunity to explore Brightlingsea and some of the crew attended church before Pogoria left for Amsterdam early on Sunday afternoon. The crew said they had had a great time and were overwhelmed by the reception they had received from the Harbour and the Town.
A&J Newsagents
A new convenience/food shop has recently opened at 48 Waterside adjacent to the Waterside Marina development. Selling groceries, fresh food and newspapers as well as greetings cards, postcards, crabbing lines and buckets they are open from 6.30am every day until 8pm Monday - Thursday, 8.30pm Friday and Saturday and 5pm Sunday. Visit their website for more information www.ajsnewsagents.co.uk
Gunfleet Wind Farm
The construction of the Gunfleet Sands Wind Farm is now complete and the forty eight turbines are now providing electricity to the National Grid. The operational base is in Tower Street, Brightlingsea and the two vessels required to service it are permanently based in the Harbour. Negotiations are currently in train to provide a shore facility for them which will include craneage and fuelling.
Waterside Marina
The marina is slowly filling up with resident vessels despite the economic downturn. The siltation issue is being addressed and the berths are being deepened by harbour staff on a regular basis as the tide permits.
Ships to the Wharf
Ships transporting wood waste to Sweden as fuel for their power stations have been running from Brightlingsea Wharf on a regular basis since October 2009. The latest ships to visit have been the Nordgard and the Westgard in July. The trade has decreased over the summer but is now expected to increase as winter approaches.
School Sailing Activities
For the seventh year running 10 days of sailing activities were provided to local primary school children between 21st June and 2nd July. Around 300 children from Brightlingsea, Alresford, Elmstead and Wivenhoe took part in activities which included sailing aboard ‘Pioneer’, trawling with a small fishing vessel and sailing 22’ day boats provided by Bradwell Outdoors, an Essex County Council facility. For many children this was the first time they had been out on the water and several of the staff commented that these days were the highlight of their visits calendar.
Two further days of activities are to be provided in October for Broome Grove school in Wivenhoe, all of which has been supported by funding received through the above mentioned Transcoast project.
Wreck House
The Cinque Port Wreck House, a grade 2 listed building originally used to store items of wreck, has been refurbished and will be used as a store by Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners. A plaque on the front wall of the building gives information on the buildings history.
Laundry facility in the Wreck House
In response to requests from our customers and as part of the ongoing improvements to facilities for boat owners in Brightlingsea Harbour, laundry facilities are now available in the Wreck House. At a cost of £3 for a wash and £2 for a dry, keys to the facility can be obtained from the Harbour Office during normal opening hours.
Water Taxi
With the summer season well under way, the Water Taxi service is now running a full service between the moorings and the shore. The service is available from 9am – 10pm Sun to Thurs and from 9am – 11pm Fri/Sat. The Water Taxi can be contacted on VHF 37/M1 or by phone on 07535 508537. For more information visit the Water Taxi page. The weekday service provided by BHC will operate from 8am to 7pm from Monday 6th September.
Retirement of John Partridge
John Partridge retired as Chief Executive on 31st March 2010. John has been a harbour commissioner for over twenty two years. For the last twelve years he has taken a lead role in its operation, firstly as Clerk to the Commissioners and since 2001 as Chief Executive. During this latter period he has overseen and been instrumental in the many improvements and necessary changes which have occurred in the Harbour. His immense intellect, determination and experience will be greatly missed and we wish him well in his retirement.
Mooring Holders' Matters (aka Mooring Holders Matter!)
The Commissioners and Staff all feel passionately that the Harbour is a special place. We all want to maintain its traditional atmosphere whilst keeping up with the best of modern practices and giving you good service and value for money.
The responsibility and need to comply with the many pieces of legislation which affect a Harbour Authority has become more time consuming and costly over the last ten years, but we have managed to meet these demands and provide improved facilities without significantly increasing your mooring fees and we still provide one of the best value harbours in the UK. The life blood of the Harbour is the activity on the water. Without it the Harbour would be lifeless. You, plus the visitors and the commercial vessels, generate that activity. We need to know from you how we can improve the infrastructure of the Harbour to increase the activity and improve your enjoyment without affecting the Harbour’s special ambience and nature. We can’t meet your wishes if we don’t know them. Please tell us what you would like to see us do!
Over the last few years the activity has increased and with ever increasing calls for safety management we need to address a few issues to make your experience better and our management more effective
Visitor Berthing
We rely very heavily on your cooperation to manage efficiently the pontoons used for visitor berthing. Visitors are important to us and the local town economy as they provide both with a good source of income and add to the “buzz” in the harbour, but we don’t want their presence to inconvenience your sailing pleasure.
Our policy for visitor berthing is :-
- Whenever possible visitors will be advised of and escorted to an appropriate berth designated by Harbour Staff.
- We will only put visitors alongside your vessel if it is not in use by you or someone authorised by you unless you give your permission.
- Normally only one vessel is berthed alongside a resident vessel and we request that shorelines are used and visitors take reasonable care about how their mooring lines are run and secured on your vessel.
- We will normally use empty berths for visitors before berthing them alongside resident vessels.
- Occasionally visitors come in unannounced or when staff are off duty and we have no control over this berthing.
If you are intending to use your vessel, particularly if you are arriving late in the afternoon and intend to leave your berth that afternoon or evening, we would appreciate being informed in advance so that we can manage the vessel movement with minimum inconvenience to both you and our visitors.
'BACK TONIGHT' notices are a vital tool in managing the use of our pontoons. If you are only going to be away from your berth for one night please hang your notice on a cleat in your berth before leaving. If you are away for more than one night it would be very helpful if you could write your intended return date on the reverse side of the 'BACK TONIGHT' notice and hang the notice on a cleat so that Harbour Staff can read the date of your return.
If possible we would appreciate a telephone call or message to the Harbour Office giving your intended return date and a further call if there are any changes to your plans. A call on VHF channel 68 as you approach the Harbour on your return or before departure from your berth would also assist in our management of vessel movements.
If you keep us informed of your movements we will use our best efforts to keep your berth clear for your return.
If we do not have your departure and arrival information it is impossible for us to ensure that neither you nor visitors are inconvenienced or delayed.
Please note
If you are berthed on any of the pontoons and you have not got a 'BACK TONIGHT' notice please let the Harbour Office or one of the Harbour Staff know and we will put one on your boat.
Congestion in the Channel between the Cindery and St Osyth Pontoons
Departure from and approach to the berths on the pontoons which lie in the channel between the Cindery and St Osyth pontoons can cause congestion and consequential damage, especially if it is used by through traffic.
To minimise this problem the channel should not normally be used by through traffic.
The channel should only be used by those vessels going to or leaving from the berths within it. The preferred channel for through traffic is the one between the Cindery pontoon and Cindery Island. If through vessels need to use the channel between the pontoons a call on VHF channel 68 to Harbour staff in advance would help to avoid potential problems.
For vessels using a berth in the channel a call on VHF channel 68 to Harbour Staff requesting permission to leave a berth or enter the channel would reduce the risk of problems arising.
Dogs on the Pontoons
Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times when on the pontoons and dog fouling must be cleared up immediately it occurs for the safety and comfort of everyone.
Dinghies and Tenders
Dinghies and tenders must be marked with the name of the vessel they are tending. They must be secured to the vessel or pontoon so as not to interfere with other vessels using the pontoon and to leave as much space as possible in their berth. They are only permitted to be left on the pontoon whilst their parent vessel is away from the berth or the owners or authorised users are on board the vessel on the berth.
Obstruction to the Pontoons
All berth holders and users are requested not to leave any of their property unattended on the pontoons and to keep the pontoons clear of all obstructions. This is a Health and Safety requirement.
Generators
The use of generators is permitted, but consideration to other pontoon users should be given at all times. Generators should not be left running or unattended on the pontoon. Use of generators is prohibited after 1800 hours except in an emergency.
Channel deepening and Saltmarsh replenishment
The Commissioners are aware that there has been a build up of silt in south channel around the moorings and we have applied for a licence to remove the accumulated silt and place it on Cindery Island to replenish the saltings on the island which have been lost by human activity and natural erosion. Cindery Island is important for several reasons. It is an important saltmarsh habitat, it provides breeding sites for birds and it protects your moorings from strong NE winds and their resultant unpleasant sea conditions.
Cindery Island is at risk for several reasons. It is a natural process for saltmarsh to revert back to mudflat over time and if sea level rise occurs as predicted this process will be accelerated. By using dredged material from the Creek to replenish the saltmarsh we will maintain the protection of the moorings, sustain the biodiversity of the area and maintain the depths in the Harbour for the foreseeable future.
The application for a licence to undertake this process is lengthy but we hope to complete it before the 2011 season. For the 2010 season we will perform some plough dredging around the pontoons to improve the current situation.
Harbour Dues
With your invoice, you will have received a sticker confirming your payment of Harbour Dues. Please display this on your vessel in a prominent position which can easily be seen by Harbour Staff. A clear plastic pocket has been enclosed should you wish to display it through a window.
Last but not least...
If you have managed to stay awake and read all the way to this point thank you for your stamina. We hope you have found the issues raised relevant. If we have missed any issues you feel strongly about please contact us. Your constructive comments are always very welcome. We wish you a great sailing season with fair winds and sunshine (that should put the mockers on it!) and look forward to meeting you in the Harbour.
