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Public Meeting of Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners
Wednesday 2nd November 2011 at 7pm in the Colne Yacht Club
AGENDA
To receive questions from the public on matters arising from the Annual Report for the period 1.10.10 - 30.9.11.
The election of Officers and the adoption of the Annual Report to the Commissioners are items on the agenda of the AGM on 5th October 2011.
Following the adoption of the Report it will be published on the website with copies available from the Harbour Office on request.
This arrangement will allow stakeholders to have access to the Report prior to the public meeting. It is hoped that this format will create a more interesting meeting for stakeholders.
The submission of questions in advance would be appreciated.
Annual Report of Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners 30-9-11
This has been another interesting and productive year for the Commissioners with the completion of several important projects begun previously. Winter 2010/2011 was busy with the dredging of both North and South channels and the construction and installation of the new fuel berth. The weather has again been disappointing this summer and combined with the recession has created a downturn in general activity in the Harbour.
Wind Farm Activity
With the construction phase of the Gunfleet Sands Wind Farm (GSW) complete, our attention turned to providing facilities to enable the two service vessels to operate satisfactorily at the start of a contract which is expected to run for about 40 years. The provision of the fuel berth at the Pioneer Trust Yard is the main provision and this has been well received by the wind farm vessels and other diesel users. We believe it is a very positive addition to the Harbour. Water is also available at the fuel berth and a modern sewage pump out facility, replacing our current one on the pontoons will be added during the coming winter.
To provide 24 hour access for GSW, BHC has dredged a channel 15 metres wide, to a depth of 0.75 metre below chart datum from the Town Jetty to Harker’s Yard. The spoil from this dredge has been pumped ashore onto Cindery Island to compensate for loss of habitat due to the disused oyster pits and their associated rills. This replenishment will help to increase the area of saltmarsh and sustain the Island as a protection for the moorings in South Channel from strong easterly winds.
In conjunction with dredging North Channel, BHC took the opportunity to extend the dredging project to include the area immediately around the three main pontoons in South Channel and the hammerhead of the town jetty. This dredge has removed some shallower areas which limited access to the pontoons. The spoil was again pumped ashore on Cindery Island for environmental and mooring benefit as previously mentioned.
It had been hoped that some activity would be generated in the Harbour from the construction of the London Array Windfarm but to date this has not materialised.
Wharf
Activity on the Wharf has been less than hoped for this year but with the approaching autumn and winter there will again be demand in Sweden for the wood chip to fuel their power stations and we expect to see similar activity to last year for this period. Export of baled plastic waste to Sweden has also begun, it is used for the same purpose as the wood chip.
Waterside Marina
Brightlingsea, like most creeks on the East Coast, faces ongoing problems with siltation and this has been particularly noticeable in the Waterside Marina. BHC has now developed an effective but small scale method of silt removal and it is anticipated that the depth of water in the Marina berths can be increased if not in the surrounding basins. The level of the mud in the main basin of the marina will however be maintained at the same level as the sill so that there is no restriction to the access or egress to and from the Marina. Some progress has been made but results have been disappointing due to the marina being well filled and a shortage of available staff.
An assessment of the level and structure of fees has confirmed our view that they are compatible with similar facilities in the area and appropriate to the level of service currently provided.
Financial Year 2010-2011
For the period to 31.3.11 the turnover of £555,000 shows a substantial decrease on the previous year’s “windfall” figures, however, our general trading account showed a healthy surplus of £80,000. This excellent outcome was achieved partly as a result of the continued income stream related to the wind farm vessels using the Harbour during the final stages of the construction phase of the Gunfleet Sands Windfarm and this element should be seen as exceptional.
The deficit after taxation of £69,645 reflects the difference between the windfall due to the windfarm construction traffic and the one off cost of approximately £150,000 for the dredging, the balance of which was paid from our reserves.
Visitor and ferry passenger numbers have remained similar to last year’s lower than previous levels. Expenditure overall has been lower than the previous year and where it has been higher it has been due to unusual circumstances. The accounts to 31.3.11 can be inspected in the Harbour Office by appointment.
This financial year BHC has committed capital funds to the following major projects:-
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The provision of a fuelling facility which will provide both a service to wind farm vessels and boat users generally and an additional income stream in future years.
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A major dredge of the Creek around the pontoons in South Channel to improve the level of service to boat owners.
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The completion of the refurbishment of the Wreck House as an improvement to our maintenance and storage facilities.
Interreg IVA Transcoast Project
This project which runs until June 2013 has continued to provide 50% match funding for special projects this year including our schools activity week. The BHC projects to be supported also include a strategic study, tenders for which have been invited, recycling waste facilities, the Foot Ferry and safety improvements around the harbour.
Resident’s Moorings
There continues to be a waiting list for pontoon moorings. More emergency access ladders are being placed on the pontoons as part of the safety improvements under the Transcoast Project. A licence is currently being sought from the Marine Management Organisation for a further pontoon to accommodate our heritage vessels and it is expected that this will be available by the start of next season. Following the dredging project to improve access to the south channel pontoons BHC has begun scarifying the dredged area to maintain the depths achieved.
Visitors
Visitor numbers have stabilised following the downward trend noticeable last year and numbers remain similar. This appears to be a global trend although factors such as poor weather locally have also contributed. Certainly it is not down to any reduction in the friendly and efficient service offered by staff, which again is recognised and appreciated according to the many comments and letters which have been received.
Water Taxi
Ian Hunter has operated the water taxi this season using the ‘Colne Ranger’ which is now owned by BHC. The operating schedule has been the same as previous years. BHC staff continue to provide the service during normal working hours when the private service is not operating and have also supported the service due to the illness of other providers.
Ferry
This service remains very popular with approximately equal numbers to East Mersea and St Osyth Stone. New, more powerful engines have made a significant difference to its performance and a continuing future for the Ferry is assured. The EU Transcoast funding will be used to develop additional services which are currently at the planning stage.
Boat Park/Hard/Jetty
The Hard continues to be well used for launching and the maintenance posts have had increased use.
The dredging of the Creek around the hammerhead has significantly improved its access and made it a better facility for charter vessels and for the RNLI as a safe landing point for rescued crews and vessels. The jetty remains as popular as ever for ‘crabbing’.
In the boat park, a weed control maintenance contract is in place and quotes have been sought for tarmac repair. A scheme to remark boat spaces is proposed for next April. The waste and recycling facility will be developed using part of the previously mentioned Transcoast grant.
Navigation Aids
The buoys and lights have been maintained by staff during the year at a standard up to or above that required by Trinity House. The annual inspection of ground tackle has been undertaken in the last month by Messrs F Hall and Sons with no major defects found.
Pilotage
The team of Pilots, ably led by Capt Richard Graham, has been somewhat under occupied during the summer due to the seasonal nature of the wharf trade but higher levels of activity during the rest of the year prevented problems in maintaining the Pilots’ level of expertise and familiarity with the local waters.
River Patrol
Due to cuts in local government expenditure neither Colchester BC or Tendring DC were able to support the provision of a regular River Patrol this year but an occasional service was provided by BHC in the Harbour and its approaches as a service to our stakeholders with any problems occurring in the River Colne being passed on to the relevant local authority for further action. Whilst the recession and weather have contributed to a less active season, the crews on ‘Dracula’ and the RIB have achieved an excellent result in their efforts to educate boat users in the safe and considerate use of our waters and when necessary enforce the byelaws.
Advisory Bodies
Both the Leisure and Community and the Commercial Advisory Groups have met twice during the year to be advised of developments in the Harbour and offer their views and comment on BHC activity.
Website
The BHC website continues to be improved with more news and links being added. The services and facilities provided by BHC are shown and relevant application forms are available to download. Commendations have been received concerning the quality of the website.
Sail Training Events
This event was once again held in association with Bradwell Outdoors and the Pioneer Sailing Trust, with sponsorship from the Commissioners and the EU Transcoast Project. For a period of two weeks during the summer pupils from five of the local junior schools and Colne Community School have been given a variety of challenging and educational experiences in boats on the River Colne Estuary. The enthusiasm of the participants was outstanding and made the whole event very rewarding.
Staff
As in past years the commitment of all members of staff has remained high and with it the level of appreciation expressed by both residents and visitors alike. Particular mention must be made of Ian Cole/Richie Jacobs/Chris Scott and Gary Humm as permanent members of staff and of Neil Baldry/Tony Bragg/Pauline Coupland/Owen Evans/Peter Fisher/ /Peter Harry/Glen Bacon/Nigel Taylor and Tony Williams in their various roles in the Harbour. Illness cover is a difficult problem in a small organisation but staff have risen to the occasion when needed this year.
In the office the computer systems have been upgraded to better meet the needs of efficient administration and Caroline Shotton and Owen Evans have provided excellent administative support and “front of house” presence. The Commissioners’ thanks are given to all staff for their commitment and work during the year.
One of the most important changes to occur this year has been the appointment of Robin Cole who joined BHC in March as the new Harbour Master after a very successful selection process. Robin brings considerable experience in a variety of roles in the marine sector and a new and valued perspective on harbour issues. He has settled into the role very well and has made many friends since his arrival. I plan to continue for at least a further year as Chief Executive.
The membership of the board of commissioners has remained unchanged during 2010/11 and the commissioners have met formally on 9 occasions with only 4 apologies for absence recorded against a possible 69 attendances, an excellent record indicating the great commitment of our non executive commissioners in particular. As ever I am indebted to Roger Robertson, chairman of the Commissioners who has maintained his active involvement in harbour matters this year and has made major contributions to strategic issues. I also wish to thank the other commissioners, Richard Giles, Barry Turner, Robin Page, Graham Adams and Jim Addison who have all attended the monthly meetings regularly and given freely of their time, expertise and advice and also attended the Harbour Office for numerous informal meetings and briefings playing their part in another successful year for BHC.
Bernie Hetherington
Chief Executive
30 September 2011
Appointment of new Harbour Master
We would like to welcome Robin Cole as our new Harbour Master.
Robin is no stranger to the East Coast or the sailing fraternity having been around boats for most of his life. Robin started sailing as a young boy with his family as most of us do in small dinghies then moved on to crewing an East Anglian One Design for several years. Robin pursued his love of the sea and joined the merchant navy, becoming a navigating officer on cargo ships trading world-wide.
Coming ashore in 1981, Robin’s passion for all things nautical continued, becoming Technical Manager at J.D. Potter Ltd – the Admiralty Chart agents in London. The company was taken over by Kelvin Hughes in 1987 and provided an opportunity for Robin to move into marine electronics.
The bright lights of London dimmed and Robin made the move to Fox’s Marine Electronics in 1992 to take on the role of Electronics Manager but after years of working for other people he decided to take the brave step and start his own company, Precision Navigation Ltd. However with the hit of the recession two years ago Robin left PN to his business partner and has been a Watch Officer at Thames Coastguard for the past 18 months.
Robin has sailed the East Coast since those early days and now spends most weekends cruising the area with his wife, Teresa, in their Trapper 400, Aura of Stour. They have two grown up daughters. Apart from his Merchant Navy and Coastguard qualifications, Robin holds RYA Yachtmaster Power and Sail certificates and an International Certificate of Competence.
Change of Role – Bernie Hetherington
Bernie Hetherington, our Harbour Master for the last 11 years, has been acting as Chief Executive as well as Harbour Master for the last twelve months.
With the appointment of Robin Cole as Harbour Master from 1st March, Bernie is to continue as Chief Executive in the same part time capacity as his predecessor John Partridge. The role is one of leading the development of the strategic plan for the harbour and ensuring its future in conjunction with the Harbour Master and the Chairman of the Harbour Board
Dredging
Between December and February BHC has undertaken a programme of dredging in the Harbour in order to improve waterborne access to important areas of the Harbour and to improve the environmental habitat on Cindery Island.
The overall plan was to remove accumulated silt from some areas, marginally deepen others and level the bed of the Creek in areas of regular boat movements where harder shallower ridges were affecting movement at low water.
The material removed has been pumped ashore onto Cindery Island to fill the Oyster Pits and associated Rills to a level where colonisation of the mud by plants will create more saltmarsh habitat and reduce the rate of erosion of the Island. Cindery Island is important for birds and wildlife in its own right, but is also important for boat owners because it protects the moorings from high wave action in strong north easterly winds.
In order to obtain permission to dredge an Environmental Impact Assessment was carried out, an Archaeological Study of Cindery Island was undertaken and samples were taken from the bed of the Creek for analysis. Once the outcomes of these were known and approved by the relevant bodies, a licence was granted and work could begin.
The first phase of the dredge created a narrow channel in the middle of North Channel with a maintained depth of 0.7m below chart datum, past the Wharf to the Pioneer Sailing Trust land next to the slip in Morgan Marine’s boatyard. This channel will provide access for leisure vessels and the Wind Farm catamarans to the new fuel berth operated by BHC. The cost of this dredge was shared between Dong Energy and BHC.
The second phase of the dredge was the creation of a deeper channel into the Smack Dock to improve access to the Dock, the cost of which was shared between Colne Smack Preservation Society and BHC.
The third phase was the deepening of the area immediately surrounding the hammerhead on the Town Jetty to create a berthing area with a depth of 0.5m inside the hammerhead and 0.7m on the outer edge at chart datum.
The fourth phase dredge was the bed levelling around the pontoons in South Channel.
Several relatively hard, high points in the bed of the channel on the north side of the Cindery Pontoon and between the pontoons limited access to the berths. These high spots have been removed giving a minimum depth of 0.7m below chart datum around the pontoons. The south side of the St Osyth pontoon has also been dredged to remove the higher, harder areas at either end and clear the accumulated silt between them. The accumulated silt in the turning circle at the eastern end of the pontoons has also been removed to the same depth.
The challenge for the future will be to maintain the depths in these channels but regular plough dredging is expected to be effective in removing light unconsolidated silt. The dredging is expected to be finished by the end of February 2011.
Fuel Barge
BHC is pleased to announce that the long awaited fuel barge is now operational for the supply of diesel fuel/gas oil. The Barge is located adjacent to the slip in Morgan Marine’s boatyard and our aim is to provide competitively priced diesel fuel to commercial and pleasure vessels. A percentage of the price paid for fuel will be passed to the Pioneer Sailing Trust to help support their work in providing marine educational experiences and vocational training to young people.
The berth alongside the fuel barge is for Wind Farm vessels only. The hammerhead attached to the barge is only for berthing non Wind Farm vessels whilst fuelling; there is no public access to the shore from the hammerhead. Diesel fuel can only be supplied to vessels arriving by water as there is no public access to the facility from the shore.
Fuel supplies to vessels other than Wind Farm vessels will be by prior arrangement during the normal core working hours of the Harbour which are 0800 – 1600. Requests for supply can be made by phone on 01206 302200 or VHF channel 68. Water for boat’s domestic tanks is available on the fuel berth by request, but washing down vessels is not permitted.
For all enquiries concerning the fuel barge please call the Harbour Office on 01206 302200.
Mineral Development Document
In recent years Essex County Council have been developing a strategy for future mineral extraction. Several proposed sites and their infrastructure would have impacted on boating activity in Brightlingsea Harbour and the River Colne.
The preferred approach has now been published and consultations have begun the current situation is as follows:-
- The quarry in Thorrington alongside the B1029 into Brightlingsea is no longer a preferred option
- The proposed transhipment jetty in the River Colne below Alresford Creek which was associated with the above quarry is therefore no longer required.
- The quarries at Fingringhoe are to be extended and therefore sand barge traffic should continue on the river for the forseeable future.
- An existing quarry at Alresford is to be extended but this should not impact on Brightlingsea or the river
Ships
The Wharf at Brightlingsea has been busy in recent months with cargos of waste wood continuing to leave bound for Sodertalje in Sweden.
| DATE | VESSEL | LENGTH (m) | IMO NUMBER |
| 6th January 2011 | MV NORA | 79.99 |
9243851 |
| 7th January 2011 | MV LADY NOLA | 79.99 |
9243863 |
| 20th January 2011 | MV SYDGARD | 89.25 |
9196204 |
| 25th January 2011 | MV CROWN BREEZE | 87.80 |
9195652 |
| 4th February 2011 | MV OSTGARD | 89.25 |
9196216 |
| 10th February 2011 | MV LADY NONA | 79.99 |
9243875 |
| 17th February 2011 | MV NORDGARD | 89.25 |
9148180 |
Triscini's Wine and Coffee Bar
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.
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.
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
