Moorings

[maximumbob]

Dear Tim,
      Further to our discussion yesterday, I have decided to post the following on the club forum on the web site in order to hopefully attract comment from other club members who may have opinions on the matter.
      Over the past few years I have sailed on Speedwell on a number of occasions, and have been impressed by the amount interest and admiration this hundred- year old classic yacht attracts where ever it goes. I am also aware of the huge amount of money that Suzie has spent to keep Speedwell on the water and enable her to become an active participant in club events and an ambassador for Sussex Yacht Club.
      It was therefore very sad that rather than being proud and protective of Speedwell, the club has now chosen to use it as a large fender between the jetty and an enormous motor boat, now tied along side her on the slip. This must surely risk damage to both vessels. Indeed I feel sure that damage was only avoided yesterday thanks to the skill and dedication of our boatswains.
      I cannot help but wonder how the large motorboat came to be in a club, which is supposed to be using its space to promote sailing activities, in the first place. I am also aware that there was a previous incident with this vessel when it was holed and sank on its mooring, which could also have ended in an expensive debacle for the club if it had not been for the expertise and commitment shown by Bob Page and his team who worked through twenty-four hours to rescue the situation. The motorboat is now blocking the use of the slip for small boats and dinghies to the detriment of sailing at the club, and blocking the use of the piles by other club members.
      I appreciate that it was felt necessary to move the motorboat from its position on the west slip trolley, to fulfil the clubs obligation to another member who has a long term booking for this facility. Surely it could be argued that meeting this members needs should have been the responsibility of the motorboat's insurers as there was no where else sensible to put the damaged vessel at the club.
      Also there is precious little yard space to winterise the active sailing members, how can we justify taking on more and more of these big project vessels, to the detriment if the aims of the club, which surely prioritise the yachts that take part in the club activities.
            Yours sincerely
                  
                  Angela Bower

[Chris West]

Hi Angela,

As a yacht club our membership, mooring and lay up rates are very competitive especially compared to commercial enterprises on the south coast. As a member of the management committee we work very hard to find ways to generate extra income without coming back to the membership. To this end we try to 'sell' our facilities to those who need them outside of the time when the majority of the members would need them.

A club member wanted to have his vessel (the MTB) lifted and renovated as her hull planks had been replaced but the restorer had used steel screws and these needed replacement, or so I understand. The project was scheduled early in the summer and should have been finished late in the autumn, freeing up the boat park space for the members.

The MTB was to have been craned out but this proved to be far too exspensive. The next idea was to float her onto a lorry trailer that had been converted. Whilst this waited for conversion the MTB was moved to a newly created mooring (river bed shaping and levelling paid by the owner). The boat was moved with the owner's knowledge and agreement. Unfortunately the hull was not as sound as was supposed and she failed to rise on the second tide as the prop shafts had been pushed up through the hull. (She had been sitting on the mud proir to this but it must have been softer). A great deal of effort by club members and staff managed to get her to the West Slip in the middle of the night.

The prop shafts and brackets were removed and a temporay patch affixed to the hull. She was moved alongside Speedwell as a tempoary measure, (with the owners permission), as the West Slip had been booked by another club member for his craft.

As of today (23rd) a purpose built MTB trailer has been found and will be brought to the club this week for the MTB to be removed to the boat park for attention ASAP.

Unfortunately, in the effort to keep membership etc costs down we have just got to see this project through now...........It's important to remember that the club has many sections and facets and we all have to mix together and sometimes it needs a bit of compromise for the good of the club.