BOAT Pages
The links below contain information and other stuff particular to Yachts, Motor Boats or Dinghys. Click on the links to find out more:-
YACHTS information
NOTES FOR YACHT OWNERS
Wave Barrier
- recent meetings with management have recorded that the wave barrier maintenance is now complete.
- this is a continuing process which many believe has been neglected over a number of years.
- to facilitate future maintenance the marina, under encouragement from the Berth Holders Association are preparing additional sections to allow phased repair on an annual basis.
- During a rare period of flat calm weather there were occasions where boats would be seen to roll violently on their pontoons with the obvious risk of mast clash!
o It has been suggested that this is a tidal effect – what has been your experience? Use the BHA Contacts Page on this website to tell us.
Pontoon Condition
Marina management have stated that £10,000 of wood has been spent on Pontoon walkways in the last year.
Committee members regularly report broken boarding to the marina but it is hard to establish where £10K of material has been used.
If you have any issues with pontoons please raise them with the PEBHA. Use the BHA Contacts Page to tell us.
The marina is due to install additional berthing, dredging is currently underway.
The pontoons are to be constructed by the same firm that installed the ‘new’ gangway to the West of the main pier so it is hoped that the boarding will be of a similar construction.
Proposals are in place to increase the number of pontoon berths to 500.
New pontoons will be required as the existing ones have outlived their usable life and as many will agree are no longer up to the standard expected for a 21st century marina.
Pontoons will be longer to accommodate the larger boats now using the marina and expansion will grow towards the West pier.
No decision has been made as to the orientation of these pontoons i.e. whether North/South or East/West (as currently) –What are your thoughts?
Cranage
Progress on the new crane is progressing .
Crane design has been selected and lift capability will be 35 Tonnes and will able to be operated by a single operator.
Location will be at the ‘loop shed’ and consultancy has been appointed on the installation.
Date of commissioning not yet known.
Drying Berth
Depth gauge at the drying berth is to be relocated and recalibrated to indicate depth at position of a yachts keel.
A second drying berth is being considered to allow vessels with deeper keels to dry out.
MOTOR information
FUEL
Red Diesel
Members of the Port Edgar Berth Holders Association (BHA) should be aware that changes to the taxation of red diesel came into effect in November 2008. Red diesel for cooking and heating is still charged at a reduced rate but fuel for propulsion is now charged at the full rate. When purchasing red diesel for craft boaters must make a declaration of the percentage used for propulsion and domestic use. At Port Edgar the declaration must be filled at the Marina Office when purchasing fuel. Analysis by both the industry and HMRC suggests that a split of 60% for propulsion and 40% for domestic use (heating, cooking etc) probably reflects most people’s use and it is therefore likely that many users will declare such an apportionment. More information on the subject can be found at
http://www.rya.org.uk/infoadvice/regssafety/Pages/reddiesel.aspx and
http://www.waterways.org.uk/News/OtherCampaigns/RedDiesel
Diesel Contamination and Additives
There are occasionally reports in the boating press about problems with Diesel bugs. It doesn’t seem to be a problem that persists in the marina and the marina fuel supply is generally good. Some berth holders use fuel additives as a preventative measure but the key seems to be to avoid water contamination by keeping tanks topped up. Further information in the form of a Seafish Research paper can be downloaded from
http://www.seafish.org.uk/pdf.pl?file=seafish/Documents/FS6_11%2008_Fuel%20additives.pdf
If anyone has particular views on the subject, recommendations for additives or has concerns about fuel from any supplier please let us know and we will circulate the information to other members.
Fuel safety
When fuelling craft in the marina berth holders should take all necessary safety precautions and abide by the marina regulations. Unfortunately there have been one or two incidents over the years involving serious injury to boat owners so vigilance is required.
Fuel Price
Fuel price can vary substantially in an area and a useful comparison site for road fuel can be found at http://www.petrolprices.com/ Please let us know if you think it would be useful to have a comparison of local marine fuel suppliers.
DINGHY information
Port Edgar is unusual in that it is a marina which also supports a lot of dinghy sailing as well as being a provider of pontoon berths for yachts and power boats. The Sailing School on site, the dinghy racing activities at Port Edgar Yacht Club and the Scottish Dinghy Centre in the Bosun’s Locker all help support this level of dinghy sailing.
Port Edgar Yacht Club offers dinghy racing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Weekends throughout the summer. The hardier sailors carry on with Sundat racing into December. Race training is run at expert level as well as beginner level. The Sailing Schoool also runs the Big Blue Boat Club on Thursday evenings for young sailors and the Red Race Club for more experienced youngsters to join in with the yacht club’s racing on Monday evenings in the summer.
Dinghy berthing is available on several areas of land around the marina with a premium charged for areas close to the slip. Boats are usually supplied with tie down points or weights and these should always be used. The changing rooms are open every day. They are spacious and have hot showers. Renovation work was done in 2009 so while the buildings may look old, the interior is more modern and functional.
The slip is built out into the Eastern harbour over old rock outcrops (according to early 20th C maps) and the nose dries out at 1.4m. In the past the marina has made attempts to extend it by depositing hardcore over the edge, but it vanished into the mud. Boats can usually be launched at lower tides, subject to the state of the eastern harbour dredging, but recovery is more difficult. Note that at lower tides, the east side of the harbour near the wall is quite shallow so make your approach and departure from the slip close to the main pier to avoid grounding on the mud.
Dinghies may be hired from the sailing school. The range includes the venerable Wayfarer dinghy, faster two man dinghies such as the Laser 2000 and a fleet of RS Fevas excellent small dinghies for learners. The school also has Dart 16 catamarans for hire. Two RS500s were purchased in 2010. These fast lightweight boats with the big black assymetric kites are often seen joining in the PEYC Monday night racing along with other boats in the hire fleet.
The main dinghy sailing area is between the bridges although more enterprising dinghy sailors have been known to cruise much further afield.