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The United kingdom is fast becoming undemocratic, now wanting to saddle the Scotland part of the united kingdom with fees to domestic vessels to even be on the water, they have already raised there inflation busting fees for the south of England by 8% so much for the 2•3 % inflation figure just not in your boating pocket, so what do peel ports do for domestic boats apart from saying where we can not go, nothing ?, THEY ARE A CORPORATE BUSINESS that support commerchiel vessels over 24 mts to enter harbours to load unload & store goods & services, repair & position bouys for commerchiel vessels, with modern chart plotters, AIS, depth sounders, the modern yacht is not even on the radar of peel ports, and creeks rivers and bouys not used by commerchiel vessels are ignored as not nessarry, this is self evident in the southeast, the red boys into faversham creek are so far up the bank you need to be using a depth sounder to get into the creek, the peel ports business model because that is what they are, is just to fleece the boating fraternity and slowly destroy the boating industry until there is no boating industry, and the various governments have continued to allow them, just like the water boards the energy boards, this is not democratic it’s just a dictation, like the farmers, a united kingdom that is not interested in what people want for their future, just how much cash they can get out of them for doing nothing, without the RNLI we would all be up a creek without a paddle, it’s time people stood up for what they vote for a free democratic system, not a pay it or face court & can’t pay we take it away society.
Just to add to my previous message, in the USA there are fees to be on the rivers & creeks, but these are patrolled every day by the river police who monitor the activity, provide assistance, arrest those who drink and drive on the river, inspect vessels for basic equipment, insurance, and vessel fit for purpose, ownership of vessel, right down to a jet ski, in the UK from peel ports, none of these so what do they do for the boating industry, for their £100 + fees, and future 8% ? future rises,
The MSBA hold regular meetings with other river users including representitives of Peel Ports and our local authorities , all are welcome to come along and express their views.
They can all turn up to peel ports meetings and get nothing but excuses and references to the past, but they are a COMMERCHIEL BUSINESS INVOLVED IN THE SHIPPING & STORAGE INDUSTRY, and nothing to do with the domestic sailing community except make life more difficult then it is, they don’t even patrol the river, look at the last meetings about the 8% increase in fees, so much for 2•3 % inflation, they will just dictate what they want and you will pay or we will take it away,
Must have missed your contribution to the discussion at the last MSBA meeting held at MYC recently, if so you have my apology.
All present had the opportunity at the end of the meeting to bring up any other business .
One of the staff from Peel Ports did come along to explain the costs in involved with the periodic maintenance of all the bouys in the Medway including those of the minor creeks, also detailed were the actual costs of hiring the rib tasked with attempting to slow down some of the PWCs causing problems at Queenborough and around the Strand, on one occasion at some considerable risk to the crew concerned.
Amazingly our river does actually continue beyond Cockham Reach, many ( possibly the majority ?) Medway boats are possibly moored between MDL Chatham and Allington Lock, the limit of Peel Ports juristiction.
Cost of hiring a vessel to clear debris , two or three times a year, on the tidal section from Rochester to Allington was stated, along with the fact they have to pay the EA to cut back or remove trees on the upper stretches because PP vessels cannot get past Aylesford Bridge, they also have to cover the costs of removing derelict and sunken vessels (leisure boats not commercial).
The sums raised by the river licence, do not even begin to cover their outgoings .