The Alderney Journal's
Harbour Life Column
by Martin Smith
harbourlife@alderneymarine.com

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Soon the harbour will have a brand new, custom built, dinghy pontoon to go with the new quay.  Plans for the quay originally included a replacement but what with the over spend problems this was shelved, that was until the full extent of the last season’s wear and tear could be seen when the structure was lifted out for the yearly inspection.  The Harbour Master reported to the General Services Committee that surveyors had condemned the pontoon as beyond economic repair, leaving The States with little choice but to find the funds for a replacement.  Estimated at £75,000 the new one will be built on-island and then painted and decked by the harbour staff.  The dinghy pontoon is absolutely vital to the working of the harbour and provides the only facility for visiting yachtsmen to bring their own tenders to shore.

The General Services Committee also heard at the start of the year that Chairman Bill Walden would like to see legislation put in place for the protection of spawning Bass in Alderney’s waters, this was picked up again in February’s meeting when the Committee agreed to invite Pierre Dupont to join the next meeting - in March.  The States are also working on ways to make wider consultation more effective before making decisions on fisheries matters. 

Alderney Sailing Club had a visit from John Elliott on behalf of the Royal Yachting Association in February, the club has been working on, once again, offering practical boating courses in the harbour and the inspection went smoothly.  With just some local bylaws to satisfy there should be a range of powerboat courses available by spring, these courses are designed to help promote safe boating and the ever-popular shore based courses run at the club fit in with this well; the whole RYA training scheme is internationally recognised and admired.

At the time of writing the weather forcast for the end of February is very grim, with wind and rain of near hurricane proportions being foretold.  The start of March looks set to be fair, with a few high pressures and just a few quite gentle lows heading this way.  The second week though looks a tad less pleasant though, with a mix of winds and rain to show us that the boating season is not quite in full swing just yet.

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Issue 938 - Mid February 2010

A hectic Saturday morning to end January with a bracing wind from the northwest and a hive of activity on the new quay: The cargo boat ‘Swift’ left just after first light to be immediately replaced by the ‘Heulin Endeavour’ on follow-up berthing trials.  At the same time the French lifeboat from Goury, the ‘Mona Rigolet’ turned up.  And then Sunday saw the regular visit by the oil tanker, which took the entirety of the day to top up the island’s fuel reserves.

The Heulin Endeavour will, it is hoped, be a regular visitor and represents a step forward in reducing the island’s isolation by offering a cargo service between Jersey, Southampton and Alderney.  The service will run along side the longstanding stalwarts Alderney Shipping, who will continue to serve us with the Poole – Guernsey route.

Thank you to all the readers who emailed in response to the Longis Bay article, as a result of that support Sustainable Alderney is forming a group to discuss options with the States and raise funds for some improvement if it is judged possible.  The topic carries on from an article that appeared back in issue 868 (March 2007), in which Juan Salado wrote in detail about the problems the island continues to face.

Gannets and Puffins have had their pictures in papers and on telly in February, both were winning subjects in the BBC’s online photo competition.  Paul Hillion took a stunning photo of a sky full of Gannets near Ortac last year and it is well worth an admiring gaze if you have not already seen it.  The birds themselves are starting to return, with the Gannets having been around for a little while and even a few spotted on Garden Rock.  The Alderney Wildlife Trust’s work on Burhou is therefore getting geared up, ready for the 2010 breeding season.  All being well the Puffin Cam will be returning to your computer screens in a few months time, keep an eye on the AWT web site for the first glimpse.  The results last year were fascinating, the unmanned camera really helped to highlight the importance of not disturbing the birds who are always ready to bolt down their burrows.

The Sailing Club have suggested adopting a bit of technology too, with Peter Hamer putting it to the members that they consider using social networking sites to help coordinate this year’s sailing activity; a great idea and one I look forward to joining in with.

And so, neatly, from sailing to weather.  The end of February looks likely to be windy, with the recent sequence of high pressures that have seen the UK retain all of that snow finally being dislodged by a system that will bring us seasonal high winds and rain.

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Issue 937 - Early February 2010

The sea provides, never more so than for a small island community like ours. Most of our freight is of course transported by sea and where would our tourism industry be without the glorious cliffs and magnificent beaches and there is the island’s tidal power opportunities.

The sea is also expected to take away some of our waste, in particular the outfall from our sewage plants.  Of interest from a marine perspective is the island’s south facing sandy beach at Longis, because this is the site of just such an outfall.  So far it has not been practical to run the pipe far enough out that it reaches open water, it does not even make it to below the low water line.  The result is easy to imagine: Slime coated rocks at the top of the beach and a risk of visible and hidden contaminants with a health risk that go with it, a slight on one of the island’s most popular suntraps.

In the letters pages of the last issue Ken Hampton raised an interesting point: Anaerobic digesters, industrial plants that take in not only piped waste but also any compostable material from households and businesses, waste which we currently pay dearly to send off the island.  These installations are pricey and one to suit us would probably come with a price tag of around £2 million; the twist in the tale though is that they take waste and turn it into money, giving new meaning to the old saying “where there’s muck, there’s brass”. 

These composting digesters produce, as Ken pointed out, water which with a minimum of treatment can be used to top up our reservoirs.  But they also produce gas, which is most commonly used to make electricity.  So with one single sweep of the treasurer’s pen we have made a big dent in three of the islands most expensive problems: Water, power and waste! 

Compost digesters are not the only answer that presents itself to Longis beach situation though. The Alderney Wildlife Trust has an idea for a truly green solution to the waste currently spilling out over the sand and rocks.  A series of reed beds, which would help to purify the waste before it reaches to the bay.  Such a solution would also add to Alderney’s wetland habitats and in doing so would make the area more attractive to birds and in turn draw bird watchers and other holiday makers to the island.

With the commercial quay famously over spent and much needed work still needed in the harbour it is unlikely that the sewage plant at Longis will be a priority for this year, but with a little work and some well placed information through the Sustainable Alderney initiative we can see what is possible and what the benefits are. 

That is all just pie in the sky of course, so onto the weather…  There is likely to be some rain and fog up there too by the looks of the weather for the start of February.  There are another series’ of low pressures heading this way for the first week of the month, but after that there are some high-pressure systems that should bring a settled end to the winter months.  February is typically a harsh time for the island and for the harbour in particular with North Easterly winds bringing open sea conditions to our doorstep, but it does mark a positive time with the new season not too far away.

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Issue 936 Mid January 2010

It is often said that the Inuit have a great many words for snow, in reality they have no more than we do.  English on the other hand is fully awash with words for different kinds of weather, this was particularly highlighted when the temperature dropped suddenly mid-December and everybody I met in the harbour had a different word for the sudden chill: Fresh, bracing, crisp, and so on; with one optimistic individual choosing to highlight that it had if fact warmed up (by half a degree).  The news of early January has been full of snow reports from Jersey and Guernsey, while we had a second white winter in as many years the two larger islands suffered breakdowns in communication, infrastructure and transport.

We were fortunate enough to be asked to travel in company with a boat making a channel crossing in December, having never done one in mid-winter before I was keen to see how the sixty mile journey  would differ from travelling in warmer weather.  There was certainly no hope of stopping mid-channel to swim with dolphins, in the end we didn’t see any but the thought of getting wet with toes that were already little more than ice cubes in wellies was not appealing.  The weather was verging on a force 5 and the wind chill made it feel like freezing, but all concerned were well wrapped up and an occasional stop for a snack was a welcome chance to get the blood moving again.  The next Channel crossing that I know of is an expedition to Southampton for a Sea Survival Course, three hours on the water – only to then jump into a swimming pool and climb into a liferaft at the other end!  The plane may well end up taking the strain.

It has been suggested that a new flight route might be considered to Dublin, as this is the base for the tidal power company Open Hydro who will soon be work on their turbines for Alderney Renewable Energy.  It is easy to see the attraction of such a route for the many Guinness drinkers on the island, but I am not sure if it is in the range of a loved but slightly humble Trislander.  One thing is sure – the Guernsey tidal power project is also gaining momentum and they will soon be looking in much more detail at their potential sites; of course such a socially important development could never become a competition. Meanwhile here in our own waters, the December round of Seabed Video Surveys of our infamous tidal waters have once again proved fruitful, with some excellent scientific data and a couple of nice pictures being given up by the depths of the island’s most tidal waters.  The picture above shows the seabed life found at 50 meters depth.

Getting back to the weather, it is the main talking point after all, there is little sign that late January will be any less wintry.  There are some high pressures making their way across the Atlantic that promise settled but very chilly conditions, but there is still plenty of cause to think that we have some harsh winds in store.  On a brighter note the nights are now perceptibly drawing back, with sunset at the solstice having being ten past four it will have moved more than half an hour by the time you read this!

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Issue 935 Late December 2009

Apologies are due to all the people who were concerned that the column in last issue did not balance Alderney’s clear economic need for a Marina.  The intention of the article was two fold: to describe surprise at the initial feedback from visiting yachtsmen and to get the marina topic back out in the open.

I should have made it clear that the survey reported was naturally biased, it being drawn from those yachtsmen who currently sail regularly to the island.  There is a need to understand the views of those many boat owners who do not currently visit Alderney, or who have visited and are not eager to repeat the process until there is a pontoon berth available.

As the survey progresses there are some more telling and certainly much more encouraging statistics that can be drawn from it:  The vast majority, well over half, of those who responded, come to Alderney because of the location.  This would suggest that more people would do so if the facilities were improved.  Only a few people said that they visit for economic reasons, such as exchange rates.  The remaining number of visitors said they do so to enjoy the change of pace that the island offers, something that I believe most people agree is an important and hopefully permanent attraction.

Braye has four distinct mooring areas at present and few of the suggested plans involve removing or even reducing these, so there is every reason to believe that Alderney can happily meet the needs of sailors who prefer to anchor or secure to a swinging mooring and still offer walk-ashore pontoons.  I continue to wonder if a staged improvement is more realistic that a single big-budget development, such as the two currently being assessed by civil engineers.  The two favourite sites are near the Blacksmiths or in the shadow of Fort Albert, both of which will require completely new facilities to be built.

A passing container ship captain remarked this week that the global economic downturn is still being felt throughout the shipping industry, he told us about the thousands of ships that he has seen lying empty.  With so few goods being transported around the world at the moment even those ships that are contracted out do not know what or when their next journey will be, quite a contrast with the frantic import activity of just a couple of years ago.  This news leads me to believe that visiting yachtsmen are going to be an even more important part of next year’s economy on the island.

The harbour had a visit from Her Majesty’s Royal Navy early in the month, albeit just for a short stop over of the minesweeper HMS Warnby on the way from Jersey to Portsmouth.  None the less – a very welcome site along side the new commercial quay. 

Alderney’s Lifeboat ‘Roy Barker 1’ has had an active couple of weeks, most recently they attended a motor boat which had run out of fuel on the way from the English south coast to Guernsey.  The crew of the lifeboat are shown pictured firing a red pin-point emergency flare, as used by boats in distress to signal their position and that they need help.

Our friendly container ship captain also reported on the weather, confirming that most if not all of the high pressures we had been hoping to benefit from were ending up in the Mediterranean.  The end of December looks set to continue the trend of wild of wet south westerly with cold and clear periods every ten days or so. 

All that remains is for me to wish everybody a warm and festive Christmas and a healthy, happy 2010.

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Issue 934 Early December

Alderney needs a marina, but will it ever get one?

In preparation for a forthcoming Harbour Tourism meeting this winter a survey of yacht skippers who visited Alderney either this or last year is being prepared, with the works on the quay coming to a close and in an absence of the promised public consultations from the Marina Advisory Group it seems valuable and timely to gain the visitor’s viewpoint of what is good and bad about sailing to Braye.  The results have thus far been very interesting indeed, though the full report will not be ready until the meeting; expect a write up of all the issues covered.

The survey has so far been useful and surprising for a number of reasons, first and foremost is that the vast majority of visiting skippers who responded were not in favour of a marina.  Improvements to the showers and dinghy pontoon together with approval for the new water taxi service were all common comments.  Those who yearn for a walk-ashore pontoon are in the clear minority, at least when it comes to people who currently visit the island.  There is a rock solid theme of people making the effort to visit because they like Alderney the way it is.  No doubt there would be more people keen to visit if there were a marina, but do those numbers outweigh the people who feel the island’s charm is at risk?

Given that few locals we talk to are drawn to the idea of paying ten times the current mooring fees for a marina berth; this latest news could put the possible benefits of a multi-million pound project in a dim light.  One suggestion is that what Braye really needs in terms of floating facilities is some shelter from the Northeasterly weather and large free-floating pontoons as can be seen in St Peter Port harbour, visitors still use a tender or the water taxi to get ashore but they do not have the problems of tying up to a swinging mooring buoy.  I dare say that such a development would probably move on gradually into ever improving facilities.  A clear message is that no one should try to reinvent Braye, might a steady program of improvement satisfy 80% of people for 20% of the cost?

No amount of extra shelter for the harbour would have made the crew of the ‘Isis’ any more comfortable recently, the prolonged high winds that characterised late November caused sufficient concern to Alderney Shipping that the lifeline-sailing was delayed by three days.  The last boat run of the month saw the Poole cargo arrive on Thursday, with the Guernsey goods coming in on Friday.  The delay did not result in plain sailing though, as the usual five hour Channel crossing took twelve long and difficult hours.  More complications arose when the harbour crane broke down, meaning that Geomarine’s crane struggled to get at the last two containers and the pilot boat (pictured) had to hold the ‘Isis’ off the quay to help the last of the unload.

At the time of writing and I dare say that at the time of publication too, the weather continues to batter the whole of the island with the west coast taking the brunt of it.  Lucky for us the forefathers knew to have a runway that faces into the prevailing wind and a harbour that faces away.  In the last issue I promised a couple of weeks of clear weather, the incoming systems do still look likely to deliver at least a couple of high pressures making the start of December much more pleasant.  Looking further into December the theme of crisp and clear should continue, with Norwesters bringing chilly but calm conditions; albeit a week or so later than was hoped. 

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Issue 933 Late November 2009

Congratulations are once again due, this time to the new owners of Mainbrayce for their excellent water taxi service.  The Harbour Master reported at last month’s General Services meeting that they have operated a good service throughout the season.  As a sign of the committee’s delight they have allowed the evening fare, after 9.30pm, to increase to £2.  Everyone appreciates the importance of the taxi and Rupert, James and the other drivers have taken a big step toward putting Braye back on many yachtsmen’s maps. 

Odyssey Marine Exploration are at it again, the salvage company have suggested that the wreck of HMS Victory (the predecessor to Nelson’s ship which sank in 1744 with the loss of 1,000 souls) is at risk of damage from trawling.  The UK Government are bound by treaty to leave all historic wrecks alone, unless they can be shown to be under threat.  So the possible damage from fishing boats is Odyssey’s best chance of recovering the £600 million worth of gold that is suspected to be aboard. Mr Stemm of Odyssey said: "We've got a proposal that would have the entire site excavated, the entire collection conserved, educational materials developed and Odyssey would take the entire risk of putting that project together and funding that project."

Reading Sir Normal Browse’s newsletter, it seems that the last two year’s investment in the commercial quay makes for an interesting parallel with the plans for a cable to France.  One the one hand we have the quay, which is needed to continue our dependence on oil fired power.  On the other, a link that would help to lift our dependence on the ever rising cost of buying oil by the tanker load.  Few would doubt that the work was needed, overdue even and it will certainly be good to see the harbour back to normal over the next few months.

Video surveys of Alderney’s waters will be recommencing shortly, weather permitting of course.  The equipment has been up in Orkney since summer, where it impressed the engineers and scientists who were all working on ways to track the possible effect of tidal turbines on the marine environment.  The local work is intended to form a background of what the seabed is like now – before the development starts.  Being at the very leading edge of tidal power Alderney needs to have all the answers as there are many eyes peering in on the work being done.  There is after all far more of Alderney under the water than there is above it.

The harbour’s boats continue to be hoisted from their natural element and tucked-up on shore, including a most welcome though unusual addition: ‘Ragtime’, the globe trotting yacht belonging to the other Martin Smith.  Normally this magnificent craft is taken across to Dielette for the winter, but this time around she has joined the island’s other largest boats in the shelter of Grosnez.  As a delightful contrast there is most notably a venerable vessel of an entirely different scale, the small but perfectly formed 105 year old ‘Hirondelle’.

As we head out of November the weather looks likely to calm down a little, after the high winds and vast quantity of rain that we suffered in the middle of the month.  There is a system of high pressure heading our way and the last week of the month and the start of December are set, hopefully, to be still, dry and of course just a little bit chilly.

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Issue 932 Early November 2009

Familiarity, we are told, breeds contempt; but then again change is worrisome.  So when it comes to our all-important sea links with other islands it is hardly surprising if feathers get a little ruffled.  Such might be the case with the unfolding developments of the shipping contract between Alderney and Guernsey comes up for renewal, Alderney Shipping are tried, tested and utterly dependable, but the desire to see just how green the grass might be is very tantalising.  No doubt the major implications of such a key service will be reported in full, but it remains an ongoing item of interest for the harbour life column.

Back in summer a seventeen year-old Alderney Ganet was found close by on the French coast at Cosqueville.  The birds are a familiar and welcome site all around the island while they are breeding, this particular one hatched on Garden Rock and was ringed on the 19th of June in 1993.  The bird’s relatives are all gone from the rock now and their white-tipped corner of Alderney is eerily quiet and still.

The autumn is being described by some as the shortest on record, I suppose they mean to say that we went from summer straight to winter with little time to adjust our woollies in the process.  There has still been some good boating done though, with the charter angling boat “Smuggler” out and about and a few local boats off on trips during the calmer days.  Our own boat “Dizzy Izzy” took us on a trip to Jersey and back – a regular run at the end of every term.  I confess though that the force 8 winds from the west did concern me enough to join the other fog bound passengers, waiting for a Trislander, when it came time for the return.

Before finishing with a look at the weather I would like to congratulate the Alderney Wildlife Trust team on their magnificent achievement in successfully walking their route around the island’s network of paths.  Their aim was to highlight just what a great place Alderney is for walking and I think they did a grand job. 

We are in for some traditional autumnal weather for the middle of November, it looks as though there might just be some dry and settled days followed by some blustery and wet westerlies.  Time to get those new wellies perhaps?

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Issue 931 Late October 2009

As briefly mentioned in the last issue Alderney was again host to the Inter Island Conference, with government, volunteer and scientific representatives from Jersey, Guernsey, Sark and the Isle of Man all soaking up Alderney’s hospitality.  There was a great deal of interest in the tidal power project with Alderney happily acknowledged as leading the way, it is safe to say that the speaker from ACRE had the full and undivided attention of the entire room; well done Pam.  Other marine matters covered were the changing sea bird populations and the risk that would be posed by a marina to our delicate balance of habitats here in Alderney.  The State’s marina group have been asked to comment on the latter, so keep an eye out for that.

Our very own Melanie Broadhurst is away in Scotland at the moment, the company that are supplying the turbines for the tidal power have some test platforms in place up in Orkney and Mel was invited to see how they have influenced the sea life.  Due back at the end of the month we hope to bring you a full round up her trip to the cold and dark extremities.

The last of the English angling charter boats have now wrapped up their season and departed for the last time this year.  Colin Dukes, Alderney’s own charter angling skipper is still going strong though: “This year aboard Smuggler of Braye we have seen some fantastic Turbot and Brill with lots of fish over 10lb, indeed we have had 3 Turbot over 20lb this season.  I have a couple of groups of visiting anglers this month and we will also be putting charters together with local anglers at weekends. The Bass are starting to run now and we should be getting some good sport on the banks. For the local anglers keep an eye on the weather and on the notice boards out side Alderney Angling for potential trips.”  Fuel prices have a lot to do with the number of visits we get from the charter fleet, with skippers having to make a decision about how far to venture with their customers, so havoc was wrought this year because marine diesel has been up and down in the UK.   That said the number of anglers was up for this September, with nearly double the boats compared to this time last year.

On the subject of statistics and boats, it is pleasing to see that over two thousand more people visited Alderney by private boat this year than last.

Alderney Lifeboat was called out to a Mayday on Thursday the 8th, The lifeboat “Roy Barker” launched into action to the yacht “Falcon”.  Although the yacht was close to the entrance of the harbour she had none the less lost her sail and was perilously close to the Grois rocks.

Alderney Sailing Club members are getting their boats all tucked up for winter and preparing to celebrate the close of another season with the traditional Laying Up Supper, tickets were sold out as soon as they were made available at the clubhouse on the evening of Friday the 9th.  Commodore Stuart Trought said he was very much looking forward to the evening “I am really pleased there was a good turnout for ticket night, the atmosphere gives a real taste of how lively the dinner will be.  We are lucky to be welcoming The Lieutenant Govenor as this year’s guest speaker.”  The sailing club web site has been updated recently and has lots of information and details of how to join: alderneysailingclub.com

The commercial quay continues to be reported as on schedule, there are lamp posts being installed and something to do with wiring must be happening because there was a power cut last week.  There still remain the slightly sticky issues of the necessary ramp that will take the trucks and cranes up to the higher level of the new sections, as well as the dreaded hole.  I noticed that the hole and political implications were reported nationally by a yachting magazine, but at least visitors are getting the message that most of the quay will be nice and tidy for them next year.

The dinghy pontoon will soon be lifted out and Assistant Harbour Master Nigel Shaw reminds everyone to remove their tenders if they prefer not to collect them from the waiting buoy once the pontoon has been brought out.  “The pontoon should be out before the end of October, it has suffered some damage through the season and it will need attention over winter.”

On Tuesday the 13th the Sea Cadet Training Ship “Royalist” visited Braye on her way from Sark, the 95ft long square-rigger is a regular visitor to Alderney.

It was said recently, by someone far wiser than I, that one sunny day in autumn is worth ten in summer.  I whole-heartedly agree and would love it if the still conditions and warm sunshine of mid October continue into the next fortnight.  Alas the systems of low pressure that are heading our way are far more likely to bring seasonal wind and rain.  I suppose though that a thunderstorm on All Hallows Eve would add atmosphere to the parties.