Reading the words of Thanet District Council’s leader today, see http://www.thanet.gov.uk/news/latest_press_releases/race_of_the_classics.aspx?lang=en-gb if you don’t believe this is actually on the council’s website, you may find is reminiscent of newspeak.Leader of the council, Cllr. Bob Bayford, said: “It’s a great shame that we won’t be able to accommodate the Race of the Classics this year, but the improvement work to the harbour is a priority and something that we know people want to see completed. We understand that people may be disappointed to hear this news, but the long term future of the harbour is the most important thing for us. We look forward to welcoming the tall ships and the Race of the Classics back to an improved Ramsgate Royal Harbour in 2012.”
The picture above was taken today, sorry it’s a bit gloomy it was like that today. There was me assuming that the reason that the tall ships wouldn’t be coming because they couldn’t actually enter the harbour because the sandbar blocking the entrance is the largest we have ever had.
I know I am probably considered an unperson, but this looks like duckspeak although I know I should bellyfeel it to be blackwhite.
Update I have just discussed this with a senior member of the Politbüro, who would prefer not to be named, this is what the said.
“We must think or this as considerable progress, you must remember the terrible problem of Sandy’s Beach has been completely resolved by the new Bob’s Breakwater.
A beach inside a harbour is quite unsuitable whereas a breakwater is quite appropriate to a harbour situation.”
As I've said elsewhere today, employ people who understand the sea to do jobs related to the sea. Bob Bayford, Sandy Ezekiel et al know as much about the sea as I do about carpet selling. Anyone with any knowledge of the tides in this area, or even just a passing knowledge of how the other ports in this area operate will know that dredging is an essential 24/7/52 operation. Dover has a dredger permanently working in the harbour and Folkestone is now no longer commercially viable because they, like Ramsgate, thought they knew best.
ReplyDelete1. Employ a full time seafarer as Harbourmaster and then leave him alone to do his job, free from political interference
2. Buy a dredger and employ it to keep this harbour clear.
Alternatively, shut the whole job down and stop pretending that we care.
What does it matter if the Tall Ships don’t come here? Our Council officers will still get their £1,600+ (plus allowances) per week, so where’s the problem?
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see just what is happening at the Harbour when the Tall Ships pass us by. As for the sand bar in the Harbour mouth, isn’t is someone’s job to make sure the entrance is kept clear?
Personally I’ve just about had a gut full of this negative approach to Ramsgate. The town’s assets are viewed as liabilities because they require expertise and enthusiasm to turn them around. The dead wood over at Cecil Square doesn’t appear to have the desire to take on such tasks, and why should they if the ruling Council doesn’t push them.
The only positive thing to happen for Ramsgate recently is the fact that some of the dead wood at Margate is leaving. Presumably they feel their juggling act is coming to an end and they’re in fear of loosing their balls!
I was looking forward to the Tall ships coming to Ramsgate. But Our lazy council can't be bothered to promote and make these events happen. It would be good to get rid of half of them, just dead wood. They are not there to serve Thanet but their own interests.
ReplyDeleteWhile agreeing that some of the tall ships are looking tatty, to say "It would be good to get rid of half of them, just dead wood" is a bit harsh!
ReplyDeleteIf you need to ask the question of why it's important for the tall ships to come its rather obvious that tall ships equal visitors equals pounds spent locally.
ReplyDeleteIt wont be long before you get the chance to vote locally but all the loosers may not be dead wood. If the local elections follow national trends as is nearly always the case there could be 8 to 10 seats that change sides and that could make Thanet dependent on Independents.
In May 2007 nationally the state of the parties where C39, L34, LD15 and now they are C37, L42, LD9. Unless more Libdems stand, a lot will depend upon which way disillusioned Libdems go.
THERE IS NO REASON WHATSOEVER THAT THEY CANNOT BE ACCOMADATED THEY CAN RAFT OUT ON THE COMMERCIAL QUAY THAT IS LAY SIDE BY SIDE ACCORDING TO SIZE THE OTHERS CAN COME INTO THE INNER BASIN AND THE REST IN THE WEST GULLY STILL PLENTY OF ROOM FOR THE WIND FARM VESSELS AND WORK TO PROCEED ON THE EAST BANK BREAKWATER I TAKE IT THAT IS THE IMPROVEMENT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT IT BRINGS A LOT OF MONEY AND INTEREST TO THE TOWN FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND AS FOR MANAGEMENT THEY COULD NOT ORGANISE A ---- UP IN A BREWERY LET ALONE RUN A HARBOUR NO DOUBT THE ONLY MAN AROUND WITH INTEREST AND KNOWLEDGE HAS HIS HEAD FIRMLY ON THE BLOCK BY THE THANET EXECUTIONERS
ReplyDeleteWhats happened to all the money earned from the wind farm at the last take Vattenfall had contributed nearly £4 million pounds to tdc, no doubt the new concrete factory and london array works are putting a few shekels in the coffers.{ probably for the ch execs pay off.}
ReplyDeleteOne wonders why the harbour never gets dredged. The boats that do pay to berth there wont be able to so if the harbour silts up.
ReplyDeleteI have just noticed Ramsgate Resident said...
ReplyDeleteWhat does it matter if the Tall Ships don’t come here? Our Council officers will still get their £1,600+ (plus allowances) per week, so where’s the problem?
I want to become a Council officer and would do it for less money
with all the cutbacks in thanet it does not cost a penny to host the tall ships and would bring much needed revenue for the town traders just a few bob in dues maybe guess it is who pays the biggest dollar gets the best bite of the cherry in this case the wind farm projects win!at local traders expense
ReplyDeleteIn election year its seems the cut backs are meant just to affect the 30 council workers including the chief exec who are for the chop and not the services in Thanet. Loosing 30 workers should save about £25K each plus another 35% in NI and pension payments. It should save at least a million in year 2 but this year redundancy payments could cost at least £500,000 plus the £100,000+ pay off to the chief exec. I wait to see the actual figures.
ReplyDeleteIf our council had the huge amount of money needed to clear that sandbar,as soon as the wind came NE
ReplyDeleteas it is going to this week all the money spent would be lost as it would fill up again very quickly.The problem lies in the design of the outer breakwaters,all they do is cut the Eastern going tide that used to shift sand back towards the main sands,but do nothing to stop the heavy NE swells hitting the East pier and rebounding at an angle towards the West.Untill the breakwater that runs in a SE direction from the East pier is shifted to break that swell and wave action there will be a problem forever for our poor old harbour,{I worked there for 50 years}.
Stargazer.
A few weeks ago (the last westerly gales) the ferry had dire problems berthing, will send you some pictures Michael of the small tug errr tugging!!
ReplyDeleteAs for TDC - four sheets to the wind comes to mind.
I've just a look at the Harbour on Google Maps (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=port+of+ramsgate&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl)and the sand accretion is quite clear to see. However, forgive me for disagreeing but it seems to me that the sand is coming in on the west-going ebb tide rather than the flood tide. I see no reasonable way of resolving this apart from a further extension of the East Breakwater but this in itself would be counterproductive since it would narrow an already very narrow entrance - I know it's narrow; I was on the Pride of Burgundy for the Vattenfalls launch and believe me that gap looked pretty tiny as we were approaching it on a strong flood tide. The only answer is the one that used to pertain before the landlubbers took a hold of the thing - dredge the Harbour on a permanent basis. If it's good enough for Calais, Zeebrugge, Dover, Boulogne and other successful ports in the region, why not for Ramsgate?
ReplyDeleteI think you will find that the sand comes through the northern breakwater on strong north easterly winds as it has not been back filled just rock on rock
ReplyDeleteThe sand is only moved by wave action,and the shoaler the water the faster the waves move it,silting is completely different as it is in suspension in the water,and is slowly dropped to form micron after micron every tide,no harbour will be clear unless it is built on a fast flowing river, and the problem with the sand build up can only be cured by sheltering the East side with a detatched breakwater,and removing the breakwater that abutts the East pier head.
ReplyDeleteStargazer.
Thanks, I'll note the difference between silting and shoaling for the future. Stargazer, you're right, but it ain't going to happen so the next best thing is a permanent dredger
ReplyDeleteMy mate brought a relatively small yacht in last year and grounded it three times before reaching the berth. He said he'll never come back here. Looks like TDC has saved a penny and killed the golden goose. If they didn't want to dredge the harbour properly they shouldn't have been running it. Is anybody going to put their hand up and take responsibility for this debacle; or will all of the highly paid bureacrats who are paid lots of money for "taking responsibility" do what they usually do, and blame some little bloke in a yellow jacket?
ReplyDelete