Public Apology

[Arghiro]

OK, Julian, I'll try & answer all those.

No I haven't moved this winter, in the dinghy, I can make the boats moored against the quay wall with a good push off in calm weather (ie most of the time)

The bridge opens on demand just blow morse B (dash dot dot dot) & is manned from 7am to 11pm & left open over night.

There are flood lights on the HM office & car park, to my mind it is a little too well lit, but I can manouvre around the harbour, adjust lines, whatever with no extra lights.

The river flows down by the wall & walking across isn't practical at neaps. The river bed is mostly slate chippings, the mud is on the far side, away from the quay & is pretty foul. I never walk as I leave a dinghy in the store & it is so easy to row across.

Outside the bar is Pilots' Cove & Mermaid's cove SE of Llandwyn Island (just N of the entrance bouys). Inside the bar is Fort Belan (S) and Abermenai (N) both extremely sheltered.

Hard dinghy can be left on the Sarn Helen shore, but you will be charged a little extra, or if you can carry it, you can put it in the locked dinghy store behind the Harbour Off (for free). The current & conditions are no problem for skulling (one or 2 oars) except when the tide is out & the river in flood.

[Arghiro]

Page 2 (I ran out of space!)

Water is available on the quay & a hose can be borrowed from the parking booth. There isn't really any power available, but you can connect your own lead to the harbour workshop when it is open - but they do not work long hours!

Why not go there? No reason, provided you can dry out. Getting on the trots is easy, but getting off can be tricky if the wind happens to be blowing you on, I have had lines round my rudder & keels occasionally. It shouldn't happen, but it can. I am also very reluctant to put the engine in gear until I am sure I am well away from all the ropes.

Price hikes? It seems to go up by RPI or whatever each year, but no nasty surprises so far. Most of the Harbour Trust's funding comes from the Car Park, not the boats.
I love the place, far safer, easier to use & cheaper than my previous swinging mooring in the Conway, plus free parking & dinghy store.

[lady_stormrider]

The captain's just been sent the demand for 2011 on our swinging mooring on Windermere for Chiron - I'm not sure if I'm allowed to release the figure - but it's nearly a grand for a 26 footer (up about 5% on last year). At the same time the car parking fees around Ferry Nab have been 'revised'. While this doesn't affect us directly it does deter the casual visitor and our 'free' hidey car parking spaces will be used more. We have found water taps (if you know where to look) without resorting to marinas. One of our taps is along the side of the old toilet block and I don't think the new owners realise the public are still using it!

I think the Terra Mundi savings pot with its dubloons will come into play next year when it is full. We'll move Chiron off Windermere up to Scotland and swop her with Carousel. It'll save us over £200 in fees annually.

[Arghiro]

Red diesel is available from a garage a couple of hundred yards from the quay if you have a container, altho I would expect you can get in Victoria Dock pumped straight into the boat (I've just never looked). I tend to buy locally (agricultural suppliers) & carry it to the boat in big containers.

Camping Gas is available from hardware store at the top of the High st & Calor from a garage about 1 mile away, so not exactly convenient, but how often f=do you need them? I have a spare bottle at home & when I run out & bring the empty home & swop it. Then I can buy as & when convenient or cheap.

Check out the Caernarfon Harbour Trust for general info.