Calls for improved dredging at Brighton
Berth holders are demanding that Premier Marinas acts now to improve access to Brighton Marina. Premier has recently issued a Notice to Mariners (No2 of 2020, revised 08.12.20) advising that while the marina entrance was dredged in mid-2020 to 1.7m below chart datum (CD), recent depth estimates indicate the dredged channel to be 0.5m or less below CD.
Skippers of vessels with a draft in excess of 1m are being advised to wait two hours either side of low water before navigating the marina.
Premier said a ‘scheduled pause’ in dredging came into effect at the end of August, as part of requirements of its marine licence, issued by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). This is to allow for the results of ecological monitoring data collected at the dredge disposal site and it is still waiting on the MMO for the outcome of this review.
Many boat owners say the problem of silting is an ongoing issue.
For the last four years Joe Burke has kept his Moody 31 at Brighton, mainly sailing solo.
‘My boat has a draft of 1.6m. My expectation is to have 24/7 access, barring storms from the south-east. Currently, I can’t leave or enter the marina for two hours either side of low water. It means that if I am caught in heavy weather while out, I have to stay out rather than come in if the timing isn’t right,’ he explained.
Giles Catron kept his Sadler 290 at Brighton for a decade. He was so frustrated by the continued silting and the lack of all-tide access that he moved his boat to the West Country. He returned to Brighton after promises of a dredged berth, only to find the boat, ‘over at an angle with all of the mooring lines straining’ at low tide. He has now moved the boat to Premier Gosport.
For the last two seasons Chris Woods has kept his Swan 48, which draws 2.96m, at Brighton, with a berth in the inner basin. He said in addition to the depth limitations, Premier Brighton only operates the locks in daylight hours which further limits access.
‘I can’t go out and come in when I want to which is just disappointing. Premier is not doing enough to keep the marina viable for people to use their boats,’ he added.
In a statement, Premier Marinas said it was ‘committed to undertaking a comprehensive annual dredge programme’ at Brighton, and in 2019 had committed to increase investment in dredging until at least 2024. It said its own cutter suction dredger was operational throughout the year and a specialist dredging contractor usually carried out work in May. In 2019 and 2020, external contractors dredged both the marina’s entrance channel and large sections of the marina basin. Depths throughout the marina will vary due to natural siltation.
COVID-19 restrictions have also delayed Premier’s own cutter suction dredging programme in 2020. Premier Marinas added that most berth holders at Brighton are berthed outside of the lock in the main harbour, and that lock movements outside of the 0730-1830 opening hours are available on request and subject to staffing constraints.