Seasonal Newsletter 2023/24

 

 

Dear Boatowners,  

As the days draw out, we all look forward to welcoming everyone back to the marina after what we hope has been a restful winter break. 

 

Crane In:  

We have booked the crane for 14th – 15th March! 

Please ensure that your own winter covers are removed that all fenders and ropes are attached prior to crane in.  

Note: for safety reasons there will be no access to the boats over the craning period. 

We start re-commissioning the boats straight away once they are back on the water, though it does take a couple of weeks for our engineers to get them all up and running; we will prioritise according to the dates you gave on your winterisation forms.   

All the boats will be re-commissioned and back on their moorings in time for the Easter Weekend at the latest; you will be notified as soon as your boat is ready.  

We have started to remove winter covers, clean and compound hulls and antifoul, in preparation for launch. Superstructure compounding and cleaning are not scheduled until the boats are back in the water; there is increasingly high demand for these services, so please bear with us, as we aim to get these all completed before Easter.  

We are due to start recommissioning the boats afloat from next week.     

     

 

 

 

 

Winter Works:  

2022 has been a year of extremes, it was the warmest year on record followed by an unusually cold winter; the sharp frosts came as a reminder to winterise boats and isolate our water points. This diverse weather can allegedly also provide the ingredients for glorious spring blossom, so something to look forward to. The snow melts in January bought the river levels up for a short period, but otherwise the river remained relatively stable over the winter which allowed us to continue with marina upgrades.  

We have replaced our slipping trolley with a magnificent Roodberg hydraulic trailer which can lift heavier boats and more quickly unload them onto hard standing, enabling us to leave boats out for longer periods. To accommodate the trailer, we have also constructed a dedicated hardstanding area with silt trap for routine wash downs. The end support frames on the floating stages have been upgraded to heavier weight tubing to make them more stable and we have continued to re-top the stages within the upstream marina, with micro mesh, which has proved to be the best solution for durability and anti-slip.   

The largest ongoing site project is happening underground; you may have noticed the trenching work around the marina as we begin upgrading the electricity supply to the upstream marina. This is a long-term project which will run over a few years. We will try to keep the groundwork to the off season but appreciate your patience and cooperation while we roll this out. Our goal is to provide larger electricity supplies to each of the moorings and power to the boats whilst they are on hardstanding over the winter. 

 

 

 

 

 

Electricity metering:  

You should have all received a notice informing you that we are switching over the electricity metering system for the upstream marina to blue metered leads, which we have already been operating in the downstream marina. The advantage being that the meter stays with the boat; whether you change moorings or plug in whilst on hardstanding, the reading remains accurate. We have managed to get a discount by buying in bulk so if you require a metered lead or further information, email sam@jonesboatyard.co.uk 

           

 

 

 

Calor Gas:  

I hope that you are also aware of the situation with Calor discontinuing the smaller 3.9kg and 4.5kg bottles. I have sent out a few emails outlining the current position and your options. If you haven’t received them or would like another copy sending out by post, please call the marina office.  We remain contracted to Calor until November 2023, and regardless neither Flogas nor Campingaz currently have the stock to supply us with new cylinders. To help us through this season we have managed to acquire a good stock of 3.9kg cylinders, which we are holding exclusively for mooring customers who need them. There are no full 4.5kgs’s available, but you can swap those with 3.9kgs if you purchase a propane regulator. If you can switch to the larger bottle or purchase a Flogas bottle from an existing dealer, as supply will become very limited in the medium term. If you require further information email ben@jonesboatyard.co.uk 

   

 

 

 

Mooring Fees:  

We are switching our mooring management system over to Harbour Assist, which has much greater capability and flexibility than our current system. Routine tasks like running wish lists for mooring changes and scheduling maintenance work will become fairer and easier to manage. The system will also generate all the invoices for winterisation, mooring fees and electricity usage, so these are likely to look different.  We have taken great care in moving the data across over the last month but if you notice any inaccuracies in the billing, please contact the marina office straight away and we will address them immediately. 

The mooring fees are increasing this year by 4%; attached is a mooring fee summary sheet for the coming season. 

This can be offset by taking advantage of our 5% discount for current customers who wish to pay annually by the 31st March.  Unlike previous years the invoices for annual customers will be made out to the discounted amount, and reinvoiced after 1st April if remaining unpaid.  

For those paying for their mooring annually please find your invoice attached for the 2022/23 season.  

If you would prefer to switch to monthly, quarterly, or annual payment please contact Karen at accounts@jonesboatyard.co.uk and she will email the details to you. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visiting the RSS David Attenborough:  

In December, Martin and I had the privilege of stepping aboard the RSS David Attenborough about to depart Harwich on her long voyage south, thanks to Peter skipper of M.V. Trulof. Peter is currently aboard the vessel in Antarctica during her six-month deployment to examine the threat of future sea-level rises and dangers for marine biodiversity. 

                       

 

 

 

 

 

Boot 23:  

In January Jack and Sam visited the Dusseldorf Boat Show, Boot 23. Amongst the weird and wonderful marine innovations were several new generation outboards. Honda and Mercury were, amongst others, showcasing their electric outboards (still in the design phase). Though the most notable were the Fin X oscillating membrane outboard which mimic the swim of a jellyfish and the Fin X 150 Dolphin-fin which mimic the tail action of a dolphin. 

         

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wildlife update:  

Year on year the wildlife in the marina has become ever more abundant and varied. We no doubt benefit from Rob’s eagle eye and wonderful pictures, but it is exciting to see.  Recent highlights include a resident water rail which is an elusive guest but has a very distinctive call. The otter has also become a regular visitor and can be found dining atop the floats in the downstream marina. We are hopeful that after a winter with more stable river conditions the water voles will be back in numbers this year. Most recently the resident pair of adult kingfishers that have featured in many of our recent newsletters, have returned and are making a new burrow in the riverbank. Spring is in the air. 

 

We look forward to seeing you soon to enjoy another seasons boating on the river.