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Lesley-Ann Legg

Pure Disaster

Was Michael James, director of Pure Adventure accidentally misquoted when the JEP article concerning the castle ferry buy out was put together? (JEP 24th May) He surely cannot be serious? If he is then he might like to reconsider his comments where he advises that the new vehicles he has handed over are safer and offer passengers a more pleasant and comfortable ride than anything that has serviced the castle previously? Glass (bottomed) houses and stone throwing spring to mind.

It’s hardly a Trans- Atlantic journey, at least it never was for The Puddleducks! …Perhaps they were just too traditional, quaint and reliable for Jersey heritage. How much comfort do you need to hop across that tiny stretch of water? On reflection I guess if you are aboard one of the Pure Adventure vehicles trying to get across to the Castle it might be wise to have luxurious reclining seating, a toilet and perhaps even catering onboard! You could be on there a while after all!

As far as I recollect The Puddleducks not only had a fantastic safety record but they also quietly and without fuss provided an excellent service for years. The only time service was interrupted was due to very poor weather and in Jersey we are used to that- it stops our planes and ferries often enough. The original Puddleducks fitted in tastefully with their surroundings and the ethos of The Castle and were loved by the tourists as much as the Islanders- all issues it would appear Pure Adventure have failed to address at every level.

These egg boxes on wheels The Heritage Trust have landed themselves with now have been nothing short of a joke- a joke costing more than half a million pounds for the purchase of two of the ugliest amphibious vehicles I have ever seen (and I have seen a lot – many of which I note cost nowhere near that much to purchase from new). Not only are they constantly beset by problems but they are now covered in gaudy advertising hoardings (sorry Normans) reducing their appeal further to resemble something we might expect to see in a theme park in Spain than a Heritage Property.

Stories of ruined weddings where guests had to go across hours before the event and dance parties at the castle where guests were stranded forced to swim by yet more mechanical failures on the new vehicles have not gone unnoticed, neither have the number of times the vehicles have been seen struggling precariously to get into the Castle approach, stuck in the sand and needing rescuing!

Jersey Heritage have a very endearing Mission Statement on their website, it reads:

“Jersey’s heritage and culture is special. The purpose of the Jersey Heritage Trust is to care for it, promote wide access to it, act as advocates on its behalf and bring imagination to telling its stories so that we inspire people to create a better island for everyone”.

In the JEP on 17th Feb 2007 we read that when the owners of the original Puddleducks decided to sell the business three companies bid to run the amphibious service and Pure Adventure was the only one choosing not to take on the existing DUKW’s. How different things might have been.

The Puddleducks haven’t retired- they were in excellent health when they were forced into dry dock. They are very much behind an exciting new children’s project that has been known about long before the decision was taken to introduce new vehicles on the route. The new vehicles are an embarrassment, a blot on the landscape and not something I would wish to be linked with the series at all let alone ever take a trip on. We should be grateful for small mercies I guess and breathe a huge sigh of relief that Pure Adventure never got as far as venturing onto our roads with the vehicles as they had planned- heavens only knows what would have happened!

When The Puddleducks animated television series hits television screens across the world I had hoped to give something back to the Island that has been my home for 21 years by promoting Jersey Tourism and Heritage worldwide with a story about the lovely Island where the series originated; where people could come to visit the Puddleducks birthplace and take a trip on the much loved vehicles across to the Castle. What a welcome boost this would have been for Jersey and for Heritage and remind people (especially in light of such sad recent media stories) that this really can be a lovely place for children.

I cringe now at the thought of families bringing our new young audience across to Jersey now for fear they witness the fiasco associated with these new vehicles and somehow link it to the series. We are considering a decision to cancel plans to promote Jersey as the birthplace of The Puddleducks and simply continue to promote the series across the world but without mentioning their original Island home.

What is so sad is that all this time The Puddleducks could have been continuing (and actually still could) their excellent service to and from Elizabeth Castle quite happily under new ownership. The Castle would not have had to remain closed and lost revenue and reputation, there would have been no need to spend half a million pounds on unreliable new vehicles they didn’t need in the first place and tourists and Islanders alike could have continued to watch the DUKW boats they knew and loved delivering their reliable, trusted and safe service to the Castle.

Lesley-Ann Legg

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Liam Jennings

I worked as The assistant Gardien and lived on Elizabeth Castle from 1992 until the end of 1999. I would just like to express my dismay at the current state of affairs at Elizabeth Castle. The problems with the new ferries compared to the old ones have already been stated, in my day the “ducks” had to cross a mile of OPEN WATER, luckily the current vessels are now running in a comparatively sheltered waterway which is just as well as they’re actually designed for INLAND waterways!!
The bigger picture is that the “half million” cost is actually nothing compared to what needs to be spent on the restoration of Elizabeth Castle as a whole?? The last “restoration” was done by the public works committee from 1978 until 1988. during that decade over £2million was spent on the second gate, officer’s quarters, barracks block and Militia museum. All these displays and the LONG neglected Hospital block and Governor’s house are now ,slowly sliding backwards towards dereliction.
Set this against the current financial situation, compare the current visitor tally of 40,000 against 115,000 in 1977(!!??)and you can see that this attraction is in dire straits.
Amphibious ferries are an expensive luxury that we can no longer afford. The dwindling number of visitors will continue to visit Elizabeth Castle by walking across at low tide, the way that MOST of them ALWAYS have..
Liam Jennings

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