From Mike Stevens, chairman, St Helier Boat Owners’ Association.
HAVING read the article (JEP, 21 January) headed ‘Harbours play down boat owners’ dry dock vote, I feel it necessary to reply to some of the comments made by Captain Howard Le Cornu.

Regarding the Harbourmaster’s comments: ‘The vote accounted for just 3% of the 5,000 registered vessel owners in Jersey.’

The St Helier Boat Owners’ Association ‘does what it says on the tin’ – represents the boat owners who use St Helier harbours and marinas, a more relevant group to this issue. 20% of our membership turned out for the meeting on a foggy winter evening. The vote against flooding was 98.3% versus 1.7%.

‘The last survey by Jersey Harbours found that boat owners… supported keeping a low level of water in the Old Harbour at all times.’

He is being rather disingenuous here. The consultant’s report to the 2008 all-Island survey said ‘the question was not whether they agreed with the proposal [to pond], but whether they thought it would be of benefit to Jersey’s boat owners’. Overall just 53% agreed, but only 26% of those moored in the Old Harbour agreed and less than 2% said they had no concerns about ponding.

In the 18 months since that survey, Harbours have been given further negative feedback from the St Helier Yacht Club agm last May, their shambolic presentation in December 2009, the joint Association and Yacht Clubs survey in January and now our agm vote. We deferred this matter on 7 December so that members could be better informed by attending Harbours’ presentation of their concept plans and it is clear that the event has only strengthened their opposition.

Finally, this is not about numbers and percentages, but the potential oppression of a minority – the some 330 (Capt Howard Le Cornu’s estimate) active boat owners in the Old Harbours – and the severe limitation for future generations of youngsters and ordinary folk, of the time-honoured Jersey tradition of ‘mucking about in boats’.

Maybe Jersey Harbours would like to survey the boat owners who occupy the Old Harbour and the French and English Harbours. They are the only ones who have the data to know who they all are. That would then give a very clear indication to the strength of the negative response to the concept plan.

As a responsible association we are always willing to sit down and consult, but on this issue it would appear that the message is not being listened to. The drying harbour needs a serious sort-out, that we would not dispute. Unseaworthy craft need to be looked at. If these were to be removed it would free up moorings for those who desperately need them.

Communication along with consultation avoids confrontation. What is now needed is for Harbours to have a total rethink on this scheme. My committee are ready and waiting to have meaningful discussions on the issue.