Dear Source:
The proposed waterfront plans now include finger piers for mega-yachts.
This is a waste of money in my opinion. I have been a yacht captain for
14 years. The finger piers are not necessary. First, yachts have been
tying up stern to in the Mediterranean for decades. They are set up for
this, so it's not a big concern to them. It would be good to have
facilities for the stern to yachts (electrical, fuel, Internet, etc.) but
the finger piers are a waste of valuable space and money. Spend it
instead on a public restroom and a public pier.
It will render a large area of the waterfront unusable to many types of
craft, except for the large yachts. The finger piers will make the
waterfront less flexible.
The main reason the yachts have been tying up there is because many
could not fit in Crown Bay, or they did not want to dock in a commercial
area which rendered the yachts filthy from commercial pollution. As a
captain, I have never liked Crown Bay. Now that Yacht Haven will be
online soon, the yachts will be going there. There are some yachts that
may even be to big for Yacht Haven, but again going stern to as they
have in the past would not be a big concern. Plus there are about six
months of the year when the mega-yachts are not even here.
I think just a little more tweaking to the plan will make it an
excellent idea, and I'm all for it.
Gary Felton
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