August saw the launch of two phosphate-free initiatives for the harbour. First, the Harbour Authority began offering sample bottles of phosphate-free washing up detergent to visiting yachts. As the effluent from these yachts often goes straight into the harbour, this is a very direct way of reducing phosphates in the harbour water.
Secondly, August also saw the launch of a phosphate free initiative in South Pool. The effluent from all South Pool houses must eventually end up in the harbour, so if households can reduce their use of phosphates, this should save the harbour considerably. The hope is that South Pool can be a pilot for similar initiatives in neighbouring villages. For instance, Frogmore creek has a relatively acute phosphate problem, with red tides and red algae, so if the South Pool pilot goes well, it should not be too difficult to do something similar for Frogmore.
Many houses in South Pool have been directly emailed about the initiative to show how easy it is to find phosphate free washing products.
Controversy continues over the proposal to use a boat hoist rather than a crane on the Batson boat park which replaces the car park during the winter months. Batson had one of the last mobile cranes around – where the crane drives along with the boat swinging in the air. By modern standards, this is a dangerous way of doing things and two such cranes, including the one at Batson, have recently fallen over. Fundamentally there is no point lifting a yacht six or ten feet if you can do the same job by lifting it six or ten inches. That is what a boat hoist does, but use of a hoist may require changes to long-established working practices, which never goes down well.
Finally, we are having a bad time this year with speeding in the harbour. Speeding creates wash which is dangerous and makes the harbour an uncomfortable place to stay. So the speed camera and other technology are now being deployed to try to control speeding. Nobody likes enforcement in what is after all a leisure harbour. It would be good if there was another way of encouraging people to move about the harbour quietly without disturbing or endangering others: but apparently not so.
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