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The Wells Harbour Commissioners’ responsibilities are many and a key one is to maintain Wells harbour as a working port, a WHC responsibility since 1663. This is why the WHC have been exercised about the amount of quay space taken up by the Albatros, which, on occasions, prevents the Harbour Master from accommodating working boats.
For months now the Commissioners have been in discussions with Ton (the owner of the Albatros) to come to a mutually agreeable solution about what to do with our lack of quay space. When Albatros was a sea-going vessel – sometimes for weeks at a time – her berth could be occupied by visiting working boats. Now the Albatros has changed her role and not moved off the quay for several months and is, in effect, a floating hostelry. We need this space for other working boats i.e. angling boats, survey boats, and other commercial vessels. They bring employment into the town and we must always look to the future.
The commissioners are aware of the desire by a number of the town’s residents and many of its visitors for the Albatros to remain in its present position, but, as yet, no one has come to the Commissioners with a solution to the problem.
After consideration and listening to the views expressed by the public, the Commissioners have decided to delay the movement of the Albatros pending an analysis of working boat usage of the quay over the next 18 months.
The Harbour Master will be keeping a record of working boats which he is unable to accommodate due to the position of the Albatros, which may, in any case, be moved either fore or aft by some feet. When the analysis of the loss of working boat quay space is available at the end of 2010, the Commissioners will be able to consult again about the future the Albatros. If it is clear that significant loss of quay space has been confirmed by the analysis, the Commissioners will consult again on the future of the Albatros and look forward to listening to ideas from the citizens of the town as to how the issue is to be resolved.
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