Welcome from The Harbour Master 2012

Last year was another interesting and productive year for the port which saw the completion of several projects. On bad weather days the WHC dredger Kari Hege carried out work in the inner channel to replenish some of the dams at the entrance of the creeks in the marsh. These dams were first built in the 1700s to help maintain the flow on the flood/ebb around the quay which in turn helps to scour the channel. The main channel dredging has improved the tidal window which has increased the entry/exit times for all vessels up to the Outer Harbour. This has been beneficial not only to the wind farm vessels but also for our local fishermen and visitors.

I am aware that there is also some negative impact due to the dredging works on the smaller sailing boats but we are minimising this as much as possible where we can, and will continue to do so. The sailing fraternity continues to be an important part of the leisure side of the port. As always it is a continual juggling act to keep the commercial and leisure activities working side by side in a positive and harmonious way! The good news for the port was that in 2011 the MMO adopted Wells as a model port showing how this juggling act can be successfully achieved.

The number of visiting vessels during the year was down but this is possibly due to the disappointing weather during the summer season combined with the recession and its effect on fuel prices. Many of the visitors we did have commented on the much improved showers that have been upgraded and the friendly welcome they always receive from the staff.

WHC approved and endorsed the construction of the East End building for the storage of the port's ever growing amount of equipment and this should also help reduce significantly the number of thefts that the port has suffered in recent years. Also the plans for a new wooden quay/jetty to be built to the north of the Harbour Office for public use and the berthing of the Albatros should be well in progress and we hope to see this completed for the 350 year anniversary of the Wells Harbour Commissioners in 2013.

Recent times have seen many staff changes around the port. Matthew Somerton was promoted to Assistant Harbour Master in recognition of his hard work and enthusiasm and he has proved very popular with the visiting yachtsmen. Simon Blakeley has been appointed Port Logistics Supervisor and Graham Riseborough has also been appointed, both have become great assets to the harbour team and port. The feeder vessel, Frank-T, has been a beneficial addition to the Harbour and it is kept busier than any of us envisaged with Tony Ford as Skipper and Chas Major as crew - their helpfulness and friendly attitude have been very popular with all. Finally it would be remiss of me if I didn't give a mention to Louise Allen who keeps the Harbour Office running smoothly and manages the port's finances as well as keeping me in check, making sure I am where I am supposed to be in different meetings, which seem to be on the increase each year which much of it being red tape.

I would like to wish all Harbour users a successful year and I would like to assure everybody that all the Commissioners and staff have the interests of the port at heart but we are well aware that we cannot please all the people all the time as there are many difficult decisions that need to be made.

Robert Smith
Harbour Master

A Message from the Chairman

This year Wells Harbour has been busier than ever. As many of you with long memories know, Wells was primarily a commercial port with many visiting coasters, a fishing fleet and a smaller number of leisure users (particularly visiting boats). Over the years the commercial side of things fell away but was balanced by the increase in leisure activities. Now with the advent of the Outer Harbour in operation, the commercial side of things has increased again.

Visiting leisure boats have fallen away a little in numbers this year, possibly due to both the weather and the economic situation. Most other harbours have suffered the same drop. The Commissioners will now attempt to keep these various activities in a balance, as always a bit of a difficult task.

The Outer Harbour is running well and access has been improved, not only for the wind farm boats but also the fishermen, as well as visiting boats. There have been many days when the Outer Harbour has been full. Contrary to rumours, we have no plans to extend it any further. The dredging moved onto a maintenance basis and any dredging will be to maintain the channel where it fills in rather than deepening it any further.

Plans for the future are mainly shore based, such as a store on our land at the East End, mainly to increase security of all our equipment which is kept in the area. This is particularly relevant as break-ins continue down that end of the Harbour. We are also exploring the extension of the quay to the north of the Harbour Office.

I would like to thank Alistair Kerr who resigned from the Commissioners during 2011. He did a lot of work on our business plans for the future, a very valuable contribution. We also lost Adrian Underwood at the end of 2011 as his work increased so that he could not spend the time that he would have liked to as a Commissioner. A lot of our improvement in communications is down to him including the improved website. We will certainly miss both of their contributions.

We were also sad to lose Liz Blake from the office during the year. As you know our staff is our public face and we miss her ability to cheer people up. The increase in work of the harbour and office means we now have more staff than ever. Rhiannon and Catherine in the office, Simon Blakeley as Port Logistics supervisor plus Graham Riseborough, Tony Ford and Chas Major have all joined our existing team.

I would like to thank all our team for their hard work over the year. You will find them on the quay when necessary at all sorts of odd hours, helping as required. In particular I thank our Administrator, Louise and above all, Robert. I would like to wish all harbour users a good new season in Wells Harbour. We will all do our best to maintain the harbour for everyone.

Charles Ebrill

Harbour Administrator

My second year in post has been an interesting and diverse one, with many changes in the Harbour Office. Liz Blake retired in May 2011 after 12 years of dedicated service. Liz saw many changes during her tenure, from working out of a portacabin to refurbishment of the office, construction of new pontoons and the new Outer Harbour. Her friendly smile and welcoming face will be missed. A leaving barbeque was held for her, attended by Commissioners and colleagues both past and present, to wish her a long and happy retirement. However the work goes on and with Liz's departure new faces have joined. A recruitment campaign for two new part-time administration assistants resulted in the appointment of Rhiannon Boyd-Stevenson and Catherine Ward. With Rhiannon working in the morning and Catherine in the afternoon, the office now has at least two people to man the phones and deal with enquiries.

During 2011, the Harbour Office received a make-over. The outside of the premises was painted and a new sign erected. Also the two office showers were replaced with four new shower cubicles helping to reduce queues for visitors. These have been very well received. Any visitors requiring WiFi should obtain the code from the office as this has been available for a few years now.

In June 2011, a voluntary questionnaire was introduced for all visiting craft. Questions cover buoyage, commercial activity, registration procedures, harbour staff welcome, facilities and Wells Harbour as a place to visit. A high proportion of these were returned with many favourable comments received and the dredging and commercial activity, despite concerns from a minority group, have not deterred visitors. In fact visitors love the new Outer Harbour and its vessel movements. It is welcoming to have feedback both positive and negative and all forms are reviewed by myself and the Harbour Master, so please keep suggestions and comments coming.

In late 2011 equipment was installed in the office which, when fully operational, will provide live weather and tidal information feeds. This will be valuable to all sailors and we hope you will find this beneficial. The new CCTV equipment provides live visual images of the channel and bar, down the run and the Inner Harbour. Ancillary services in relation to the Outer Harbour have started to generate some valuable income to the Port. These new income streams will continue during the construction of the Sheringham Shoal wind farm and will allow the Commissioners to finally consider projects which have been talked about in previous years but were not able to go ahead due to lack of funds. For example the long awaited store at the East End has finally been given the go-ahead. See the Harbour Master's report for further details.

The Wells Harbour Maritime Trust was also launched in 2011. Harbour Master Robert Smith had been developing a fund as a result of his activities in promoting the Port of Wells. The idea is to provide young people in the Wells area with an opportunity to enjoy water-based leisure activities or to attend maritime courses for career development. Anyone wishing to donate to the fund can do so by picking up a form from the office or downloading one from the website. Any young person between the age of 11 and 20, living within a ten mile radius of Wells can apply for a grant. Forms are available in the office or can be downloaded from the website.

Everyone working for the harbour is passionate about the services and facilities we offer and wants to keep the Port of Wells as a thriving and successful harbour where leisure and commercial activity can sit side by side to the benefit of all stakeholders. Whilst we cannot please everyone all of the time, all the staff work hard, sometimes above and beyond the call of duty, so please let us know not only about the things you don;t like but about the things you do like as well!

Louise Allen