Chichester Yacht Club Magazine January 2020 | Page 7

So, the challenge was to design the new pontoons and
supporting structures to conform to these requirements, write
a document to send to potential pontoon contractors, apply
for the MMO licence and planning permission from CDC plan-
ning department. This took 12 months and I am delighted to
say we now have a licence from the MMO, we have
planning permission from CDC and we have a Harbour Works
Licence from the Harbour Master, so all the
permissions we require are in place.
The other crucial decision was choosing who to use to provide
and install the pontoons. We did not get a huge response from
the document we sent out. This was probably because ours is
a relatively small job, and I suspect that continental suppliers
were discouraged by the uncertainty of Brexit and because we
were looking for a contractor to take on all aspects of the
work. However, we were able to make a decision based on the
proposals we did receive and after several meetings and
revisions, we have now appointed Walcon to do this work
for the Club. They are a well-respected local company who
have installed pontoons in the marina and the Southampton
boat show for example. They understand the conditions in the
harbour and have been very positive towards our project. We
now have a very good proposal from them that not only
satisfies all of our criteria but is also within our budget.
What is the plan?
We will be replacing both pontoons, both bridges and their shore mountings.
The shore end of the west pontoon will move three metres to the west to
allow more space for safety boat berthing, with the seaward end in the same
place as it is now. The east pontoon will be in the same position but will have
a ramp at the outer end with a finger pontoon either side. This, combined
with a wide access bridge, will allow boats to be taken along the pontoon
and launched from the end, extending the launching and recovery times of
dinghies. It will also put the Club in the position of being able to
accommodate disabled sailors, something that has been delayed because of
the lack of such a facility. The east pontoon will also have a floating berth
alongside to speed the process of getting a safety boat into action, an important safety feature.
Another significant improvement will be berthing for four safety boats on the gravel next to the west pontoon. This will
allow them to be pulled directly into their berths with an electric winch, and, as anyone who has done a safety boat duty
will know, this will make that process much safer than it is now when they have to be manhandled up a slippery slipway
and turned. Both pontoons will be held in place with piles rather than anchors, chains and ropes as they are now, so they
will be more stable and will not go wandering as they have in the past, and could be used for larger vessels.
This will be a significant improvement for the Club as a whole and will be an important investment for the future, building
on our ability to attract new members and retain our current members. To spread the cost and keep it in line with CYC
financial planning we have split the project over two years. In the spring of 2020, the west pontoon will be completed
together with the shore mounting and piles for the east pontoon. In the spring of 2021, we will install the east pontoon
with the ramp and floating safety boat berth. The timing of this work will be critical and we aim to disturb the normal
working of the Club as little as possible, however some disruption will be inevitable and we will make sure that plenty of
notice is given before areas of the foreshore are closed off to members for the contractors to operate. The spring of
2020 is going to be very exciting!
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