Shipping berthed in the Firth - a feature that tourists enjoy or a noisy and unsightly intrusion?
On Wednesday night in the URC hall Tommy
told his River CC colleagues that he had received an e-mail from Ritchie
Cunningham. Tommy read out the request he had received here we reproduce most of what was said:
“For the attention of Community Councils in
Nairnshire. Nairnshire visitors cannot fail to have noticed the almost constant
presence of oil tankers and other vessels off the Nairnshire coast since Easter,
indeed for only a few days have we had an uninterrupted view. Such has been an
eyesore in what is an important tourist destination and a source of clearly audible
noise as well as low frequency nuisance. The prospect of free anchorage here
has deterred them from anchoring in the areas where they would have had to pay
fees. In other areas of Scotland Port Authority areas often cover the entire
Firth. For example Clyde Port Moray Firth to take the waters
off Nairn into their ambit. If a Port Authority in Scotland Scotland
Graham Vine then said: “I am not a resident
of this community council area but my bedroom does overlook the Firth and those
boats. It is true that you do sometimes get noise when they are empty, it’s usually
very, very low frequency but I can’t it’s ever bugged me and it’s like living
in the countryside and looking out over the fields and saying my view is
blighted by that tractor.”
Tommy then said that his personal view was
that he was living just a 100 yards from the sea shore and he never heard it.
A little later Rosemary Young (Chair of
West CC and visiting River’s meeting) said after putting her tourism hat on:
“Can I say something on the behalf of the
tourist association? I find all the tourists love looking at the ships and find
it quite interesting. I think he has a valid point if there is money to be
made, why not? But I’m sure that’s a very difficult process to get into – it’s
not our remit I’m sure. We’ve got enough to do without that.”
After a little more discussion Graham Vine
asked: “Are we all agreed that the boats are not an eyesore, they are just a
feature?”
There was no one that dissented with Graham’s view and the Secretary minuted the result of the discussion.
15 comments:
When we went on a family holiday to Whitby we purposely booked a villa overlooking the sea to view the beauty of the boats in the water. Using shipais.com as linked to in the Gurn we learned a lot about the shipping movements on the North Sea. I reckon many holiday makers in Nairn are just as interested in the comings and goings in the Moray Firth as we were in Whitby.
What?! Ships sail in something called the sea, Nairn is beside the sea, ergo ships.
Perhaps Mr Cunningham should consider a move inland, although maybe as Mr Vibe pointed out tractors may then prove to be a problem for him
I'm not too keen on the airplanes that fly in the sky above Nairn but I wouldn't dream or writing to anyone to complain about it (Okay, maybe I just have!)
Ships, airplanes, vehicles are all part of modern life in terms of transport
more noise from boy racers i think. not a lot done about them driving fast in built up areas.
I too can sometimes see the anchored ships from my window and like seeing them. By looking at the way their facing I can tell if the tide is coming in or our - front of the ship faces into the tide
Many tourists look at all the boats in the harbour and I'm sure they enjoy gazing at the ships as well
I was sorry to read that Mr Cunningham suffers from the noise they make, I must admit I've only heard them on really still windless days and they don't bother me at all, rather comforting to hear the gentle hum and seeing them all lit up at night
I've grown quite fond of the ships and when the regulars are not out there I use the shipais site already mentioned to see where they are and what they are doing.
One day I was lucky enough to be taken out in a yacht which sailed along the length of the PetroAtlantic (one of the big red tankers) and it was quite an impressive sight close up too.
Ritch is right. These boats should be made to use the harbour like everyone else and then they could switch off the engines and we would all get some piece
What ships? There weren't any down there tonight. Did the traffic wardens finally turn up?
No, somebody pulled the plug.
salty the seagull makes more noise. our clock keeps ticking more noise and so the list goes on and on. so not sure what all the noise is about. i work in noise all day. but replace it with music. a more noise you say. well its music to my ears keeps me happy.
Wait for it he will want the planes to take a different heading to the airport next.Come on more important thing to worry about that a tanker in the sea !!!!!
Wait for it he will want the planes to take a different heading to the airport next.Come on more important thing to worry about that a tanker in the sea !!!!!
The interesting point which few appear to have noticed is that - unlike the Firth of Forth, where fees are charged by the local council or port authority - ships can anchor in the Moray Firth for free.
Isn't it odd that Highland Council, which has just published a new parking order for road vehicles, and had recently upped the harbour dues for local boat owners, seems unwilling or unable to levy parking charges on the big ships that sit for weeks off the coast.
An opportunity being missed to raise a bit of revenue for hard-pressed Council funds?
Quite right Ritchie, I live on Lochloy road and quite often we can hear in bedroom at night with windows shut, these rust buckets should not be there.
I always shut my windows when I want to hear things, very effective
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