BBSC and the Community

Comments from the Batemans Bay Sailing Club given to the Marine Park Authority by letter on 14 July 2007.

“The Batemans Bay Sailing Club on behalf of sailors has some
priorities it wishes to submit, in the marine park’s planning, for the
success of sailing as a sport, a recreation and as a community
activity. We believe that they have a very small, if any, negative
environmental impact, but are quite important in the safe conduct of
sailing activities and for some other boat users in the marine park
area.

The sailing club has some permanent marker buoys in Batemans Bay to
mark sailing race courses. They have a minimal environmental impact and
are serviced annually. Their locations have been provided to the MPA.
The club also lays some small race marker bouys on race days, with
light anchor and rope line, well away from shore lines; they have
minimal impact, as does the light anchoring of our race committee boat
on race days. We have two permanent moorings at Square Head, which
provide safe moorings for local and visiting yachts waiting to cross
the Clyde River bar in safe conditions. They are serviced anually and
would have minimal environmental impact.

We note that the park’s draft zoning plan allows anchoring in the
three zone categories and we strongly hope that will be adopted in the
final plan, for safety reasons. It is important for boating safety to
have sheltered anchorages and we support the retention of access to the
recognised existing safe anchorage locations.

It is also important to the development of dinghy and catamaran
sailing that their launching off safe beaches in the marine park,
suitably protected from the open ocean, continue to be permitted; for
example Corrigans Beach in Batemans Bay.

We strongly support the enlargement of the marina for boat berths
within the existing Batemans Bay boat harbour. We believe that the
zoning of the boat harbour and the southern Clyde river foreshore from
the bridge to the river mouth should allow for marine development
consistent with Batemans Bay being a minor port, including boat storage
and maintenance facilities.

The Batemans Bay Sailing Club also strongly believes that the marine
park’s zoning should not preclude the dredging of the bar at the mouth
of the Clyde River. The bar there is artificially created by the ending
of the breakwater and is shallow to the point of restricting navigation
and denying safe passage at all times to local and visiting yachts and
other vessels. The club has made representations to the relevant NSW
State Government ministers and other authorities to dredge the bar. The
club submits that the marine park zoning should not impede the trial
dredging of the bar, which has reached a condition that impedes
navigation and safe passage at times. We understand that dredging, and
resultant allowance of more natural tidal and other water flows, could
assist oyster-growing conditions in the Clyde River.

The sailing club is committed to the continued development of
sailing as a recreation and sport within the Batemans Marine Park. The
natural beauty and ambience of the marine park area is a major
attraction for sailing. The club looks forward to continuing
cooperation with authorities to maximize over the long term the
benefits of the park for sailing and the attractions of the Eurobodalla
as a sailing venue.”

Thank you for the opportunity to make these comments.

Kind regards

Roger Freney

for Andrew Bain, Commodore, Batemans Bay Sailing Club ;and member of the Batemans Marine Park Shadow Advisory Committee