After more than 30 years based in the harbour, mariner Mark Hammond is still "gutted" his former expedition boat, Maia, must soon leave the Steamer Basin marina.
Mr Hammond’s vessel is the last to leave the basin marina after receiving a Port Otago termination notice and he plans to move the boat to Lyttelton late this week but will continue to live in Dunedin.
Port Otago has advised that the marina, which has fallen into disrepair, is to be demolished.
Mr Hammond has voiced his concerns in a letter to all Dunedin city councillors and Otago regional councillors.
He said yesterday he hoped the proposed marina demolition could be delayed to enable some other short-term options to be considered, given the lack of berths for recreational vessels in the harbour.
Mr Hammond said Port Otago had offered him the chance to move his 18m, 40-tonne vessel temporarily to the Carey’s Bay wharf, but the six-month berth would not be suitable for his vessel and would not solve the longer-term problem of having nowhere to keep his vessel.
He hoped, longer term, to bring Maia back to Otago Harbour, but he believed it was likely to be two to three years at least before suitable facilities were available, he said.
Given Port Otago’s mainly commercial focus, the harbour had fallen well behind other main New Zealand harbours in its facilities for small recreational vessels, including visitors, and small commercial vessels.
Port Otago Ltd general manager marine Sean Bolt said the issue of berths for recreational and small commercial vessels raised by Mr Hammond had been "bubbling away" quietly for some time, and the company was already considering future options.
He had had preliminary discussions with the yacht club, and an out-of-town marina design consultant had been asked to prepare a design concept within three months, Mr Bolt said.
This report would give a first indication of likely costs, he said.
He was cautiously optimistic modern facilities could be provided for recreational and small commercial vessels, but any solution would require a four-way collaboration between the port company, the Otago Regional Council, the Dunedin City Council and the yacht club.
Working with the yacht club would be cost-effective, because it already had a big breakwater and a consent to use it, whereas the process of building a breakwater and gaining consents could cost millions of dollars, Mr Bolt said.
Pontoon facilities could be significantly expanded, but he acknowledged significant dredging would be required, including to create a side channel to bring vessels to the club from the main channel.
Dunedin harbourmaster Steve Rushbrook, who has established two swing moorings for visiting recreational craft near Rocky Point, said the harbour’s recreational mooring facilities had fallen behind and any improvement was welcome.
Mr Hammond welcomed early moves to develop collaboration between Port Otago Ltd, its owner, the regional council, the DCC and the yacht club to expand and improve marina facilities.
Yacht club caretaker and manager Barry Gibbs said the club had few details of exactly what was envisaged, but the consultant’s report would help clarify matters.
