Kayak Launching fee on the Yealm

[TerryC]

I learnt yesterday that the River Yealm Harbour Authority intend charging kayakers a launch fee from 1/1/14.

There is also a link to an article about the charge in the Ivybridge paper http://www.ivybridge-today.co.uk/news.cfm?id=35141

Also this link takes you to the minutes of the River Yealm Harbour Authority when it was voted in (minute 56/13) http://www.yealmharbourauthority.co.uk/downloads/RYHA_Minutes092013.pdf

Although I don’t know many details yet I understand the fee is going to be £10 a year. Over the years I have used the Yealm on many occasions and tend to paddle mainly during the winter when it is quieter, launching from either the PUBLIC hard over in Noss or from the small beach next to the Harbour Masters Office in Newton. That is after I have parked on a public road then carried my kayak down some steps onto the small beach, very rarely using the pontoon or any other facilities.

My main concern as a leader of club trips on the Yealm is that when I organise a trip in the future does that now mean each kayaker will be required to pay £10. I have had anything between 20 and 30 paddlers out on these trips. For some of these paddlers this would be the only trip they would make on the Yealm, so a rather costly paddle! As a large group (£200 to £300) this will now make launching from the Yealm an expensive activity and really making it a no go area in the future.

If anyone has any more details about the Yealm launching charge please let me know. I will be contacting the Harbour Master to share my own opinions with him.

Terry

[Anonymous]

From my reading of the River Yealm Harbour Authority regulations, the charge is not for launching as such.

The charge is for simply being in the river; much as British Waterways charge for being on a canal, or the Thames Conservancy for being on the River Thames; and is applicable to anyone using any part of the tidal river East of the Sandbar “from sea or land”.

I haven’t been able to track down an actual copy of the byelaws underpinning their right to charge, but one has to assume that this right to charge for use of waters leased by the Harbour Authority from the Crown, is supported by the Statutory Order under which the Harbour Authority was created.

It bears consideration that the same charging powers are probably invested in QHM and the Cattewater Harbour Commissioners, but have not yet been brought to bear on kayakers.

Just for the record Salcombe Harbour Authority has a similar charge of £10.40 a year for canoes. It seems to me that this is something the BCU/Canoe England should be actively discouraging, and the question should be urgently referred to them by the club for action (sorry guys)

[Ken Hamblin]

Terry Dave have just phoned the harbourmaster Bob DEARN at Newton Ferrers who I believe used to be a member of our club some while ago. It is only a Launching fee from the Yealm area which is an annual fee for the year per person. I have explained to him the frequency of our trips and he is going to take it back to their committee at their next meeting which will be in a months time to discuss for the one off launches by any individuals. I cannot see that they would continue to charge a fee of £10 per person for a one off launch. For info he was against this idea in the first place so I think he will be on our side. Hopefully. 😀 😀 😀 😀
Ken

[TerryC]

Thanks Ken,

I had an email in draft ready to send to Rob the Harbour Master but will hold fire for now until after the Harbour Authority next meet. I remember Rob from his days in the club and have had a few chats with him when the club has paddled the Yealm over the past few years.

Terry

[EMU]

Does this mean if you paddle into the Yealm from the sea they will expect you to pay?
To be fair if you use their steps or pontoons to launch from a small fee to cover maintenance etc is not too bad. £10 is a bit steep for what may be a once or twice a year thing. At least for now the parking is free.

[bruceb]

The RYHA website is quite confusing. Under the visitors information it says that harbour dues are only due if you stay overnight or use facilities. This would imply that there is no charge if you just paddle into the estuary from the outside. It is clear that there is an intention to charge if you launch from anywhere in the harbour. As you say, if we have to pay 10 pounds each when we go for a club paddle there, it would make for an expensive trip as well as being a bit of a nightmare for whoever is leading as the money would have to be collected and, in theory, stickers produced for each boat. Hopefully we can get a more sensible arrangement, perhaps as a modest daily fee or an annual club payment (provided it is reasonable) that would at least allow club paddles to take place. Better still if they don’t charge us at all for our very limited use.

[TerryC]

Can I just point out that the Yealm steps down to the jetty are a designated public footpath. The toilets next to the Harbour Masters Office are classed as public. We park on a free public highway on Yealm Rd. I launch from the beach to the right of the steps which I presume is public. There are a few other designated public launching spots around Newton and Noss.

Harbour dues are an imotive subject and my own thoughts as an individual are that kayaks should not be charged (for various reasons). I suspect that the charging of kayaks is being driven by a lot of factors one being that many of the locals are fed up with the large volume of summer recreational kayakers & stand up paddleboarders and the commercial operators and this is a way of reducing the numbers using the Yealm.

Terry

[Clive A]

There are a number if documents relating to harbour authorities of which http://www.exeter.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=10396&p=0 is just one. A quick glance at this and you will see that harbour authorities have a duty to maintain buoys and other channels markers and that they have the authority to dredge channels etc. From this I think it is fair to assume that a harbour authority quite possibly owns the estuary bed, or at least has jurisdiction over it, and that this ownership extends to the foreshore. Harbour authorities will probably hold the opinion that they own the water that sits on top of the estuary bed, meaning that harbour users are liable to fees no matter how they access the water.

I have written to Canoe England access team seeking clarification, and to learn whether failure to pay harbour dues would be a criminal or civil offence. If and when I know more I will post an update.

Clive A

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