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
Revised September 16, 2006 1:10 PM