SUMMER 2023 NEWSLETTER: SOLVA HARBOUR SOCIETY
We are now halfway through the season; winds have been fair, and we have had an exceptionally sunny and dry period. The sunny weather has resulted in the Harbour being very busy at weekends with large numbers of visitors and lots of paddleboards and kayakers in the Harbour. Solva has featured in ‘best places’ to live and holiday in national newspapers this year increasing our tourist profile. The summer will be very busy, and we have decided to put in place a Harbour Steward Rota to help maintain safety and manage the facilities for the benefit of members and visitors, to keep the Trinity slip clear and to limit launching to members vessels and to ensure that the fishermen can operate safely. We need 45 volunteers each season to work for five hours with the Harbourmaster to operate safely, control parking and launching and to collect fees for launching and recovery on Sand Quay. Please sign up to help for five hours each year. The rota is on the website. 250 hrs of cover are needed each year. If we cannot find volunteers, we would need to ‘hire in’ cover for this duty in 2024. This would cost each member between £15 – £20 on their membership in 2024.
We will be carrying out our annual budget review in October and with ever rising costs we anticipate a rise in fees across the board in 2024.The Committee have contained costs for 2022 and 2023 even with 10% inflation. Maintaining our facilities is very costly, with labour costs and materials, utilities and insurance rising all the time.
The depression in the tarmac Trinity Quay has been explored and ‘made good’ at a cost of £4,000.The Café on the Quay has been greatly improved. Underpinning works on the Quays have yet to be carried out and further maintenance is needed on the roof of the Clubhouse. New mooring buoys and channel markers have been put in place.
Our budget remains in balance at present, and we anticipate a small loss in 2023 covered by our reserves.
Purple Productions, working for the BBC have filmed an episode of ‘Villages by the Sea’ which will be broadcast in the Autumn.
‘Lift Out’ is provisionally planned on 2nd October 2023.
A successful Social Event, attended by 50 people was organised in the Ship Inn, Solva, after the lift in. We are planning a further similar event on Saturday 30th September on the weekend before the lift. Watch the website for further information.
St Davids Lifeboat will be visiting on 3rd August. The Solva Edge Festival will be organising various activities on the Quay for the Edge Festival, further details to follow.
There may be a Raft Race in 2023, we are awaiting notification from the organisers at Solva Community Council
Our GM was held on 29th April commencing at 1000hrs in The Ship Inn, Solva. Unfortunately, this meeting was not quorate, less than the required 25 members were present. This caused a great deal of work and expense and we have had to run a postal vote which closed on 14th June.
Keith Missen and Paul Renfro were elected to the Committee and Jim Schoenenberger was appointed as one of our three FCA Directors. Congratulations to all.
The Committee endorsed and authorised the role of the weekly management meetings to conduct day to day business.
Members are reminded of the need to display current 2023 boat and parking stickers. For kayaks on the rack the sticker must be displayed on the end of the kayak which sticks out of the rack! All member’s vehicles must have a sticker to park on the Quay.
As the harbour gets busier, please remember to keep to the speed limit of 4 knots at all times until Black Rock and to watch out for swimmers and paddleboards at all times.
Finally, we all have a collective duty as Shareholders to support the Society and uphold the Rules and Byelaws. We all need to work together to maintain and support the Society and to look after our members and the tourist visitors.
As Chair, I would like to thank the President. Vice Chair, Treasurer, Clerk and Harbour Master for their ongoing commitment.
Enjoy the season, good sailing and fishing!
Best Wishes,
David Phillips, Chairman and Company Secretary, Solva Harbour Society.
15th June 2023.
