Boaties: Give us a safe harbour or risk disaster | Canterbury Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Canterbury

Lyttelton's recreational boating facilities are regarded as the worst in the country. And for frustrated local boaties, there's no sign of an improvement on the horizon. NICK TOLERTON reports

Money needs to be spent urgently to provide safe boating facilities at Lyttelton, say yacht and boat owners.

The council has $5.9 million earmarked for boating facilities at Magazine Bay in its Long Term Council Community Plan.

However, it's not rushing to do anything while planning with the Auckland property developer Covington Group proceeds at a snail's pace for a grand redevelopment of the reclamation.

With the dilapidated marina and inadequate and deteriorating public ramp at Naval Point, Lyttelton's recreational boating facilities are universally regarded as the worst in the country.

Lyttelton is blacklisted as a port of call for cruising sailors, say boaties.

And the appalling facilities jeopardise opportunities to host major sailing contests. With up to 200 families attending events like the Optimist nationals, that's a big loss for Canterbury.

Worse, many boaties feel Lyttelton's shortcomings mean a risk of disaster one day.

"Consider this scenario," says Magazine Bay Berth Holders Association chairman David Grant.

"A sunny Sunday. Thirty to 40 power boaties with families aboard have headed down the harbour. Around 1-2pm a 20knot south-westerly change comes through. Under the present circumstances, the families are unable to get ashore and they are unable to get their boats out of the water.

"A similar change on a Saturday puts the well-being of the children in sailing dinghies and the trailer yachties at risk."

Naval Point Club secretary-manager Ken Camp says what is needed most is protection from southerlies for small boats. The talk should be about a small boat harbour, not a marina, he said.

"They should be focusing on providing some breakwater facilities, and the rest will naturally follow, but they've got it backwards."

Yachties and boaties fear that when the Covington plan finally appears, planning consent issues could drag on for years with nothing happening for boaties.

In the meantime some of the $5.9 million the council has earmarked should be spent on a breakwater for a safe small boat harbour, they say.

Adding to their fury over the inaction is that since the Lyttelton marina went into receivership after the October 2000 storm demolished much of it and 30 boats, the receiver has been getting close to $100,000 a year from berth holders and ramp users, with little to show for it.

They ask why the marina company has not been liquidated after six years. Normally receiverships are wrapped up within 12 months.

"We go without the basic facilities for safe boating," said Grant.

The city council's capital programme manager Kevin Mara said the $5.9 million in the LTCCP for the "public good" component of facilities at Magazine Bay had been aligned to take into account the marina development that had been proposed by Covington.

The idea was to have a co-ordinated development rather than a piecemeal approach to the area, he said.

And he warned nothing was going to happen in a hurry.

"Plans will be made public when the council has worked through the development issues with Covington Group. No timeframe has yet been set for this. A significant amount of work still has to occur."

The council took over the receivership as part of the amalgamation with Banks Peninsula, said Mara.

Legal advice had been obtained and it was considered that the receivership should continue while the council worked through the development issues with Covington. This was "sound business practice," he said.

# What do you think about the harbour issues? Email nick.tolerton@starcanterbury.co.nz