EVERY boat owner registered with Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park Authority was informed by letter that authority is closing the Milarrochy Bay slipway. In its letter it states that “the relatively low numbers of craft being launched from Milarrochy Bay (equivalent of one per day in 2015) means it does not make efficient use of the NPA resources to man the slipway”. Only a few weeks ago the park authority website invited mariners to contact it for the code to gain access to Milarrochy slipway if it was unmanned. I was up there last weekend and there is still a sign with a contact number.
The letter goes on to state: “The health and safety risks associated with motorised craft launching ... without support from NPA Ranger service are too high.” Surely if it was deemed safe to launch independently in the past it is still safe to do so?
The letter to registered boat owners also states: “We want people to continue to enjoy this area as safely as possible”. Surely one small boat launching per day is no hazard? The letter claims that the authority has the “aim of striking a balance between the needs of all visitors”. How can this be if it is singling out one section of visitor after another? First campers and now boaters.
As a responsible mariner I regularly check the authority boating section and have been keeping records since 2015. The notice to mariners states: “We have been carrying out a maintenance regime for the hazard and navigation buoys on Loch Lomond.” Whilst claiming to be safety conscious the authority fails big time. The same four faults have been on the site from 2015 and are still not rectified today.
There is room for everyone who is responsible and safety conscious on and around Loch Lomond. Perhaps if the authority spent less money on “consultations” and “charrettes” (or should it be charades?) it would be able to support its third founding aim, which is “to promote understanding and enjoyment (including enjoyment in the form of recreation) of the special qualities of the area by the public”.
Mary M Jack,
9 George Street, Helensburgh.
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