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Hi again Weatherbeaten,

 
At the time of writing in July 2014, it was intended you’d be able to use Y Pier to tie up after races, but since then the use of the pier has changed, and the marked ‘Load and go’ zones are provided with space for several boats. 
 
For any pile berth users that are unable to use these zones when they need to, please write in or call Kevin at the marina office and specify the time and day, and the length of the wait, so that we can keep an eye on how it's going. 
 
Cheers,
 
The Team at Westhaven
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Hey thanks for responding here Westhaven, I will get in contact directly, perhaps next week.

 

And just to add to the positive , a friend of mine recently became quite concerned about an issue , and brought it up directly with you guys . After initially calling me quite worried ,he rang me back shortly after with nothing but praise and relief at how well he was treated, and problem solved. It was quite a biggy ,I thought.

Thats worth a lot and confirms what I have always thought ( and why I ticked all the excellent boxes in the survey,but apart from this big security tag change) That our interests as Boat owners ,and marina owners and tenants are respected.

Thanks again.

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Hi The big T, 

 

In the past what has happened is the smaller boats, many of whom use very little power, have ended up subsidising the big users. 

 

Here's some info about utilities charges: 

 

http://www.westhaven.co.nz/westhaven/the-forum/pedestal-upgrade-project/

 

Cheers,

 

The Westhaven Team

 

PS Island Time - quite right and we'll let you know mid next week. 

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Hey thanks for responding here Westhaven, I will get in contact directly, perhaps next week.And just to add to the positive , a friend of mine recently became quite concerned about an issue , and brought it up directly with you guys . After initially calling me quite worried ,he rang me back shortly after with nothing but praise and relief at how well he was treated, and problem solved. It was quite a biggy ,I thought.Thats worth a lot and confirms what I have always thought ( and why I ticked all the excellent boxes in the survey,but apart from this big security tag change) That our interests as Boat owners ,and marina owners and tenants are respected.Thanks again.

Well thats all turned to crap since then,I notice I wasn't given a contact to talk to and I'll not be visiting that office anytime soon to be mauled at the front desk again.

Appalling behaviour on a separate issue, and as you can see, I'm still up and awake at 2 am fuming. No sleep for me tonight.

 

 

I urge any crew .org members to make your displeasure known at this ludicrous security policy ,at the open day coming up. I won't be there.

 

Destruction of a community, I can't visit my friends boats anymore .We're allowed to have friends in boats you know. After over 20 years of doing it almost automatically,I can't help my friends with boats by checking on them when the gales come through.Cell blocks. Don't stray out of your cell block.

 

I grew three fine children, they're young adults now and still fine responsible young people. They can't visit the boat they grew up on, something I've always encouraged. They can't show her to their friends or stop aboard. not without the rigmarole of picking up one of these stupid little bastard tags.

 

Inconvenience . New Westhaven pastime.. boat owners sitting at the cell block gate waiting for guests.

Or worse, guests arriving in ones and twos. thats 100 metres walk for me , x 2 , x 3 x whatever.

 

and this is just spring, the season has barely started and 8 out of 10 people who used to be like me , strong westhaven supporters, are just pissed off and frustrated at stupid unwarranted , unwanted ticket clipping bullshit like these '''security''' tags.

Thank god I no longer have a race crew , that must be hell.

 

oh. side effect of stupid little ''security'' tags. gates propped open with trolleys. great security Westhaven, no gates at all.

 

 

Where the hell is the berth holders association?

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Hi John,

 

Sorry to hear things didn't go well for you. 

 

In our post to you several weeks ago in response to your concerns, we'd suggested that you send us a message via Crew.org.nz so that we can introduce you to the right person either to phone or meet. If you could please do that it would be appreciated. I will message you now too. 

 

Westhaven works with WMUA on a range of issues including security tags. Soon we'll be sending invitations out for the next Westhaven Forum so that might be an option for you, although we'd prefer to talk with you before then.

 

We hope you'll come to the Open Day tomorrow - there is a lot going on. 

 

Westhaven Marina 

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Change of thread direction - anyone get a fright re their first power charges at Westhaven?

 

I did! 

My post is on a corner and gets used by a few people. 

I've put a padlock on it now - shame as now the dog walkers have nothing to wash the poo off the pontoons with now... 

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"John B - you’re obviously a long term customer and we’d like to discuss your thoughts and concerns with you in more detail, if you’d like to get in touch via the PM, could we arrange a phone call or meeting? "

 

 

So you did, I only remembered the phone call suggestion.Or worse, trying to make it past your front desk.

Since then , I've hauled my boat , antifouled it myself, retouched 3 years of dings, installed a fridge , had solar cells and a controller put in, had rigging work done made a template for a dodger, run a business , spent an approximate 8 hours on the phone and email trying to get resolution for what I am now told is an "administrative error" ,spent another 2 hours on the phone today after 2 hours sleep last night, with the BNZ credit card fraud people trying to find out what I was told in a single phone call to me this morning when I was late for work is true. Sound coherent ? it probably isn't because I'm stressed , tired and pissed off.

 

I've been busy. And quite frankly I'm disgusted. And I still don't have a contact name , and you know exactly who I am.

I did nothing to you except pay my bills on time every time for 20 years.Plus.

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Yep, this new security arrangement is just plain dumb. We have crew members pop down to the boat from time to time to tidy up, do maintenance or whatever ... and yes we too have to wander to and fro to let people in. There has got to be a better way.

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Where the hell is the berth holders association?

The Westhaven Marina Users Association  has a website  http://www.westhavenmarinausers.org.nz. The website looks to be inactive and out of date.

 

The Users Association appears to be invisible in their operations and I have looked all over and  see nothing from them that supports the day to day users of the marina, especially when the marina management do really user unfriendly things such as the tags. I have not seen any posts from the Users Association in this forum.

 

In my view Marina management have forgotten that their salaries and wages are paid by the boat owners who pay marina fees to park their boats at Westhaven. The first question they should be asking everyday is "how can we the Marina Management, make this a better place for our boat owners?"

I think they have lost sight of this and appear to be adopting tactics to make things more awkward, less user friendly and more expensive.

 

Here is my guess on the next thing designed to up the inconvenience and extract more money from boat owners and their crew. BARRIER ARMS  at the car park entry. Arms activated by the tags. Oh yes..... if you want to park your car so you can go sailing pay $30 for a tag thank you.

 

have fun

afu.

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It might be okay for launches but really is a stupid idea for yachts. My code still works on G and over on U so not an issue at present. Once it changes, as I'm usually first to the boat I'll just be leaving a trolley in the gate. Then we'll see how long it takes for the security staff to get pissed off shifting them.

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I'm on the poles and from there I can see the end of U where my crew gather to get picked up by dinghy usually. I can't see my crew waiting at the gate so there is no real way the tags are going to work.

 

The people I know at Westhaven aren't stupid so they can't be happy backing a policy that raises doubt about that.

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Actually Phil, I don't believe that Westhaven management can possibly be happy with it either. I think a bunch of non boating people who have no idea of what it takes to make a boat work( inclusive of crew, family , loading, maintenance , parking and operation) I think those people got together in a meeting and decided to just stuff up our facilty. And those people tell Westhaven what to do.

I have a friend who is category inspector . I have giant respect for him as yachtsman and person in general.

He has a word he uses and the word is ' reasonable'. He uses that word and the meaning of that word to determine whether something is right.

 

Reasonable treatment, reasonable policy, reasonable argument. Using reasonable as the determining factor in an argument or discussion ends up with another good word or collection of words. fair . equitable. reasonable . that makes sense.

 

That's reasonable.

how come you can present a reasonable argument to Westhaven and the answer is

 

 

"Nah".

 

You might then say ,.. 'er but why would you say that?'

 

"Just because".

 

'Just because' being another way of saying " its policy".

 

Well, the policy is wrong and faulty and is not reasonable.

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Which raises the next subject. If the Westhaven users association is defunct and as I used to believe, probably defunct because they were un-needed.This because up until this tag fiasco, Westhaven was being run superbly, with few if any real grizzles. Look at me , I used to be a happy guy before someone decided to push my buttons, rip the scab off. Despite the fact I've been hemorrhaging money into city council coffers for 20 years on time every time and are still on nothing better than a standard 'casual rate'. I used to be happy.

Now I have my friends ringing me up and saying , 'Jesus john.. you've stuck your head up , you're going to get chucked out". I spend my evenings looking on trademe and trying to figure out where I put a 45 foot yacht when Westhaven chucks me out for daring to speak.

 

 

Anyway , here is the next point ,or question:

 

Where are the yacht clubs? What have the management of the three Westhaven yacht clubs done to voice their opinion about this subject , and or what will they do about it if they haven't already.?

 

Why isn't the Royal NZ Yacht Squadron upset about the removal of the freedom that we need to have to operate our boats? Why aren't they upset that the fine youth programme they have designed to bring on and introduce young people into this sport and pastime have stupid obstacles literally put in their way when they , in the next step, get invited to crew on bigger race yachts? Not to mention the crews of the race series they promote and run in such a fine manner.

 

Why isn't the Richmond( sorry Kate) unhappy that their race crews and family yachting participants have to fight to get their people on their boats.

 

Why isn't the Ponsonby Yacht Club , the yacht club I raced winter series and classic yachting with for a decade or two, upset at at THEIR races crews having to prop open gates( so there is no security)or have people run back and forwards with these little kangaroo bollocks securty tags to let people in.

Just like the impact on the two previous clubs and their members.

 

I am just one pissed off numpty with one voice and I get nowhere.( see the previous post)

 

Why don't the three yacht clubs get together with all their power , powerful and educated members, and tell Westhaven that they are enacting an unreasonable policy and that it is not acceptable.

 

Seems reasonable to me , but I'm happy to be educated.

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Happiness is owning a yacht and having a berth in Gulf Harbour Marina, 5 mintues to great cruising water just outside the heads, no security gates, just acces control cards for handy carpark, nice clean bathroom and toilet facilities.  Friendly staff, from Management, Dockmasters and Security. Mostly on first name basis. As a solo sailor and always hoping to avoid an exciting  berthing event, a call on the VHF at the outer markers will always have one of the security or dockmaster's at the berth waiting to take a line.  Did I mention the cheapest Opex in NZ. 

 

Reading this thread has made me realise how fortunate that GHM is a good option for me.

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Don't know quite what to make of all this.

Down here at Whangamata all our marina piers are open to all from sunrise to sunset, but then we are all terribly law abiding and upright citizens in the Coromnandel.

On the other hand, I wintered over one year at Gulf Harbour marina and my neighbour on D pier asked me if I had seen anyone on his boat as someone had stolen his Genoa right off the roller furler. I had not seen anyone, but, if you saw someone striding along the pier in the middle of the day and board the boat next door, perhaps dressed in overalls and carrying a few tools, what would you think? If you asked and he replied 'I'm Fred/Bill/Dave from the sailmaker/engineer/boatbuilder', would you believe him? Really?

Maybe swipe cards aren't so bad.

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Lock's only keep honest people out, If swipe cards and key kept everyone out then nobody would ever get burgled. Whangarei marina Town basin - dusk till dawn it's closed gates, Couple of boat yards here are wide open gates till dusk. Swipe cards are security theater at it's best since most can be cloned and/or read at a distence and the cards physical security is in the hands of 3rd parties when you pass them out. If someone's wallet was stolen how long would it take for them to get down the list of people to call? After banks, work etc etc it may take 12-48 hours to kill a card by which time the damage may already be done.

 

This of course is ignoring the giant hole in it all in that anyone in a dingy is welcome ;)

 

As ChrisC states above, Would you question someone with some tools in overalls on a boat? Would you question them if they were working on the security gate?

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