The current 48-hour time limit in summer appears fair and ensures that as many boaters as possible are able to stop and enjoy Ely. However, many navigation authorities and local councils relax summer 48-hour restrictions during winter and extend them to 10-14 days. Since demand for moorings in Ely is much lower in winter, we have asked that the Council considers following this practice. ECDC policy is that boaters needing to stay for more than 48 hours can use the marina opposite, but this may not always be safe or even possible, especially if the need was not anticipated.
We also highlighted the issue of extreme weather conditions: strong water flows or flooding, high winds, poor visibility and freezing conditions, which can make boating dangerous. Our attention was drawn to the problem after a novice boater received two mooring violation tickets stuck to their boat, during conditions that would have made moving the boat unsafe. ECDC had activated its Severe Weather Emergency Protocol at the time of this incident.
We have made three requests to ECDC, asking them to
• relax the mooring time limit during the winter season
• suspend all mooring restrictions during periods of strong water flows or flooding, high winds and poor visibility
• incorporate the suspension of all mooring restrictions into their Severe Weather Emergency Protocol.
