The furure for the Dodecanese?

[Kinygos]

It is my love of the island, not the desire to find fault that leads me to bring things to a wider attention.
You will recall the photographs showing the damage to the Halki pontoon in the posting “Halki closed 15/07/09”.
Subsequent to that damage, the Dimos arranged to remove the section.
Excessive loading caused the damage during offshore gusts of wind.
I took the following pictures on 27/07/09, you may not be engineers, but do you think the structure can stand this?





Yes there is a "T" shaped pontoon in there somewhere!
I do feel that at least part of the future of Halki lies in the boating market; Turkey is now getting expensive and this represents a great opportunity for the Dodecanese.
Unfortunately, it would mean a substantial investment and, no doubt upset some of you, to create true marinas all over the Dodecanese. That is true marinas rather than unprotected overloaded pontoons.
I do not see the monopoly of Laskarina, and the dominance of the Brits being reinstated. Halki is no longer a British enclave, nor should it be so. We are all Europeans now and should embrace this.
Incidentally as a “motorboater” I can be ignored by some of the dedicated “Yachty Types”, so this is not self-interest!
Am I suggesting the destruction of the Halki you want?
“Let’s have a heated discussion”

[Liz]

Personally I like all the boats ..and I may be wrong but I think they bring good business to the island -I love watching them come in ..the palava of 'parking' ..the music from the guillets ...the huge fancy yachts ( all the oohing and aahing and wondering whose on board )

and it makes a turn around the square a little more interesting

[lisa]

Sorry Simon - too tired for a heated discussion.
We do enjoy watching some of thse yachty types trying to moor them especially when they snag the anchor, it can provide hours of entertainment! ;D

[fatcat]

Jul 29, 2009 17:03:14 GMT Liz said:

Personally I like all the boats ..and I may be wrong but I think they bring good business to the island -I love watching them come in ..the palava of 'parking' ..the music from the guillets ...the huge fancy yachts ( all the oohing and aahing and wondering whose on board )

and it makes a turn around the square a little more interesting

Agree with all of that ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Enforcer]

Kinygos, I do not think any of the Halki faithful have a problem with the visiting yachties, gullets, caciques, or even oil-burning polluters like you. Not only do the yachties provide a source of amusement when they make a hash of their parking but the town is big enough to absorb them and their transient nature ought not to upset the odd nimby or two. ;D

I remember the first floating yacht-parking lot being bolted to the hotel. Great sport was had with the visiting ferries doing hand-brake turns trying to get in and park up. That parking lot was destroyed in the following spring storms and subsequently moved to its present location where there was even water and electricity on tap; that lasted only one season.

However, I do take exception to your misguided belief that “We are all Europeans now” (there, I rose to the bait), we are not! Whilst not in the “Fog-in-the-Channel-Europe’s-cut-off” brigade I have lived and worked in Germany and lived and worked in France. Believe me, we are different.

When England and its vassal states evolved into a democratic union with laws, checks and balances the Europeans were still a collection of feudal fiefdoms. That psyche still exists today. I work for a French company and an Anglo-Saxon from William 1st era would not notice much difference in the relationship between the rulers and the ruled today; the Germans are still Prussian at heart. The French have actually evolved and I admire their method of dealing with daft diktats from their government – we could learn a lesson there! ;D ;D

The historian Arthur Bryant put it more succinctly in his book Set in a Silver Sea. The relationship between the Great Britain and the continent is to ignore it and trade with the world. Should an upstart try to impinge on our way of life, Phillip, Napoleon, Hitler, et al, then and only then should we step in and slap them down.

Now let us have a heated discussion . . . . ;D

[Enforcer]

Arrrrrrrgh! I am beginning to sound like our R A.

Sorry everybody – blame Kinygos for throwing down a gauntlet.

[lynn]

We love to watch the comings and going of the boats and always feel embarrassed when they get it wrong, because it's usually the brits that can't park. A decent marina would be an asset to the island and would certainly give us all a bit more interest when taking a turn round the harbour.

Sorry Simon, no heated discussion from me either.

[Deleted]

It is refreshing to use a forum that does NOT have heated debates

[kathy]

Maybe its because the people who like the tranquility of Halki are generally too laid back for heated discussions - most of the time! ;D ;D

[Kinygos]

The late, great, (Major) Oliver Kite used to catch trout on a “bare” wired hook using the “induced take” method. I have done this too and it was very satisfying, but the satisfaction of inducing a “take” from The Enforcer comes close!

Back on the subject: A proper large harbour at Kamiros Skala with an internal marina would be a great asset. The marina would bring trade to the tavernas and more importantly; a protected jetty would have prevented the “Apagarevtiho” on the 15th. It would be expensive (for the EEC!) but a lot more use than the unusable, unprotected jetty at Khania. (Ooooh look, a power cable! Where did that come from?)

Is it not extraordinary that only one harbour exists on the west coast of Rhodes? Especially as Fanes runs no ferry to anywhere.

[Enforcer]

Kinygos, sooner or later you will not be able to resist. ;D

Does anyone remember the harbour at Tilos before they added the new-ish concrete marina?

The added marina has been constructed very tastefully, is practical, does not detract from the general ambience of the harbour front and would neatly fit in nearly every harbour around the islands, KS and Halki included.

Kathy - glad you said "most of the time" (LC???)

[pda]

Am I wrong in remembering that last year there was supposed to be a new cunning plan to put a marina over by the hotel ??
Joining up the headland to the small isle and creating a proper long lasting place. No ? Yes ?
Did anyone else hear anything.

[Deleted]

pda, yep. I did hear all that and mentally tacked it onto the end of that evergrowing list of grandoise Halki schemes that seldom if ever take off. My money says that joining Halki to Nissi will never happen. A marina by the hotel could work but they would have to placate the fishermen and find alternative moorings. The ground moorings are already overcrowded. There are not many alternative mooring areas in Halki and those guys like to 'watch' their boats.

[howard]

If they ever did join up the headland to Nissos, I would love to be there to hear the resounding THUNK when Prevelis runs into it on it's way up from Diafani! It would make the "Parallel parking" of the Kornaros a few years ago seem like a very minor event.

[Deleted]

That channel is the deeper and easiest navigational approach to Halki. Years ago, when the DANE Sea Lines operated, some of their vessels would only use that entrance. To close it is in my humble opinion, a non starter. A madcap idea among many.