Hello to any Hobart sailors, and you know what I'm talking about. The time has come to put in submissions to Walker's Draft Integrated Impact Statement (DIIS). As section 8.2.7 says, "The Lauderdale Quay development (construction and operation) will impact on the area currently utilised by windsurfers, and as such, provision has been made in the design to maintain windsurfer access to Ralphs Bay from the Lauderdale Quey development."
This is from the same mob who said that their complete obliteration of an important wetland bird sanctury would have negligble environmental impact.
They want to obliterate our most utilised sailing haven. We all use this spot on the prevailing westerlies, where else can we have the security of a shallow sandbank downwind if we break something, and the perfect learning spot of a bay 800m across, with cross winds, in knee / waist deep water at the right tide?
I've asked Laurie for a Tassie Forum so we can discuss how to approach our submission to the RPDC, without bothering interstate users, but I'm keen to get it happening. Send me a PM if you have ideas. (Mine at the moment are to list the absurdities of the development, their false data re wind readings, and the fact that they will totally destroy a major, healthy, recreational activity for a lot of locals. And a rockwall downwind isn't helping to "windsurfer access to Ralphs Bay from the Lauderdale Quey development."
And anyone with similar experiences elsewhere in the country, please give advice on what sort of things we can do.
My workplace stands to make a fair amount of money out of this development and the pulp mill also, but for years I have been telling them to fork off and not support either of these crappy developments. They expect me to go out and get as many sales as I can but I won't be doing anything of the sort re both of these.Tassie does not need this sort of ****e. Both of these issues will see protests like the Franklin dam if they start to go ahead.
Hey easty,
Great to finally meet you.
As you know I live around the corner from here - But I can't see the point in this what must be a brave experiment.
Some changes have been made recently to the low water rules as well (apperntly to allow for a sand bar to be removed in ST helens.
Let me know if I can do something.
ps - I'll PM you as well
Well done easty for giving us the heads up. Apparently comments need to be in writing and submitted by th 6th April. They need to be sent to the RPDC:-
Executive Commissioner,
Resource Planning Development Commission,
3rd floor, 144 Maquarie Street,
Hobart TAS 7000
I have seen the plan/model and agree it will completely stuff the bay for windsurfing. Noone will want to sail immediately upwind of a rockwall in 30 knots of wind where the current sandy bottom will be no doubt replaced by blue metal fill. As far as comments go, I am not sure of the approach either. In printed form the IIS is about 5 foot thick. You can get to it online at:-
www.ralphsbay.net.au
Objection to technical data may not carry much weight unless your a recognized expert in that field. As windsurfers go, we can all comments on the affect on it as a sailing location though.
Thanks again for raising this. I'll pm you after I've waded through some of the doco. myself.
Yep so easy to get drowned in their paper work proposal, I treid to have a look.
It's hard to know what to do and how to get organised.
Tell us if there is going to be a official letter coming from windsurfers.
May be we should get them to build us grassy rigging platforms (like at Prossers) so we still can go and sail out of the bay.
I am passing this page to other windsurfers I work with.
Cheers.
And where is that sea breeze gone? I hate that "looking good but well I am struggling here" 11 knts wind...
Hi guys and thanks for showing an interest. It's a bit hard to do something official, as we don't really have an official windsurfing body (or do we?). I've made a page outlining my (and others) issues, I'll post it next week (it's on my work 'puter), and was just going to get everyone I can to sign it like a petition. It'd be good to get you all to have a look at it and make changes - we have a bit of time so might as well get it right. And yeah, where's the seabreezes?
I hope the RPDC knocks it back though I guess Walker corp wouldn't pursue it if they didn't think they were in with a chance.
Al
