Henry Wrigley on Harbours

This applies to the year 1999.

‘Movement of Red Funnel Passenger Car Ferries, just under 14,000 a year. Movement of Red Jet Catamarans, 22, 882. Movement of large vessels under Pilotage, 308, movements of Commercial Vessels not Piloted, 208, number of vessels transiting Cowes to Newport and return, that’s vessels going all the way up to Newport and back, 262.’

I expect that has almost basically finished now. I would imagine.

‘Total movement of Commercial Vessels per annum, 37,496. Yacht mooring capacity in those days, about 1,152, number of receipts of visiting yachts, 42,500 odd,’ and so on.

So, it’s a very busy thing. I always remember someone asked me about the size of Cowes Harbour and they were going on about their Harbour and statistics and all the rest of it.

I was able to say quite happily, I always claimed that I had over 1.200 ship owners in this Harbour but of course, every yacht no matter how small, how big, is owned by a person and that is most valuable to them.

So, there we are. Oh, there’s an interesting one here I’ve just realised.

‘Lastly, two and a half million passengers transit the Port a year.’

Think about that. ‘And over 761000 tonnes of cargo was handled’ and I look upon the cargoes coming into the Island as a barometer of Island industry. i.e. the marine usage onto the Island, and basically if for instance the rate of increase in seaborne aggregates, limestone chippings from Wales, from Scotland, that indicates to me the building industry has got a spurt on or roads are receiving a awful lot of work.

OK, other sorts of cargo, you’ve obviously got your petroleums and oils that come in to Kingston Wharf where there’s big storage there.

A limited amount comes over on the Car Ferries incidentally, especially at night ‘cos they’re hazardous goods but the main bulk comes over by tanker etc.

What else is there? Timber, from the Scandinavian countries, grain exported out into Ireland and Germany, no doubt malting barley and that sort of business.

What is it, seaborne aggregates, stones.

Oh, the other thing only Cowes can handle for this Island are specialist heavy lifts like big transformers for Power Stations, 90 tonnes at a time, specialist ships.

I even closed the Harbour and stretched a ship right across the river so that these could be slid off the stern of the boat.