Harbour facilities upgrade.

Please see Harbour upgrade news section for more information on the works that will commence week commencing 19th January.

Harbour Master’s report from 2nd June  2026 meeting

Where is the time going? In what seems like the blink of an eye the harbour is bustling with boats, kayaks, paddle boards and swimmers of all ages. As is always the case the quays are popular spots to jump off so potential exists for accidents and injuries. Please all, be careful and can parents of our youngest jumpers keen to launch for the first time keep a special eye out for your youngsters.

This year too we have the added hazard of the pontoons on the north quay which despite being out of bounds are proving irresistible to a number of individuals, some who should know better and those  new to Mousehole who see them as a play park. Through this report I would like to remind all harbour users that the pontoons remain out of bounds to all but commercial fishing boat owners and their crews and pleasure trip boat passengers both boarding and alighting from boats (who will be accompanied at all times).

In order to help minimise the numbers climbing onto and walking down the pontoons the harbour authority have, as previously mentioned now fitted gates to the top of the steps leading to the pontoons and placed end fences at either end of the pontoons to minimise swimmers keen to emulate seals and haul out onto dry land.

Away from the pontoons, but still in the harbour please also be careful around the square concrete structure on the south beach just off the wharf. The concrete shroud around the inner structure is failing and elements have already fallen off. This has been reported to South West Water but unfortunately as of yet no remedial works have been carried out to make it as safe as possible.

Finally, please also be careful of the scaffolding that has been erected on the wharf. This is to facilitate the replacement of the roof on the house it surrounds and we are keeping everything crossed that it may be down before the impending Sea Salts and Sail festival scheduled for the first weekend in July. Please watch this space for further information on SSS.

On a more positive note I am glad to say that the poorly seagull that divided opinion regards the feeding of seagulls has been captured and sent off to a new home to be cared for and recuperate. In consequence Charley (as I discovered he was named) is no longer reliant of being fed in the harbour so feeding has stopped and the rest of the seagulls attracted at feeding times are no longer gathering and learning bad habits.

On another positive note glad to report that the harbour office and clock refurbishment are nearing an end the result being a brand new clock face embedded in a newly refurbished and painted clock tower. The scaffolding is scheduled to come down as soon as the work is complete after which you will be able to see the new clock face properly for the first time. As to the fate of the old clock face, we are hoping that it can find a new home in the Solomon Browne Hall as a exhibit in their museum.

Finally for this report, as always please let us know if you see anything of concern (harbour related!) in and around the harbour so that we can keep the harbour as clean and as safe as possible for all users and visitors.

 

Harbour Master’s report from 21st April 2026 meeting

Once again the harbour has sprung back to life with the baulks being removed early this year to facilitate the eagerly anticipated arrival of the new pontoon system. Installation was trouble free and I am pleased to report that the overwhelming majority of comments have been very positive. In particular there has been much appreciation in respect of safer, ladder free access to the pontoons.

As might be expected we are restricting access to the pontoons to boat owners, their crews and visiting pleasure boat passengers either boarding or leaving their trip boats. It is clear that there is much curiosity regards the use of pontoons being used to fish from, jump over and run up and down on but we will be monitoring this and gently reminding “offenders”  of the ills of their ways. In support of this, over the next month or so you will see barriers being erected on the ends of the pontoons and gated access to the steps leading down to the pontoons. Please be respectful of these rules and where necessary help us enforce them. They’re there for everyones safety which will always remain at the forefront of our focus.

Pontoons aside, the boats are now returning to their moorings bringing colour and life back to the harbour. However the weather has restricted activity so far this season, lets hope for better weather sooner rather than later.

Ashore, pleased also to report that we have seen a great reduction in dog fouling in the South car park flower bed, clearly the threat of being named and shamed is doing the trick :). Conversely, the return of Paul to the South car park is welcome daily addition. Welcome back Paul, a sure sign that summer is on the way.

Other than that, thankfully not much to report, as always should you see anything that concerns you, please let us know and we will do our best to sort any problems.

Harbour Master’s report for November 25.

Following a few weather induced false starts I am glad to confirm that the baulks are now in place and that the boats are safely out of the harbour for the winter. Two currently remain that are due to be removed later this month.  Currently too, some of the kayaks remain but I will be contacting individual owners in due course to ask for their removal for the winter.

In respect of the baulks, this year we have added an additional locking system to keep the baulks securely in place that in addition to doing that will hopefully reduce the amount of noise they can sometimes make in bad weather. Let’s wait and see!

More routinely, am glad to report no significant issues of note in respect of health and safety save for the usual care and maintenance activities undertaken and, as always if you see something that looks dangerous or unusual please let either myself or Bill know so that we can take care of it.

Also glad to report that the lots of behind the scenes activities in relation to the introduction of our previously reported upgrades to the Harbour will become visible this month starting with the installation (weather permitting) of the vertical quay elements of the new pontoons. These “I” beams will hold the pontoons against the quay facilitating their rise and fall with the tides. These installations will be followed by the arrival of the pontoons themselves early next year, the dates for these activities I will report when finalised.

Finally for now, a request in relation to our seabird visitors that frequent the harbour. It has come to our attention that a probably well meaning, but ill advised person has been feeding the seagulls within the harbour. Far from being kind such activities encourage dependence on us for food and often result in aggressive behaviours that can, at least be frightening and at worst be potentially dangerous. NO FEEDING OF THE SEAGULLS PLEASE. If you do see such activity, could you either support us in stopping seagull feeding directly or report it to us so that we can take further action.

Finally finally, my personal thanks to Chris for yet another stunning fireworks display using our harbour as both a stage and a backdrop. Well done Chris.

Harbour Masters report from 29th July meeting.

At the risk of tempting fate glad to report no significant health and safety issues of note since our last commissioners meeting with works continuing to improve our facilities and estate where necessary. As always though, if you see something that concerns you please let me know.

On a much sadder (and frustrating note) I have had two reports of fuel can thefts from vessels mooring in our harbour. With that in mind I would recommend to all, that where fuel cans cannot be secured in lockers or wheelhouses that they be removed from vessels when you are not in attendance. Hopefully the incidences were linked and opportunistic and won’t be repeated. Our CCTV is now keenly focused on moorings to capture any future incidents which will hopefully deter any further thefts. CCTV aside if you see anything that looks suspicious please let me know via the office or mobile number contact details and I or Bill will endeavour to check things out as soon as we can.

With the summer holidays now in full swing it is evident that kayaks and SUPs are much loved and well used. As has been said previously we do allow storage of kayaks within the harbour but only for those that have paid and have an allocated storage entitlement. I have recently noticed that a small number of kayaks have appeared by the war memorial slip that aren’t displaying 2025 permits. All authorised kayaks have been issued with permits so if you are lucky enough to have qualified for a space but not applied your permit please affix your permit to your kayak now. After a period of grace I will be locking the non-permitted offending kayaks to our railings and awaiting calls from the owners seeking release. We don’t have any further spaces available this year so the owners will be asked to remove them.

I am also pleased to report that both the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the Cornwall Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority (CIFCA) will be making visits to the harbour over the coming months. Mousehole has a large number of both commercial and pleasure crafts, many of whom as well as just bobbing around like to enjoy the fruits of the seas. For conservation reasons there are strict limits on who can catch what, how much and how big so the above organisations will be monitoring to ensure all that use our harbour as a base harvest both legally and responsibly. In order to help all with understanding and abiding by the rules I have obtained some adhesive infographic stickers to assist in following those rules. If anyone fishing for the table (especially for crabs, lobster and Bass) wants a sticker please let me know and I will arrange for stickers to be issued to you.

Back on land I am pleased to report that our ever willing and able Commissioner Chris Cass is well on the mend and progressing well with the construction of the new notice board for the harbour railings. Look out for the larger, new notice board coming to a railing near you soon !

Lastly for this months report, just a reminder that the annual punt race will take place next Sunday (3rd August) and all are welcome to attend and or participate. For specifics on rules and requirements please contact any of the punt race organisers. All funds raised will go towards the annual fire work displays that take place within the harbour.

Harbour Master’s report from 3rd June meeting.

Thankfully nothing too adverse to report this month with most things, with the exception of the clock working as expected. Despite Chris Cass’s best efforts our clock remains out of action and we now await a service engineer to diagnose and fix the problem.

Clock’s aside, I would like to pass on my thanks to Commissioner Gwennap for pressure washing and repainting the North Quay toilet block which, together with the recently completed internal refurbishments of our loos afford us some excellent facilities for visitors and locals alike.

Continued thanks too to my phonetic Duke of Edinburgh award volunteer helpers Charlie and Oscar who have regularly been helping me with various tasks around the harbour on a weekly basis. Keep up the good work boys.

On the health and safety front we continue to maintain a watching brief but as always if you see something or have any concerns please don’t hesitate to raise those concerns with us.

Finally, a quick reminder that the Mousehole male voice choir have their first Mousehole concert this Sunday and I am sure they would be appreciative of your support. Fingers crossed for the weather.

 

Harbour Master’s report from April 15th Meeting.

Once again Mousehole Harbour is “Open for business”!!

As all will have seen, the baulks are now up and vessels are returning to their moorings. Prior to that we undertook the annual sand relocation exercise to both save our sand from going out of the gaps and minimise the backwash from SWW infrastructure running around the harbour.

As previously mentioned, all boats mooring in our Harbour must have at least third party insurance and pay for the privilege of mooring in Mousehole. Pleased to say that compliance with these requirements is high, making Harbour Master life a little easier, freeing my time to address other issues.

On another note I am also pleased to welcome a couple of short term additions to the team in the form of Charley Bradley and Oscar Stocks. Charley and Oscar are working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award and will be helping Bill and I with various tasks around the Harbour for the next couple of months to fulfil some of the requirements of the Award. Well done for engaging in this and good luck. (Bill and I promise we won’t work you too hard :))

Finally, can I ask all to exercise a degree of caution when crossing the harbour via the Wharf, there are currently two lots of scaffolding erected that impede access and unless wishing to walk under one of them requires pedestrians to walk on the uneven ground on the seaward side of the tarmac. Please take extra care.

Finally, finally, Happy Easter one and all.

Harbour Master’s report from February 25th Meeting.

A relatively quiet period since I last reported with routine activities comprising most of my activities.

We have undertaken a number of repair and maintenance jobs on the Harbour office, quad bike store and North quay toilet blocks, all getting a dose of TLC. My thanks must go to Commissioner Hills for taking the lead and enabling me to tick the jobs undertaken off my “to do” list.

More dates for your diaries now, with the baulks scheduled to be lifted on Friday 28th March (weather permitting) and the boats returning to the water on the 29th. Ahead of that we will be arranging for the sand that has washed down towards the entrance to the harbour to be moved back up the beaches, watch out for the digger in due course.

In relation to the boats going back in the water, as has always been the case, every boat is required to have at least third party insurance if it is to be moored in our harbour. With that in mind I will be requesting proof of insurance before boats are allowed back into the harbour this year. Quite simply, no insurance, no mooring!

On a lighter note I am pleased to draw your attention to a new infographic display signage we have introduced into the harbour that highlights the importance of the fishing industry to our economy here in Cornwall. The sign is situated on the railings on top of the pumping station, so have a look and see what the hardy fishers and associated trades add to our economy.

Finally for this report, glad to see Bill back in action, however please help me ensure that he doesn’t overdo it too soon and remind him that he’s in a marathon and not a sprint.

PS, we are aware that the red lights on the quay are “blinking”. The system needs a new specialist battery that is on order.