Maidens ready for yachts

Nov 27 2009 by Edwin Lawrence, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

A DREAM to re-invent a fishing village as a yacht haven has taken another major step forward.

For floating pontoons are now firmly anchored in place – after drifting away to Ayr in a gale.

Coastguards and Girvan lifeboat played a key role in the recovery – as the drifting pontoons could have been a hazard to shipping.

After being located, the pontoons were towed back to Maidens by Robin Taylor of Troon.

Originally a walkway for a fish farm, the pontoons were first brought to Maidens from Bute by Gibson brothers of Dunure.

It was a tricky task for a fishing boat, as the pontoons were still in their original fish farm configuration.

But gales the next day led to them being blown away, before they could be properly secured.

A spokesman for Maidens Harbour Trust said: “It was quite a drama one way and another.

“But all’s well that ends well, thanks also to some late night rope deliveries from John Murdoch of South West Chandlery in Girvan.

“Work is already in progress to separate the sections into easily handled pontoon lengths for later assembly in the harbour basin.”

The spokesman added: “Regrettably, three sections were damaged in the gale, but as there are more than we probably need, these will probably be useful for spares.”

A lot of work now awaits volunteers to prepare the pontoons for next summer’s yachting season.

But hard work is nothing new to the Maidens volunteers, as they have been doing their own dredging for a number of years.

It’s been a long haul for Maidens Harbour Trust, who bought the harbour from the former Strathclyde Regional Council for a nominal £100 in 1988.

The trust has raised thousands of pounds through its own efforts, as well as attracting grants for a range of improvement projects.