Paddleboarding at Stonehaven Harbour

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Paddleboarding at Stonehaven Harbour

July 17, 2020

Paddleboarding at Stonehaven Harbour

Aberdeenshire Council has published instructions for the use of paddleboards at Stonehaven Harbour. The number of paddleboarders in the Harbour area is

increasing as the popularity of the sport continues to rise and the Council must ensure that paddleboarders can continue to enjoy their sport safely. The

Council is also required to ensure that vessels can safely navigate the Harbour area.

The purpose of these instructions is to fully segregate paddleboarders from motor vessels within the Harbour area. This decision has been taken for safety

reasons following a number of reported incidents that had the potential for serious consequences.

Paddleboarders are welcome to continue to launch in Stonehaven at Botany Bay.

Paddleboarding Instructions:

1. Instructions given by the Harbourmaster must always be complied with.

2. As per the blue marked area of the attached plan, paddleboarding is permitted in the Botany Bay area of the Harbour.

3. As per the red hatched area of the attached plan, paddleboarding is not permitted in the Navigation Channel, entrance to the Middle Harbour,

along the side of the Net Pier, the Inner Harbour or the Outer Harbour.

Planned commercial paddleboarding operations are required to be communicated daily to the Harbourmaster.
Private paddleboarders are not required to notify the Harbourmaster to launch at Botany Bay. However, they are welcome to do so as it is a good safety measure.

5. As per the attached plan, paddleboarders travelling to the South should stay beside the cliffs to keep clear of the Navigation Channel.

6. As per the attached plan, paddleboarders travelling to the North should cross the Navigation Channel at 90 degrees when clear of vessels.

7. If sea conditions are not suitable for paddleboarding in the Botany Bay area, it may be possible to utilise the Middle Harbour area on the following

conditions (these apply to both private and commercial paddleboarding):

Permission must be received by email/text message from the Harbourmaster on each occasion.
It is not permitted to paddleboard in the red hatched areas within the Middle Harbour marked in the attached plan.
Access/egress is from the slipway.
Paddleboards must be transported to/from the Middle Harbour/Botany Bay area along Shorehead.
Paddleboarding between the Middle Harbour and Botany Bay is not permitted.

The Harbourmaster, Jim Brown, can be contacted on 07741050210, 01569762741 or james.brown@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Aberdeenshire Council thanks paddleboarders for their cooperation.