Pen Storage
At BSC, we have two boat storage pens which are simply known as the small pen and the big pen. The small pen is located opposite the clubhouse gates and during the summer season it is strictly reserved for club dinghies and also club safety boats when necessary. We store the fuel for the safety boats in this pen as well. During the winter, a certain number of Cruisers are stored here, along with some of the club dinghies arranged around them.
The big pen is located opposite the beach between the Dockyard café and the former boxing club. This pen is used to store Cruisers, club dinghies, safety boats and member dinghies. During the winter, most of the Cruisers are also moved into this pen from the harbour although we need to retain access to dinghies taking part in the winter series. The container at the boxing club end belongs to Coastcare Bray Youth Service, a charity that provides a wide range of services, including water-based activities, to young people from the area.
There is no automatic entitlement in BSC for members to have storage facilities within our pens. The Main Committee must approve all applications for boat storage and any permission given is subject to annual renewal. Priority for space goes to club-owned boats above all other craft and the Main Committee reserves the right to approve or prioritise storage for particular boat models above others depending on the fleet strategy in operation. Unlike many other clubs, BSC does not currently impose any charges for boat storage facilities but over the past couple of years, we have experienced extremely high demand as our membership expanded. For safety reasons, the Main Committee imposed a limit on pen storage last year which remains in force. New applications for storage are placed on a waiting list pending space becoming available and this season we were able to facilitate a few additional boats being approved.
As we are only a few weeks away from the Cruisers being lifted in from the harbour, the Main Committee will not be approving any new storage applications this season. Planning is under way to enhance boat stacking options over the winter with the aim of creating additional space in the big pen for the future. We will update members as these plans develop but there is no confirmed timeline as yet.
The Main Committee has taken active steps in recent times to remove boats from the pen that do not have storage approval. This usually happens when membership ceases but boats are left behind or when ownership of boats changes hands. It is important to be aware that boats do not have storage rights it is the member that is allocated approval. This avoids the situation whereby members purchase boats that have been previously stored in the pen to leapfrog other members above them on the waiting list. It is the boat owner's responsibility to ensure they have obtained permission to store their boat in the pen. A full audit of boats is conducted every year and regular spot checks are carried out to ensure only approved boats are in the pen. Any boat found to be stored in the pen without permission may be removed by decision of the Main Committee. For ease of identification, all dinghies have a club issued registration number plus a current year BSC sticker and a central boat register is maintained to keep records.
In order to maximise the number of members that can store boats in the pen, individual limits do apply. Clubhouse members have no entitlement but individual membership classes are only allowed 1 boat each (either a Cruiser or a Dinghy). Family members are allowed up to 2 boats but only 1 of those can be a Cruiser. Only fully paid up members are entitled to avail of storage.
The boat pens are secured by combination padlocks and the codes are changed at least once a year. Codes are only issued to paid-up members and everyone is expected to be careful to ensure codes are not shared with non-members. It is also a collective responsibility to ensure the pens are properly locked when not in use and you should always check to see if there is anyone still in the pen when you exit if not, lock the gates. As our pens are located in public access areas, leaving the gates unlocked does increase the risk of theft or damage. BSC assumes no responsibility for any property stored in the pens and storage approval requires individual members to accept this risk. In any case, all boats must be covered by adequate third party insurance.
Last updated 16:24 on 17 April 2024
