Warship Management Ltd

It seems that our ideas on the future use of Elphinstone weren’t AS far ‘off the mark’ AS SOME would have us believe.  This article was IN yesterdays (7/9/07) Plymouth Herald.

PONTOON IDEA A TOURIST DRAW 
 
STUART ABEL HERALD REPORTER

07 September 2007
 
A pontoon should be SET up TO give a berth TO large visiting ships TO provide a new tourist attraction FOR Plymouth, according TO a GROUP promoting the city AS a maritime destination.  George Skinner, a director OF Maritime Plymouth, wants a mooring SET aside FOR vessels such AS tall ships which otherwise bypass the city.

He said that a pontoon could be SET up off OF the Elphinstone car park IN Sutton Harbour, which IS already used FOR power boats taking part IN the annual championships. The car park could provide easy access TO the PUBLIC.

Mr Skinner was talking after a ship used IN the blockbusting Pirates OF the Carribean films called AT Plymouth TO take ON supplies but could NOT be visited by members OF the PUBLIC.

HMS Bounty, which was billed AS Captain Jack Sparrow’s ship the Black Pearl but later turned out to be another ship used in the films, docked at Victoria Wharf in Coxside for five hours.

Crowds watched her sail into port but could not visit her alongside because there are no publicly accessible moorings in the Cattewater.

Mr Skinner said that the owners of the ship, en route from Liverpool to Torquay, had contacted harbour authorities asking whether she could be moored alongside in Plymouth.

He added: “We ended up turning her away, but for a short victualling stop. Sutton Harbour is so full at the moment but there is a place where she could be tied up alongside, and that is by the Elphinstone car park.”

Mr Skinner said it did not matter so much that the Black Pearl turned out to be the Edinburgh Trader, which was used in two of the films.

He added: “It does not matter whether she was the Black Pearl or the Black Pig. The fact is that she was a fine ship and Plymouth missed out on having her here.

“I am sure that there are many vessels such as the tall ships which would consider docking in Plymouth if there was a mooring.

“One of the problems with Plymouth is that nobody thinks ahead to the future. Everyone wants an instant return on their investment.”

There were calls earlier this year to moor the former frigate HMS Plymouth at the Elphinstone car park as a tourist attraction.