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A "constructive meeting" between members of the Guernsey Boat Owners Association and other organisations and senior management of Guernsey Ports could lead to an agreed approach to setting mooring fees from 2026.
The potentially positive news was announced by Nick Guillemette this week - as he and others presented Deputy Peter Roffey with a copy of their joint petition protesting above inflation increases in mooring fees.
As President of the Guernsey Boat Owners Association, Mr Guillemette and representatives of the Guernsey Yacht Club, the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club, and the Guernsey Marine Traders Association, met the President of the States Trading Supervisory Board on the steps of the Royal Court before this week's States meeting.
More than 1,200 people had signed the petition since July, before it was handed to Deputy Roffey on Wednesday.
In a letter to Deputy Roffey, the joint signatories from the GBA, GYC, RCIYC and GMTA said the petition's main purpose was to "express our members joint opposition to the leisure boat mooring fee increases recently imposed and proposed future increases".
This year they went up by between 20% and 30.5% dependent on the size of the vessel.
Next year they are going up by around 8.3% - which is down from the original proposed hike of 25%.
The petitioners say the leisure boat industry is worth around £25 million to the island's economy annually, but that is at risk each time the fees are increased.
They are hopeful that a recent "constructive meeting" with Ports managers might lead to a more agreeable solution in the future, though.
Pictured: (inset) Nick Guillemette.
"We now desperately need to bring some sense of stability to this once thriving industry to calm this dire situation down," wrote the petitioners in their letter to Deputy Roffey.
"Our constructive meeting with the senior management of Guernsey Ports last week has resulted in a joint agreement to work together towards a more affordable, multi-year, mooring fee charging scheme that could be applied from 2026."
As well as presenting the petition to Deputy Roffey, Mr Guillemette has recently published his annual report for 2024.
He said this year has been "the busiest time for me since I took over the position of President of the GBA nine years ago".
Most of his work has been around challenging the mooring fees increases, including liaising with the Guernsey Competition & Regulatory Authority (GCRA) to see if it could intervene.
"Unfortunately, GCRA informed us that they do not have the powers to act as an economic regulator in Guernsey where States departments are concerned," he acknowledged. "If STSB and the Ports had been an incorporated business like Jersey Ports, they might have been able to assist us. So, we were on our own."
Mr Guillemette thanked politicians including Deputies Gavin St Pier, Simon Vermuelen, and David de Lisle for their support throughout the year, but he also said that he feels the timing of the news breaking that the hospital redevelopment would cost an additional £30m swayed the vote in favour of increasing mooring fees.
Ongoing negotiations over future mooring fees continued - along with challenges to the new mooring agreement that berth holders were asked to sign.
"After consultation with the GMTA, RCIYC and GYC, I therefore contacted the new Managing Director of Guernsey Ports requesting a further urgent meeting with him and his senior management this week to find a compromise on future fee structures before our situation worsens and I am pleased to report that he replied ‘that he would welcome continued constructive dialogue on mooring fees for 2026 and beyond and other matters’," wrote Mr Guillemette.
"I am hopeful that a sensible result will at last be reached which will not only give you some comfort for the way forward but also be beneficial to all concerned.
"Whatever transpires, STSB must split the accounting system between Airport and Harbours to clearly show where the revenues are and the costs involved.
"Our research showed that traditionally harbours always produced a profit and the airport lost money. And I think that the general public in Guernsey, whether a boat owner or not, have come to realise that this is a fact."
Mr Guillemette said alongside the challenges, he had some successes to report in his Annual Report.
Boat owners are pleased that the Coastguard service is "back in its rightful location at the harbour mouth along with Guernsey VTS control". He thanked Guernsey's recently retired Harbourmaster, and his professional maritime staff for this.
He also praised the introduction of Passport L’Escales which offers free nights at over 120 ports in France, UK and other European marinas.
Mr Guillemette will be standing down as GBA President after this coming year, his 10th in post.
"My main priorities during the next 12 months will be to attempt to obtain some sense of stability with our mooring fees and to increase our membership," he wrote.
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