SUNDOWNERRAMSGATE’S FAMOUS LITTLE SHIP
SHIPSHAPE AND BRISTOL FASHION
SEAWORTHY AND READY FOR ACTION
BUT PREVENTED FROM TAKING HER
RIGHTFUL PLACE ON THE
2010 COMMEMORATION RETURN TO DUNKIRK
DUE TO BUREAUCRATIC
WRANGLING BETWEEN
EAST KENT MARITIME TRUSTEES
THE STEAM MUSEUM TRUST
& THANET DISTRICT COUNCIL
From 1993 until April 2008 the East Kent Maritime Trust was funded by the Thanet District Council with an annual grant (by 2007/8 the sum was £80,000) This annual charge to Thanet rate payers was supplemented by donations and grants from other bodies, and in 2006, the Robert Butler bequest totalling £260,000.
Between 2005 and 2008 Project Sundowner cost the trust £60,671.94. (see enclosed list of accounts paid).This sum was for the major refit necessary to keep the vessel seaworthy and operational “To work as an ambassador for the Ramsgate Maritime Museum and spread the history and fame of the Little Ships Of Dunkirk far and wide” (see notice by Mr. Charles Payton, of Tide Chaser, Maritime Heritage consultants, engaged by EKMT, during 2004/6, for projects Sundowner and Cervia at an additional cost of £38,737 - list encl.)
Following a legal dispute with Mr. Michael List Brain, the owner of the Steam Tug Cervia, regarding the non maintenance of his vessel that was on loan to the museum, the EKMT was required to pay Mr. List Brain the sum of £100,000 (to include his legal costs), and also cede to him all of the artifacts held in the Ramsgate Maritime Museum plus the Little Ship Sundowner, (EKMT’s own costs amounted to around £30,000). Mr. List Brain received the £100K following the Mediation in November 2007. However, he has to this date declined to accept either the artifacts or the vessel.
The TDC stopped funding the EKMT in April 2008 and during the year trustees started to abandon the sinking ship, including the (then) Conservative Chairman of TDC, Cllr. John Kirby and the (now) Conservative Chairman of KCC, Cllr. Bill Hayton. The EKMT museums in Ramsgate and Margate were both closed in November 2008, with the seven members of staff all being made redundant.
The ownership of Sundowner therefore still rests with the remaining EKMT trustees, Mr. Dennis Payne (Chairman) and Mr. Norman Temple (Secretary). The vessel is still fully insured (it has to be, to receive a mooring in the Royal Harbour). However Mr. Norman Temple has now refused to allow the fully sea worthy vessel to leave harbour and is therefore preventing her from taking part in the Operation Dynamo 2010 return passage to Dunkirk. Unbelievably, Ramsgate’s Famous Little Ship looks set to miss the most important commemoration event held in recent years, the 70th anniversary of the miracle of Dunkirk, and which would achieve the purpose for which she had £100,000 of district council, county council and Interreg grant money plus private donations spent on her.
Cllr. John Watkins.
Volunteer boats officer,
Ramsgate Maritime museum.
So whats the boats non sailing got to do with TDC? and has it got public liability insurance?
ReplyDeleteAs it was explained to me, the transfer of the EKMT collections and Sundowner) to the new trust only makes sense if it has a home in Ramsgate - i.e the Maritime Museum and the nearby moorings. TDC had agreed to this and the museum was opened with public promises from TDC to guarantee that last July. However, within days TDC changed its mind and the last I heard was that the council was making threatening noises about removing the collections from the Clock House and charging exorbitant mooring fees for the historic boats.
ReplyDeleteNo new trust is going to find that attractive!
But as to EKMT, I can't see any reason why their fully insured, fully seaworthy boat with a trained and qualified crew couldn't make the return to Dunkirk.
oh dear 05:33 how wrong can you be the whole issue is strictly between EKMT and the new trust, TDC provide free mooring for sundowner and also one free lift a year for maintenance, suggest that Cllr Watkins is only playing politics by including TDC quite wrongly and quite unneccessarily, but then what can you expect at a time when the Labour Party have been so fully exposed and are at an all time low.
ReplyDeleteTwo points here, one is that the Clock House is owned by TDC and without security of tenure that TDC seem unwilling to grant, the steam trust can’t get the gant funding that they need to operate.
ReplyDeleteThe other is that the sacrificial anodes on Sundowner haven’t been replaced and to put her back in the water without doing so would be an act that would destroy her, so no way is she ready to go anywhere.
I think 06.39 (funny times these!) is barking up the wrong tree and has rose-tinted specs on if he thinks TDC couldn't have made this happen.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of transfer may be between EKMT and SMT but TDC hold the key – and all the cards. If they had acted honourably last year then EKMT would be no more and SMT would have been able to make their own decision over Sundowner’s participation in the commemorations. TDC’s backtracking on public promises is nothing short of scandalous!
I don’t think John Watkins is making a political point – he has given years of his time to looking after this boat and, like the rest of us he can’t understand why EKMT – the owners – are unable to give their permission for her to sail.
Michael you are absolutely right about those anodes - something which hadn't escaped the notice of the volunteers who were ready to fit them and anti-foul her last week - but were stopped by the owners.
ReplyDeleteIf any one is using rose tinted specs its Mr Watkins, seems his wig has taken control of his brain
ReplyDelete