They say it will stop them enjoying the River Tyne for six months
Boat owners in Newcastle have expressed concerns that a new art installation moored on the Quayside will stop them enjoying the River Tyne this summer.
The artwork – a floating musical tidemill titled Flow (pictured above) – will be moored for six months as part of the Cultural Olympiad.
Boat owners are disappointed that the art installation is occupying one of the two visitor pontoons at the heart of the city, displacing boats that would normally moor there. They say it could stop them making trips along the Tyne this summer.
Mike Hay, who keeps his boat at Royal Quays Marina in North Shields, told the Evening Chronicle that he wanted to book his boat in overnight at Quayside but was told he couldn’t because of the art installation.
“If it was a nice evening we would just hop on the boat and go down the Quayside and maybe go for a meal,” he told the newspaper. “Now we won’t be able to do that during the summer when we use our boats the most.”
The Arts Council have defended the installation and say that Newcastle City Marina, which unveiled twelve new permanent pontoons in January 2012, will cater for boaters wishing to moor near the Quayside.
A spokesperson said: “While boat owners will not be able to moor where Flow is based this summer, the new marina has a length of more than 130 metres – accommodating many more boats and yachts than the Quayside has done before.”
But local boat owners point out that vessels with masts will have to abide by the lifting times of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge or book an opening time to access the new moorings and this could deter people from cruising the Tyne in the busy summer months.
See a list of planned opening times for the Millennium Bridge or email Newcastle City Marina management to book at enquiries@newcastlecitymarina.co.uk