Fishermen are speaking out over what they say is a lack of places to dock for free in Pembroke parish where they can load and offload their boats.

And they say it is a problem affecting all boat owners and jetskiers who want to get in and out of the water without having to pay for the privilege. All the other parishes on Bermuda have one or sometimes two public docks but in Pembroke, the most populous parish, the only such facility is at Albouy?s Point on the busy waterfront at Hamilton and even that does not have a slip.

Fishermen based in the north of the parish say Albouy?s Point is impractical because of difficulty parking vehicles nearby.

One spot that would be more favourable, according to some fishermen, is Spanish Point where there is a slip.

Access to the slip is restricted by two gates at Spanish Point Boat Club, although the club says it will give access for launching and landing at 24-hours notice, and often immediately if anyone requests.

But even the club agrees there is a need for a proper public dock in the area.

Harold (Frankie) Smith, was born in a house at Spanish Point on land that later became the boat club. He recalled: ?There was a road that went right straight through to the water and a big lot space on the right-hand side. ?My understanding was that the club made some deal that they would close the road off where the club is and the dock there was meant to be a public dock.?

The boat club was built around 50 years ago and over time access to the waterside slip has, at times, been difficult.

?First there was a chain across the slip and every time we wanted to use the dock we had to pay $10 to get it opened. Then at election time the chain was taken off and then afterwards it was put back and now there is another big gate there,? said Mr. Smith.

?The public should not need to ask anyone for permission to use it, it should be like the one at Harrington Sound. This land was given to the club by the Government and it was a public right of way.?

Michael Barnes, ?honourary? commodore at Spanish Point Boat Club, said there was an agreement with the Government dating back to the 1960s that gave it the right to have its own private dock.

He said some fishermen had joined the club simply so they could use the dock facility, and he agreed with fishermen who were complaining about the lack of a useable public dock in the parish.

Mr. Barnes said one option would be to dredge the sheltered inlet beside the bus stop near the boat club and create a dock there. He added: ?There was talk about it. All the boulders and everything that is needed is there. It is just a case of making it deeper.?

Fisherman Joell Hayden, who lives near Spanish Point, said: ?Every parish on the Island has a public dock. Albouy?s Point is used by everyone and I can?t park my vehicle there to offload a catch or load up.

?Most of the licensed fishermen have become members of Spanish Point Boat Club, but that is not the point.?

Mr. Hayden is also concerned about what might happen should a sailor or fisherman have an emergency at sea and need to reach land quickly. He believes that, with the slip at Spanish Point behind locked gates, there would be no way for emergency services to reach a casualty ?out of hours?.

Senior fisherman Llewellyn Hollis has access to land through a relative?s property, but realises he is fortunate to have such an arrangement. He said: ?There was going to be a public access in Mill?s Creek, but that never happened. There should be a public dock. I have friends who do not have access to the shore.? has asked the Government for its view on the problem but has so far had no response.