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94


Penny Johns


SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR


Tell us about your role… I’m the Office Manager for Dart Harbour and I have worked here for 12 years. The Authority owns 16 hundred moorings on the river. The office team carry out the administrative elements to ensure the moorings are let out and paid for. This work includes reviewing the waiting list, as there are always people waiting for a mooring on the Dart. I also manage the main harbour software, which is used to send out bills and take payments, as well as being a one-stop shop for information and communications with our customers. My other role is to act as secretary to the board. This involves preparing agendas, min- utes and co-ordinating attendance at the meetings by Board Members. I am also the editor of Dart Har- bour’s website.


When is your busiest time of year? Well, you might think it’s the sum- mer, but actually for me it’s January until April as that’s when we send out all the bills for harbour dues and mooring fees and collect payment. Harbour Dues can be compared to road tax for boats and it pays for all aspects of river safety such as nav- igation lights and buoys. Everyone who has a boat on the river has to pay, even if they aren’t on one of our moorings, so that’s three and a half thousand people to invoice!


Do you ever have trouble collecting fees? We get the odd one or two per- sistent non-payers, but we give


everyone as many opportunities to pay as possible before any serious action is taken. We do have the power to seize boats which we have done in the past - but this doesn’t happen very often.


What is the best part of the job? Occasionally getting out on the river and meeting and chatting to customers in the office. It’s very rewarding when we get good feedback – I like it when people say we have looked after them well and dealt with any issues quickly and effectively.


Everyone who has a boat on the river has to pay, even if they aren’t on one of our moorings, so that’s three and a


half thousand people to invoice!


Do you see any weird water activity from your big river facing windows in the office? I do remember once a boat arrived that was shaped like a shoe and an- other that was powered by a bicycle.


What’s your role when a cruise ship comes in? Dart Harbour deal with the marine side of the cruise visit (mooring up and providing the pilot) and we work with the Tourist Information Centre and the Town Council to give


passengers a great welcome. There seems to be a misconception that passengers come off the ship and are bussed straight off to the Eden Project or somewhere. But 99% of the time they go on the steam train, to Greenway or a Royal Naval Col- lege tour and then wander around the town in the afternoon.


how busy is regatta? The office is relatively quiet with all the action being on the river, but we are used as a base for various organisers and the BBC. We also deal with a lot of questions about air and river displays!


Where do you live? Brixham. There are a few of us that come over together from the Kingswear side each morning. We use one of our boats to get across and the harbour master is giving me boat-driving lessons at the moment.


have you always liked the water? Well, funnily enough I wasn’t ‘boaty’ at all before this job. I worked for South Hams District Council in marketing and tourism.


Favourite takeaway: Chinese food.


First thing you do in the morning: Check my phone.


Top night out: Nice romantic meal.


Which animal would you be? A cat, as they get to lie around in the sun all day!


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