Jock appears to be putting “the cart before the horse”, in other words too busy focusing on the wash instead of what happens before the wash.

Moored vessels are forced from the bank then shanghaied back into the bank, not once but twice, at the rate of knots Spirit Of The Murray was travelling at when it went past our moored houseboat.

Jock Veenstra is welcome to come on board our houseboat and see what we are complaining about, it is the force of the water being taken from the bank before the wash.

The wash on moored vessels tend to move up and down with the wash, for example: speed boats, tinnies, wake boats and paddle boats leave the least wash.

The Coonawarra went past our moored houseboat last Saturday, leaving very little to no wash.

Jock Veenstra is again welcome to come on board our houseboat and check the ropes, they are new marine ropes and tied correctly.

We were on our boat and saw the effect Spirit of the Murray has on it. Hard to believe our boat has had to endure this 30 to 40 times already.

Maybe one needs to slow down and ask why the South Australian river users reacted when Spirit Of The Murray first went past them, I understand after suffering its effects on us, our boat and the river.

If Spirit Of The Murray has the capability of shifting our houseboat from the river bank with such force, what hope do our grand children have of swimming beside our houseboat during summer?

Thanks to Les Hartley for his support regarding Spirit Of The Murray.

The relevant authorities that support this venture really need to go back to the drawing board and do some serious homework.

Instead of looking only at the dollar signs for tourism they also need to look at and understand the long term effects on our rivers.

Our rivers cater for all.

Shirley Stirrat, Mildura

For more of this story, purchase your copy of Saturday’s Sunraysia Daily 07/11/2009.