The excitement of page 3

I may need to explain to the readers about the excitement of page 3 – because this month’s Marina World features Kingsbridge on its prime slot on page 3, pushing marinas like Abu Dhabi’s latest 1900-berth creation deeper into the magazine.

All this makes it such a pity that the wall collapsed so catastrophically at Kingsbridge. This was not, of course, a surprise. The Harbour Board decided over two years ago that, for reasons of safety alone, moorings should be removed from the quayside as the wall was so precarious; and, just two days before the collapse, test holes had been drilled to find out what was below. The answer was nothing. The tides had flushed out a huge void into which the top surface eventually tumbled, pushing the wall into the harbour.

However, relief is in sight. The tenders for the repair are now in and, with a fair wind, work should have started by the time you read this. All should be fine by next season and I hope I am not writing with some other tale next month.

It looks as if the waterskiing saga is over. 100 or more members of the public came to the Harbour Board and many spoke: public speeches, some of which were impassioned, lasted for over an hour. I had the wonderful experience of being enthusiastically egged-on by Gordon Waterhouse – kindly thanking me for last month’s piece on ospreys! The very thorough report which the waterskiiers had prepared looked in detail at all the possibilities for windsurfing in the Harbour – and the Board unanimously concluded that none was acceptable. As one speaker put it, waterskiing is simply incompatible with a harbour like Salcombe. In my view the nearest safe place to waterski is Start Bay, which is sheltered, has flat water and is easily reached in today’s fast motor boats which can do in excess of 30 knots (out of the Harbour, turn left and left again at the light).

Strangely (!) only one member of the public stayed for the final part of the Board meeting – to consider next year’s budget and charges. Harbour dues and mooring charges will increase by 2%, which is below inflation. Because of the major infrastructure investment in the last few years, the Harbour’s finances should be sound until about 2020, when launches, equipment and pontoons all start coming up for repair and replacement, hence the need to start building up significant reserves.