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The latest news, keeping


residents and harbour users up to date.


BY PAUL BRITTON • HARBOURMASTER & CEO


A month into the job… Just a month has passed


since I officially took over as Harbourmaster on the Dart, but already a lot has happened. After a frustrating first week where I had to work at home due to Covid (after surviving 2 years unscathed!) I have been concentrating on getting out and about and meeting people, talking to a wide variety of stakeholders about our mutual love of the Dart and how we can work together to make our river an even better place to enjoy, to work on, to visit and explore and where wildlife can thrive. Highlights of my first month


have included attending the opening ceremony of the new South Devon College campus at Noss, where we were bowled over by the impressive new facilities and even more so by the passion and dedication of the team there. We are sure it will be a hub of the vibrant marine community here in the South West. Just as exciting was the launch


of two of our new patrol ribs. Built here in Dartmouth by Ribeye, Apollo and Poseidon will soon


Jack Handley www.dartharbour.org


so many people enjoying the river in a low-impact sustainable way and I would ask larger vessels to take extra care around these river users, in particular watching your wash, and keeping a safe distance – remember that even at 6 knots many boats make a wake that can be dangerous to smaller craft and swimmers. For those of you who, like me,


be joined by Zeus and become a familiar sight on the river. There are a few final jobs to do on them before I get to have a play! I was also very pleased to be able to promote our experienced River Officer Jack Handley to Assistant Harbour Master – Compliance (pictured above). From time to time things go


wrong on the river. I would encourage you to report accidents and near misses via the link on our website, even if minor, so we can take action to reduce the likelihood of them happening again. One of our particular areas of


focus is the safety of paddleboards, kayaks, and other small craft as well as wild swimmers. It is great to see


love taking part in paddlesports, do remember to take care of your own safety – plan your trip in advance, checking tides and weather, make sure your equipment is in good condition and wear a buoyancy aid. Make sure that someone knows where you are going and take a waterproof means of communication with you. When you are out on the water, keep to the right-hand side of the channel, and, where possible, avoid busy areas such as around the Dartmouth Town Jetty and the Lower Ferry slips, and give a wide berth to vessels with limited manoeuvrability. Although I have only been sitting in my office for a few weeks, it is one of my favourite times of the year – being able to see the river come alive, yachts being launched, ferry services starting up and visitors returning. Good Friday saw a very busy day on the river – after a misty start we had glorious sunshine and it was lovely to be able to get out of the office and help visiting yachts with their moorings. Let’s hope it is the start of an equally glorious summer.


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