Saturday 15 August 2015

Join in the fun and tingle too!


I remember years ago sprinting along the harbour wall on the east quay of Paignton Harbour and leaping out into the rough easterly sea. Sailing through the air and sinking deep beneath the waves was so exhilarating! At that time there used to be a ladder at the end of the quay and we would wait for the next big swell and excitedly clamber back up onto the harbour. It was high summer of course and the water was almost warm.

Those years ago Paignton’s lovely little harbour seemed to tingle in the summer as hundreds of tourists wandered happily around the quaysides. We used to run a windsurfing school from here and provided endless entertainment for tourists as luckless aspirant windsurfers bobbed on the board briefly before tipping headlong into the ocean.

At that time Paignton Sailing Club had a very active windsurfing section and on Thursday evenings over fifty windsurfers would race around buoys off the harbour. During Regatta Week thousands of people would watch windsurfers sail along the edge of the beach in fancy dress! Where else would you see a giant carrot sailing a windsurfers being chased by an overstuffed rabbit complete with large floppy ears?

Over recent years the harbour rather lost much of the once famous ‘mojo’ as it adjusted to changing social trends and the economic roller-coaster that turned into a white knuckle ride for many. Various ‘plans’ offered all sorts of possibilities for the harbour estate. An eclectic mix included the Mayor’s Vision, a Port Master Plan, various town plans and more latterly the Torbay Retail / Tourism BID. The Harbour also seemed to have lost direction as the local council attempted to balance recreational and business development.

BUT having said all that next Saturday something quite special is happening on Paignton’s picturesque harbour. A small group of dedicated harbour people have been planning the first ever HARBOUR FESTIVAL DAY! Much of this is due to the endless enthusiasm of Paignton’s new harbourmaster Simon Pinder. Simon is a sailor with many years’ experience and natural enthusiasm for making things happen. He has also managed to unite the community and must be congratulated for that.

You can learn how to splice rope with our local expert Andy Ricks. He will be with Mike Cornish the local supplier of commercial fishing and yachting supplies demonstrating how modern pots are made. Come and see Dave French construct a traditional Withy Pot from scratch. The pot will be auctioned later with proceeds going to the Fishermen's Mission. Bidding will be brisk for what will be a beautifully crafted potential Christmas present!

The Oarsome Buoys Shaun Pedley and Ryan Barter will be on hand to tell you about rowing across the Atlantic. Their boat will be on the harbour for the day and so you can actually touch the craft and feels its spirit. In December they will be competing in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge rowing from La Gomera to Antigua! That is a tough challenge and makes me shiver just thinking about it! Do have a look at their website and the ‘countdown clock’ telling you how long there is left before the start of the race.(http://www.weregoingrowing.co.uk/)

There will be live music from The Back Beach Boyz and Fabulous 59 Ford, wonderful ‘Billet Doux – Lino Prints’ by local artist Emma Higgins, a traditional Punch and Judy show and so much more! This has to be one of the best events of the summer locally and I am really looking forward to spending the day there.

This is Regatta Week in Paignton and that brings the whole town to life. It is so easy to bang on about all the things that appear not to work and for reasons I still don’t understand people seem to wallow too often in self-imposed negativity. With so much good stuff happening locally South Devon really should be tingling so why not join in the fun and tingle too! You know it makes sense.

I’m almost tempted to have another crack at leaping off the harbour wall when the tide is high and the east wind tumbles the sea toward the beach.

Keep the smile.

Words from my column in the Herald Express 12th August 2015