Know Your Neighbours: Issue 1

The sense of community that exists is one of the best things about the boating world. No matter how many big brand supermarkets pop up near your home, marinas and harbours remain individual and independent.

Just like the owners that use them, marinas and harbours have their own unique personalities and plus points. To show our appreciation of these small-scale societies, we’ve created the ‘Know Your Neighbours’ feature. By focusing on a couple of the UK and Ireland’s harbours every week, we want to really get to know the groups that keep boating so great – we hope you will to.

Chichester Harbour

In the past, Chichester has had a run of bad press due to excessive fouling in its waters. However, the area’s glorifying features overshadow this small negative. Not only does the harbour lie within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, but it is also home to ‘Solar Heritage’, a fascinating solar-powered catamaran. The virtually silent boat is the perfect vessel to discover the surrounding landscape and wildlife.

A number of initiatives exist to promote and preserve the unspoilt natural character of Chichester, including the Chichester Harbour Trust, and Chichester Harbour Conservancy.

Whitstable Harbour

The community spirit at Whitstable is no less than admirable. Home to the Hands Off Our Harbour campaign, through which 18,000 local people fought to prevent supermarket and hotel chains from settling in their town. Whitstable also boasts the 1,500-strong Whitstable Harbour Watch, meaning that members directly influence the future of their local gem.

As well as protecting it, the local people also do a great job of celebrating their harbour. The Oyster Festival and Biennale is a great demonstration of the local passion, which holds Harbour Day as the main event. 

Want us to feature your harbour or marina? Just tweet us @Aquacote. To find out more about Aquacote, visit our website at www.aqua-cote.com.