Harbour Dwellers

Clovellys comfortable harbour is home to a wide variety of boating types, such as the 'Lobsterman', a lonely, solitary kind, spending long distant hours away at sea, only returning home in order to mate and drink at the communal watering hole. And then there's the 'Boat Tripping Men', fussing about the Quay or leaning outside the Red Lion, picking and pulling at their daily grockle prey. The 'Charter men', parade up and down the harbour wall with their full fuel bowsers or sit gazing at their chrome covered engines, cocking a snoot at the rest. If you watch really closely you may even spot an occasional 'Trawlerman', best found either early in the morning as he disappears setting off out to sea or in the evening when he returns once more to dry land, there to join his mate at the bar.

Then there are the 'Pleasure Boaters', a hapless lot, flapping about, unsteady, unsure, and unaware. Watching and waiting, listening and learning, they are the flighty, summer visiting flocks of flotsam that fill the beach. They may have read the book, but they have usually forgotten how to tie the knot.

There are other dwellers inhabiting the harbour; the beef brigade, lazing all day in the sun, burning nicely. The quay jumping, "Look at me", and "Brave first timer", tombstoners. The floral displayed, lounging, picnicking, soul mate searching dollies, and the salt soaked, drifting along amongst the seaweed and jellyfish, in and out of the moored boats, harbour hags.

But crowning them all, we have the spider oared, multi-coursed, seperate heading, semi-serious, regatta bound gigging types, with their reigning supreme Lord oarsman tipping the balance in the bow. All together making up the colourful ensemble that fills the seasonal harbour with boats, noise and plenty of bunting.