Celebrity Chefs for Salcombe and Kingsbridge

Rumour has it that not only is Gary Rhodes gong to return to the Marine Hotel, Salcombe after it's imminent reincarnation but that John Burton Race is about to take over the Crabshell! Add to this rumours that Gordon Ramsey is to reopen the New Angel in Dartmouth, previously run by John Burton Race, and it seems Devon has an influx of celebrity chefs on its hands!

Competition Time....win a Devon or Salcombe T-shirt

Ok it's competition time on OODevon...

Win a "OODevon T-shirt" in a colour of your choice, with either Devon or Salcombe on the back. There will a prize for the first correct answer and a prize for the name drawn from a hat of all other entrants.

To enter all you have to do is email OODevon with your answer the following Question:

Who wrote this famous poem when crossing "The Bar" into Salcombe:

Crossing the Bar

Sunset and Evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.

Salcombe's Rare Find - The Fanshell

Not only is Salcombe just about the most stunning estuary in the UK it appears it is also home to some extremely rare creatures! Staff form Plymouth Uni & Salcombe Marine conservation found a Fanshell which is one of the most threatened marine creatures in the UK.

Apparently it's like a huge mussel that grows to more than a foot long. This one was found in a seagrass bed which makes the find even more amazing as its the first tidal living Fanshell found for more than 50 years! This seagrass bed in Salcombe could become a prtoected area under a bill proposed to protect finds such as these.

Read more about Fanshells....

New Speed Limits for Salcombe Estuary?

There was proposal on the table of the harbour Board which has been passed; to reduce the speed limit in the Salcombe & Kingsbridge estuary to 6 knots (from 8 knots), there has also been comment that the people are speeding in the "Bag" - the part of the estuary form Snapes to Saltstone. There are also concerns that the speed limits aren't being being enforced.

This proposal seems kind of mad for a few reasons:

1. Lets face it who really knows exactly what speed they are doing anyway?
2. Who can actually tell the difference between 6 and 8 knots?
3. When the tide is ripping out or in and you are going in the opposite direction speed is almost impossible to judge.
4. If no-one is really enforcing the limits now what good is lowering them going to do?

Surely 8 knots isn't too fast, people aren't stupid, no-one goes 8 knots past Whitestrand, its about common sense. Are the harbour board just looking for things to do to make them look important? I can't think of any other reason? It's true some people do go over 8 knots in the harbour but 99% of people don't and 8 knots is a perfectly safe speed.

Also, if there are 28% less visiting yachts then there must be less estuary traffic anyway! The estuary isn't anywhere near as busy as it was back in the early to mid 90's.

Come on Salcombe Harbour Board do something worthwhile!

Going back a few years (when Captain Blazeby was Salcombe Harbour Master and for a few years after) it was common practice to throttle up between Saltstone and Bowcombe. If the harbour master was about and he felt you were pushing your luck you would get a hand signal to suggest you slowed down and and smile of acknowledgment when you did. These days you get a ridiculous blue flashing light, a siren and your rights read to you!

aaaah the good old days......