New boat helping Christmas go swimmingly

Published: 20 December 2019

Swimmers taking part in Exmouth’s Christmas Day Swim will be afforded extra care this year thanks to a safety boat from Exeter.

Our Harbour Patrollers will be adding their presence to the popular event, helping to oversee the safety of those making the festive dip.

Harbourmaster Grahame Forshaw said his team would be launching their patrol boat for the Christmas Day event, which starts at 11am.

“We’re happy to be helping out with the event and ensuring that it all goes swimmingly,” he said.

“We’ll have our harbour patrol boat out on the water ready to step in if anyone gets into difficulty,” he added.

Grahame and his small team were appointed to the new Harbour Authority this summer and oversee the smooth running of the body of water.

Grahame and his team have to make sure the estuary is safe and commercially viable, taking into account the special area status and the diverse users of the water. He is also responsible for the Exeter Ship Canal.

The team also maintain 28 navigational markers from just outside Exmouth, right up the estuary into the heart of Exeter.