Practical Boat Owner — January 2018

TENBY PORT GUIDE

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knowledge of the harbour is second-to-
none, as his job is to keep vessels away
from the MOD shooting ranges nearby.
‘Pendine is the main range,’ he tells me.
‘It’s the busiest in the country, firing
Monday to Friday. There’s Manorbier,
too, which covers Linney Head to
Caldey Island.’

Firing practice
As we motor beyond the breakwater,
accompanied by Joseph’s colleague
Jack, I learn about the Banshees – the
unmanned drones that the soldiers use as
aerial targets. Before being deployed to
Afghanistan the drones have to be fired
once over the sea. Very rarely, one might
get hit, in which case Joseph would have
to recover it.
‘They try not to hit them, though,’ he
says. ‘They cost £80,000.’

LEFT The tide has

left these yachts in

Tenby harbour high

and dry for the day

BELOW St Catherine’s

island and the fort

that was used for

filming Sherlock

Alamy

On the chart there’s actually a very

narrow corridor of a quarter of an inch that

you need to stick to when all the ranges

are active. If vessels wander into the

range, it’s Joseph’s job to notify them.

‘If they’re sailing we’ll ask them to put

the engine on and change course. On

passage from Ilfracombe to Tenby, for

example, that can mean a diversion of up

to 10 miles.’

Presumably you’ve never shot anyone? I

ask. ‘No, not yet. That would be far too

much paperwork,’ he laughs.

We head out of the harbour, passing the

cardinal that now marks Woolhouse

Rocks. Behind us, the seaside terraces

retreat into a pastel blur, so that the only

prominent feature is the 153ft church

spire. It’s hard to imagine that behind the

Regency and Victorian houses that

sprouted with the 19th century tourism

boom is Tenby’s medieval alter-ego.

Tucked inside its 13th century walls is a

lively town, which may come as a surprise

for first-time visitors. That said, there is a

good chance that most visiting yachtsmen

are already familiar with Tenby, having

come from Swansea or Ilfracombe. There

are 12 yellow visitor buoys in the harbour.

However, in a southeasterly over 10 knots

it can be horrible, says Joseph. Best to be

in the harbour overnight, as it gets a bit

‘shuffly’ on a mooring.

Island life

We head west for a while, past thickly

wooded limestone cliffs. In the distance is

Caldey Island, which I remember visiting

as a child. I’m thrilled to learn that the

resident monks still make chocolate there.

‘There are boat trips out to Caldey every

day,’ says Joseph. ‘The village is really