A few days into October and the seasonal shift is more than apparent. Marking a rather sullen end to our cruise ship season our last visitor, the Marco Polo, cancelled due to poor weather but the visits in the preceding days were met by quite the opposite with everyone I spoke to at least, enjoying the fine weather and the fares the Islands have to offer. This year we have seen 35 cruise ship visits, the same as last year but due to the increased size of some of these vessels, the number of passengers visiting St Mary’s has increased significantly to nearly nine thousand, by a long way the most ever.

The middle of September saw works to improve the lower sections of the Lifeboat Slip start. The project is carried out exclusively underwater with divers constructing shuttered sections before filling with concrete to extend the life of the slipway considerably. The work has included the use of the MTS Viking Landing Craft which is currently alongside our inner berths

This month we expect our visiting yacht numbers to dwindle away to nothing before winterising several facilities within the harbour such as our public showers, recycling facilities and the majority of the visitors buoys themselves. The pontoon will also be minimised to reduce wear during poor weather but this will take place in a month or two  after all, we may be blessed with an Indian Summer yet…just.