Steve Prichard, 40 years at Cobb's Quay Marina

Retired aircraft technician, Steve Prichard came to Cobb’s Quay in 1983 and hasn’t left since.

“I originally had a small speedboat at Rockley as I was part of the Poole Waterski Club,” he says. “We were out one day, and the weather was particularly bad, so we ducked round the corner to Cobb’s Quay as the club house had a café at that time. While wandering around the yard I saw and fell in love with a Tremlett 21. Luckily, she was on brokerage and three weeks later she was mine, and as she was already berthed at Cobb’s Quay, I decided to stay.

“When I first joined Cobb’s Quay, it was run by a family company and the owner Eric Scoble really did rule the roost. The admin office was run extremely efficiently by a lovely lady called Mrs Brown, who knew who you were, which boat you had and how much you owed, whenever you stepped through the door. She kept all the information in this wooden chest of tiny draws, so very different from today with everything being computerised and online.

“I’m still on the same pontoon today as I was when I first arrived – it was called E pontoon back then and is now F, but its physically the same pontoon. It was where most of the smaller boats were berthed, and it was really very friendly. I even bought my next boat from one of the chaps there, a Sunseeker 23 Day Cab, which I then had for 18 years. There were lots of get togethers, and at one time, the Berth Holders Association used to empty the work shed and have large events in there, including a memorable Abba tribute night.

“I now have a Sealine S28, and one of the things I’ve noticed over the years is how much bigger the boats at the marina are getting. No one seems to start out on the smaller boats like we did – a 38-foot cruiser now appears to be a starter boat for a family.

After 40 years here in Poole Harbour, I still love it. Everything is just on your doorstep – you don’t even need to venture out the harbour – you’ve got Poole Quay, Arne Nature Reserve, the islands and of course the legendary ‘Blood Alley’ behind Brownsea Island and all its smuggling history. I certainly can’t see me leaving, that’s for sure