Robin Dadson, of Church­fields, Dartmouth, writes:

In response to your invitation to comment on what should be done to bring the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta back to ­profitability, Chronicle, February 5, I would like to make the ­following observations.

Although I have only lived in the town since 2008, I first became aware of the regatta as a visitor way back in 1958 and thereafter made a point of ­taking part of my annual ­holiday at the end of August for 50 consecutive years in order to be able to attend the festivities.

During the 1950s and ’60s I recall the town being packed with people, both locals and visitors alike, with everyone joining in the fun and enjoying themselves. All the pubs were packed, even though there were a few more of them in those days, and other catering establishments appeared to be doing a roaring trade.

On one occasion I remember being told that around 50 coachloads of people were due to come to Dartmouth from Plymouth alone on Regatta Saturday, which must have meant a total of around 3,000 visitors from this one source alone.

People came in large numbers without the ‘attraction’ of the air displays, which now seem to form the whole basis of regatta week.

As might have been expected of a ‘regatta’, the sailing and rowing events were given tremendous support, but there were other sporting activities, such as the traditional tug of war and the Kon-Tiki raft race, both of which were always well supported and drew large crowds of spectators, among which regatta volunteers could mingle with their collection tins in the hope of raising funds.

The tug of war always ­commenced at 10am on regatta Saturday, if I remember ­correctly, and it was not unknown for the event to carry on for two hours or more, with most of the town’s pubs ­entering at least one team, to say nothing of other hostelries from all over the South Hams turning up to offer their challenges.

In addition to the pubs, other organisations would also ­participate, and the whole affair was hotly contested year after year to everybody’s delight.

The time of the Kon-Tiki raft race varied from year to year, no doubt due to tidal considerations and getting it fitted in among all the other waterborne events taking place on the river, but it was still a regular feature.

In those days the ‘cheapjacks’ included a good number of traders offering a variety of wares, such as clothing and household goods, which ­generally speaking did not interfere too much with the established town traders, and indeed appeared to be ­welcomed by a good number of local people, as it gave them the opportunity to purchase items that were not always readily available in local shops.

There was always a number of temporary fast-food outlets trading around the town, but these would have served to ease the pressure on the town’s established cafes and restaurants, which in those days were fewer in number, and there appeared to be sufficient trade to satisfy everyone.

As the years went by the Red Arrows commenced displaying during the regatta period and certainly seemed to attract a large number of people, but the Kon-Tiki race became part of history.

The tug of war also started to fall by the wayside and no longer attracted so many teams, while many of the regular cheapjack stalls ceased to come, only to be replaced by umpteen fast-food outlets.

As time progressed more and more air displays became a ­feature of the regatta, presumably to replace some of those events that had been lost in the mists of time and to help ­maintain the crowds that once watched them, but here I come to a significant point. I assume the cost of ­promoting the tug of war and organising a Kon-Tiki raft race would have been minimal ­compared with featuring a ­single air display – and we now have these in profusion.

I have heard that the reason for ­abandoning the Kon-Tiki race was a matter of health and ­safety and the prohibitive cost of insurance, but there are still such events going on in other areas – indeed, there is an annual raft race held on the river Dart but a few miles upstream.

Am I to understand that the overheads involved in several air displays and the cost of insurance to cover the same are less than those needed to insure a raft race where the participating craft are built by the competitors?

I note that sponsorship for Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta in 2015 was down by £9,123 and the proceeds from the collecting tins was down by £2,629, neither of which I find surprising.

It is a fact that there are now significantly more catering establishments based in Dartmouth than there were 40 years ago, all competing for a slice of the trade. I know that, if I were the proprietor of such an establishment, I would be very loath indeed to sponsor an event that brought even more competition into the town in the form of the 50 or so fast-food outlets that now turn up on a regular basis.

My final observation is as one who has tried to give ­something back to Dartmouth Regatta for all those years I came as a holidaymaker by ­rattling a collection tin since actually living here.

For most of my career I was a company representative and part of my duties was to report back any dissatisfaction I had identified from a client in order to get the matter rectified forthwith.

In wandering around with my tin, it was not unknown for visitors to voice complaints, some of which I considered very valid, and so I duly reported my findings. Sadly, I found the response often left very much to be desired, so I gave up ­collecting last year rather than face hostile comments from members of the public, knowing there was little I could do about it.