RETIRING Salcombe harbour master Commander Ian Gibson says he feels 'enormously privileged' to have been given the opportunity to serve the community for the past eight years. Speaking shortly before his last day in the post today, Cdr. Gibson described the estuary and harbour as 'a very special place'. He said: 'When I left the Navy I thought there was no chance of having a second career. So I feel enormously privileged to have had one and, hopefully, though this is for others to judge, to have left the harbour in a slightly better state. 'There are lots of different communities who all view it differently, and all their perspectives are equally valid. 'I have tried to ensure that everyone can get what they want from it, whether that's making a living here or just enjoying the harbour. He also advised the next harbour master, Cdr. Adam Parnell, to listen to what people want from the harbour. He said: 'Especially in the summer, the harbour's packed with people enjoying themselves in different ways as well as people trying to make a living. 'When changes are made the law of unintended consequences comes into play, so it's a case of trying to understand the dynamics of how it all hangs together.' Fortunately, Cdr. Gibson says he knows his replacement is 'in for the long haul'. The outgoing harbour master's tenure has seen major improvements in the estuary. These have included replacing and upgrading pontoons and landings including new shower facilities for visitors at Salcombe, the £1m plus repair and redesign of the Fish Quay, made vital following discovery of badly corroding sheet piling, a new method of dredging that is environmentally and financially sustainable and a new berthing improvement project at Kingsbridge. Cllr Simon Wright said: 'As a member of the Salcombe Harbour Board I have enjoyed Ian 's professionally considered appro-ach to sustaining a long term strategy to the welfare of Salcombe harbour. 'At the end of Ian's term of office the harbour has improved facilities, a more sustainable future and an improved visitors experience. I have enjoyed working with Ian and wish him all the very best in retirement.' Cdr. Gibson is reluctant to take personal credit. He said: 'What we've done is upgraded. Kingsbridge already had pontoons, we just made them more user-friendly. Likewise, Salcombe had pontoons, we just made them better. 'The Harbour Board wanted to improve facilities without changing the character of the harbour. We can't compete with places like Plymouth or Dartmouth in terms of facilities, but we do have an unspoilt estuary that is incredibly beautiful – that's what makes us unique. 'We wanted to keep it that way at the same time as providing good facilities.' Cdr. Gibson said improv-ements to the Fish Quay had 'safeguarded the facility for the next two generations', and secured the futures of the families linked to the 24 Salcombe fishing boats. He said: 'Salcombe has now got the 21st century facility that it deserves. There's not very much real industry in the South Hams, but this is a real industry and we should embrace it.' Under his guidance, Salcombe was one of the first harbours in the country to introduce a scrubbing grid, meaning that toxic paint and alien species were not put back into the estuary when boats were lifted out for cleaning and painting. Cdr. Gibson said: 'This is an example of how environmental projects take a long time to come to fruition. 'We've lived with being a Site of Special Scientific Interest for 25 years. It hasn't stopped us doing anything, we've just done it differently. 'In the fullness of time, I think that people will see that environmental measures will result in a healthier seabed and healthier marine environment, which will benefit fishermen. We've got to take care of it for future generations.'