HILARY BASTONE, chairman, Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta, writes:

Sincere thanks and gratitude to all those organisations and volunteers that helped make the 2012 Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta such a great success.

We are justly proud of the heritage and traditions that help make our royal regatta so special and unique, but none of it would be possible with out their help.

We would also like to thank Devon county, South Hams district and Dartmouth Town councils for their support and the Britannia Royal Naval College and Dart Harbour Authority for their tremendous contribution.

Our thanks are extended to the many traders, donors and sponsors who have supported our activities again this year.

The centrepiece of our regatta has always been the sailing, rowing and swimming and this year was no exception. These were supplemented by the tennis and the road races.

All of these events showed the true spirit of regatta and we thank all the clubs and individuals for their participation.

Regatta means different things to different people. We have a small but dedicated committee that work a full 12 months to ensure as much as possible that things run smoothly and a big thank you goes to them all, old and new alike. This includes our August helpers, without whom the huge array of fun and serious events could not run. We are indebted to all.

Plans for the 2013 Royal regatta have commenced and we value constructive comments and suggestions including ideas for new events.

We meet each month and if you feel you can help please let us know. You would be very welcome. We are only the custodians of our royal regatta but we will strive to do our best to ensure it continues and remains the 'best in the West'.