I don't often travel 'across the water', writes John Silverman. No reason, just rarely have occasion to visit unless occasion presents itself, but on Saturday there was the best reason in the world – the annual Shaldon Water Carnival.

If you missed it you must really make a greater effort next year.

I was in danger of missing this year's offering myself despite allowing an hour to catch the ferry from the Teignmouth side only to find on arrival at the River Beach, that a strange S-shaped queue was running some considerable way along the shore continuing up Lifeboat Lane.

Both ferries were running to capacity but it rapidly became clear that an hour wouldn't be enough and, looking at the traffic, taking a car would be next-to-impossible. So it was a case of girding the loins and hot-footing it down Bitton Park Road to-and-over the Shaldon Bridge.

To say the village was packed would be an understatement. Add a couple of extra folk and there'd be over-spill into the harbour. As it was, the sunlit beach didn't have any vacant sand left, so where to set up camera-shop looked like being a problem until the organisers kindly let me use the podium whereupon I was joined by commentators John Lockyer and Steve Astbury; the carnival float judge, Teignbridge MP Anne Marie Morris; and local TV presenter Kate Reeves.

Not that cramped, surprisingly.

An early deliberation revolved around when to actually begin the carnival display, because word had come from the harbourmaster's office that a coaster was coming in on the high tide. Start now or wait until it's been and docked? The former took the vote and, basically, the siren-hooting coaster joined the parade, winning its carnival class by dint of sheer weight and size alone.

Twenty-one fabulous floats bobbing about, and for my money the Swift family's Tiny Tanic (pictured above), with an extremely realistic iceberg in tow was my best in show.

The Red Arrows, winner of two classes and overall winner, was a hastily put-together team-effort who had, the night before, jotted down their intended displays on the back of a beer-mat...or so I was informed by Ms Reeves who'd been in the pub at the time and had been roped into doing the voice-over for the actual team event.

They spumed coloured smoke and performed intricate manoeuvres, one identified and described by Mr Astbury, over the loudspeakers, as being 'bi-sectional' although there was some debate in the commentary-box as to whether that was what he actually said.

A super water carnival, Shaldon, and I'm sorry I couldn't stay for the trophy presentation or any evening entertainment as I had to get back to see to the dog, but it made sense to return home departing as I had arrived, walking the bridge.

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