Dear editor, TWO years ago, in May 2010, my husband and I brought our boat, a gaff-rigged daysailer, to the Seafair Haven event for the first time. We enjoyed the experience very much and decided to write the next Seafair into our sailing calendar.

During the intervening year we ferried and trailed the boat to Seafair’s Breton counterpart, the Semaine du Golfe. Here we met again several people whose acquaintance we had first made in Pembrokeshire.

We were very much looking forward to this year’s event in the Milford Haven area, and to exploring the lovely waterways of Pembrokeshire.

As before, the boats were to be based in Lawrenny, and we had arranged to stay at a guest house a short distance inland during the week of Seafair Haven.

The management and staff of the Lawrenny boatyard could not have been more helpful. They were always ready to give assistance when boats needed to go into or come out of the water On Tuesday, June 26, there should have been a gathering of the whole fleet at Lawrenny, for a communal meal, the “Bosun’s Lunch”, of cawl, bread and cheese at the pub.

It was a drizzling day and only one boat from the other three venues made it up river to Lawrenny.

Two years ago we saw dozens of beautiful, interesting and often historic ships in the course of a week at Seafair Haven. This year there seemed to be a lack of integration between the different groupings and their bases.

It was difficult to find out what exactly the plans or timing for any day or event were; some fluidity may be necessary in a water-based festivity such as this, but people cannot arrange the part which they and their boats will take unless they have some firm data to go on.

As an example, I will take Wednesday, June 27, which for those based at Lawrenny was scheduled as a day for sailing to Angle Bay. There was also a brief mention of a civic reception at Milford that evening on the leaflet we were handed.

We set out on the sail to Angle Bay and got there by lunchtime. After a snack we set off, back up the river to Lawrenny. By this time the tide had turned, so we battled our way back upstream with it running out. When we finally moored the boat at Lawrenny, the second water taxi was just departing from the pontoon, carrying a cargo of very tidy, well-dressed people to the civic reception.

On the following day we learnt that there had in fact been a full-scale dinner and a visit to one of the tall ships in Milford.

And why was an all-day sail to Angle scheduled, against the tide, making it impossible for anyone in a smallish boat to attend both events?

We love exploring the beautiful waterways which run through this fascinating landscape, and we hope that Seafair Haven will take place again in 2014, but we do think that clear planning and communication are vital if it is to be successful in attracting sailing enthusiasts in the future.

ANGELA COSTEN Axbridge Somerset