ON THE WATER
Bembridge
Harbour re-birth
There have been fresh waves of optimism
completing the deal inside a week, and
Malcolm. But it is a case of being at opposite
rippling through Bembridge Harbour over the
building their own house. It proved an ideal
ends of the boat – one at the front and one
past few months.
location for Malcolm and Fiona, both keen
and the back – and I won’t tell you which way
sailors who have often competed together
round it is!”
The harbour, a stand-out feature of the
Island for so long, was in grave danger of
at Cowes Week and in the Round the Island
being submerged in its own silt after falling
race, as well as taking part in the Wednesday
surveyors’ business from Yarmouth, until
into administration last year.
night racing at Yarmouth, which both describe
about five years ago when the couple decided
as ‘great fun’.
the business they had was not a viable one
But then along came Malcolm and Fiona
Thorpe, a husband and wife team who moved
Fiona smiled: “I got into racing when I met
Malcolm continued to run his own his
going forward because the property market in
to the Island 15 years ago, and since buying
the harbour have laid down a blueprint for a
bright and positive future.
Improvements have already been made,
and further restoration and renovation will
continue for years to come. Malcolm admits:
“The harbour has been through a t orrid time
and there is no quick fix. But there really is a
future for Bembridge Harbour, and there has
been a positive response from many people.
The support we have received has been a
real bonus.”
Malcolm hailed from Leicester and trained
as a chartered surveyor, before moving into
commercial property development, while
Fiona, also born in the Midlands, was brought
up in Hong Kong before moving to London.
When they moved to the Island they
acquired a piece of land at Yarmouth,
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Malcolm and Fiona with the staff at Bembridge Harbour