Harbourmaster to take retirement

The harbour should be completed by the time Captain Barton leaves

Guernsey's harbourmaster has announced he is to retire in August after eight years in the job.

Captain Robert Barton became the island's harbourmaster and registrar of ships in 1997 after a distinguished career in the Royal Navy.

During his time he has had the job of overseeing two major capital projects - the new harbour at St Sampson's and the Jetty repair in St Peter Port.

Both of those should be completed before he leaves.

Captain Barton is described as an "outstanding" harbourmaster by the Board of the Public Services Department.

In a statement, the Board says it regrets his decision to take early retirement and says he will be hard to replace.