Marine

A county shaped by the sea
Take a look around from the tower-top observation deck of the new National Maritime Museum in Falmouth. As well as a breathtaking view over the world's third-largest natural harbour, you'll also get a sense of just how much the sea has shaped - and continues to shape - Cornwall's development.

From here you can spot an amazing variety of vessels, from the traditional brown-sailed oyster boats, still built locally and used to harvest the pristine oyster beds of the Carrick Roads, to the state-of-the-art luxury yachts moored in Port Pendennis Marina. Turn to the docks and you may well see a cruise liner disembarking passengers to explore Falmouth's wealth of waterfront shops and restaurants, along with commercial and naval vessels in for refits and repairs.

Inside the award-winning museum, interactive displays allow you to find out more about Cornwall's maritime heritage. As you'll see, it's a heritage that's very much alive - and evolving.

Marine-based expertise has major spin-offs
Cornwall's economy draws great strength from the skills and resources built up in the maritime sector. Many of its marine-related firms are right at the leading edge of technological development - and not just in boat design and shipbuilding. In fact, they're involved in everything from advanced electronics and offshore wind-farms to cable-laying and undersea exploration. The multi-skilled companies that make up this important business cluster are constantly developing innovative solutions to new challenges.

For instance, when architects Future Systems were commissioned to create the NatWest Media Centre at Lords Cricket Ground in London, they came up with a spectacular design based on a streamlined aluminium construction. To transform this vision into reality they turned to the expertise of Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth. It rose to the challenge magnificently, working closely with other Cornwall-based marine engineering firms.

Or take Tiflex of Liskeard. Famous in the yachting world for its range of non-slip decking surfaces, the company also makes anti-vibration materials used in everything from supermarket frozen-food cabinets to railway lines.

The success of these firms is built not only on the advanced skills of their workforces, but also on their ability to respond quickly and creatively to new market opportunities.

Catching the wave of the future
Whether you're surfing Atlantic breakers off the North Coast beaches, wreck-diving off the Lizard or sailing the idyllic waters of the Carrick Roads, Cornwall is quite simply a watersports paradise. And Cornish businesses have been making the most of the rapidly growing demand for marine leisure equipment.

As well as some of the UK's most successful yacht-builders, Cornwall is also home to companies like Gul International of Bodmin and AP Valves of Helston. One of the world's best known wet-suit manufacturers, Gul International has successfully extended its brand across a range of clothing, luggage, watches and other sports accessories. AP Valves makes diving gear favoured by many of the world's top professional divers, including the revolutionary Buddy Inspiration system, which enables much longer and deeper dives than conventional scuba equipment.

Like so many of Cornwall's other marine-related firms, these companies are using their well-honed skills to catch the wave of the future.

Networks
Companies in the marine sector take Cornwall's motto, 'One and All', very much to heart. This mutually supportive approach is expressed in:

The Cornwall Marine Network. This aims to raise the national and international profile of the Cornish marine industry through joint promotional initiatives, speak with a powerful voice on issues that impact on members' competitiveness, promote best practice and increase workforce skills in line with future industry needs, and assist its members in identifying and accessing sources of funding to achieve these objectives.