Mr Rangecroft of the FTSA has given good account of his Association's relationship with HM Bark Endeavour, quite the reverse must be said of Mr Barnicoat, who has made quite extraordinary accusations.

Presumably people and organisations donate money to the FTSA in the belief that it will support and encourage vessels of significant interest into the port of Falmouth. Support comes in many forms and it might have been hoped that once it was established that the level of financial assistance requested by Endeavour could not be met, that help would be given in the major issue of securing a berth.

Together with the Endeavour Office in Whitby and on occasion the captain himself, we made strenuous efforts over a period of four months to find out where Endeavour would be berthed. We encountered inaccurate information, procrastination and evasion from individuals who should have been in possession of the facts and able to make decisions.

Endeavour and Grand Princess, about which Mr Barnicoat waxes so lyrical, are at opposite ends of the passenger shipping spectrum but neither expects to be treated as commercial shipping. Falmouth has a great deal more to offer than ship repair services and it must be a great disappointment to the tourism industry, which works so hard to bring visitors into Falmouth, that Mr Barnicoat does not share their vision.

Endeavour is a world class attraction and it is this star quality that is exploited by her hosts at the many ports she visits. As Mr Rangecroft points out, the promoters for the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race and the National Maritime Museum Cornwall were happy to make an investment which would bring prosperity to the town and promote themselves and the port as a major tourist destination.

Does the FTSA see itself only as broker, offering assistance and shore services solely to those vessels from which remuneration is assured? Endeavour is not a "freeloader" nor does she compromise herself. The decision having been made to continue with this call, it was never in doubt that she would pay her own way. Excellent support was received from the Maritime Museum and from volunteers, some from the Falmouth area and others from as far afield as Whitby.

The FTSA does valuable work for the Tall Ships which call into Falmouth, gracing the harbour with their presence and giving an insight into working sailing ships. Endeavour, however, is also a museum and a focus for maritime historians, botanists, artists, authors and TV and film companies and the men and women who will always go down to the sea in ships. Financial reality is that this costs over £3,000 per day and Endeavour like everyone else must make ends meet. It's a tough world on land as well as on the ocean.

We would suggest that Mr Barnicoat and Mr Rangecroft, and the other main players in this fiasco, take a trip on Endeavour as voyage crew to learn how to get results by working as a team and to take note of the ship's motto: Be Excellent to Each Other.

Carolyn Wilkins and Heather Campbell, Little Treliever, Mabe