Forty Eight Hours

There have only been ten Harbour Masters of Rye since 1850, so they're a pretty hardy breed.

Captain Carl Bagwell, who takes us on a  tour in this Forty Eight Hours film, has been at the port since 1978 and took over as the top man over twenty years ago.

He is a ship's pilot who guides vessels into the harbour and he's also in overall charge of the port.

Rye was once one of England's seven key defensive ports - the Cinque Ports.

It became a Cinque Port in 1189, meaning that it had to lend ships to the King in time of war in return some handsome tax breaks.

But the sea finally retreated from the old Rye port; nowadays the Port of Rye dries completely at low tide.  So it lost its relevance as a Cinque port, although it still boasts a local fishing industry.