There is a smell of the sea at Shoreham Harbour locks and, every so often, free entertainment - your kids will love it.

It's exciting to watch a 5,000 ton ship entering the harbour on a fresh, windy day and manoeuvre into the lock with only a few feet to spare.

"Daddy, what happens if the ship can't stop?"

I went to see the chief executive of the Port Authority, Brian Tatterton.

In the board room are, pictures of sailing ships, bills of lading in triplicate, certificates of origin, a passable cup of tea and some old world courtesy.

Shoreham has been a port since Roman times - back in those days it was known as Portus Adurni - but the enterprise is not stuck in the past and has plans for the future.

The coal-fired power station with its splendid chimneys has gone, together with the gasworks.

But the port is still a busy place. It supports some 2,500 jobs and the harbour handles nearly two million tons of freight a year.

Mr Tatterton is confident there will be more short sea shipping business in the future.

Containerisation has meant some loss of business but as road and railway links become more congested, there are advantages in using our country's smaller harbours.

Shoreham will hold stock for 'just-in-time' requirements. Builders' merchants service hundreds of their branches from the port, which has an excellent reputation for the efficient handling of timber and steel.

Valerie Stringer, the port's commercial manager, told me the old coal stock yard had been turned into a prime cargo-handling facility and she was sure she could find the business for it.

The Port of Shoreham is a Trust and Mr Tatterton believes it has a duty to do its very best for the local community.

It has built a large number of commercial properties to attract local employment.

It is working with the local authorities and the South East England Development Agency (Seeda) on a regeneration strategy for the harbour area. Of course, there will be difficulties but I was excited by the plans.

I looked at my watch - there had been little time to talk about the ro-ro facilities, the dry dock that regularly services The Winston Churchill and the yachtsman's berths.

As I left the harbour offices, I walked down to the locks. Had a vessel ever rammed the lock gates? I had forgotten to ask.