From 25 to 27 April 2023, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) hosted again the Coasts, Marine Structures, and Breakwaters conference (CMSB)—or Breakwaters for short, as it is sometimes named—at the Marriott Hotel in Portsmouth, UK. The CMSB conference series, held by the ICE for more than 30 years, is one of the leading international forums for the presentation of the latest developments in coastal and maritime engineering. Its previous edition, already the 11th conference in the series, took place in Liverpool from the 5 to 7 September 2017, and set the bar once again very high for its successor. The conference focused on the latest developments across maritime engineering topics from coasts to ports and waterfronts to breakwaters, while concentrating on the full spectrum of research, study, design, construction, and operations. In view of the ever-increasing attention on climate change, an additional spotlight was also placed on how resilience and adaptability are being addressed by the maritime sector. This communication reports on the 2023 CMSB conference, some of the insights and impressions gathered at the conference by the author, and the relevance of the presented material to the tackling of some of the important issues facing our coastal communities and broader environment today.