Tall ships' full sail ahead!

GREAT Yarmouth's 10th anniversary Maritime Festival on the weekend of September 5 and 6 is shaping up to be the biggest yet, with more than a dozen ships coming into port, of which five can be explored by visitors.

Festival goers who wish to sail the North Sea can do so aboard the Tall Ship Artemis and river sailings will also be on offer.

Thousands of visitors are expected to throng to South Quay where attractions will include three tall ships, the three-masted barque Artemis, the popular Grand Turk frigate, and the Jubilee Sailing Trust's Lord Nelson, one of only two boats in the world designed for wheelchair users to man.

The Royal Navy is planning to send three ships into port for the festival, including the patrol boat HMS Raider and the HMS Hurworth mine sweeper which visitors will be able to go aboard.

Families will also be able to look around Yarmouth's Lydia Eva, the last steam drifter, with its on-board exhibition telling the ship's story, and the MV Coronia, a pleasure boat built in Yarmouth in 1935 which used to set sail from the Britannia Pier.

Lifeboats from Caister and Gorleston will be on display along with the Wherry Hathor, the MTB102 and the Southern Belle pleasure boat.

New this year at the festival is an RSPB exhibition and telescope so that visitors can bird-spot from South Quay.

Visitors can have a go at net-mending in the demonstrators' marquee and for the children, last year's popular Natural England exhibition will be even bigger and better, with more hand-on activities to do.

The sponsors of the popular event include two who have made annual commitments for 10 years, PKF and Gardline. The others are E.on, Mark Oakes builders, Petrefac, J H Bunns, Elm Contracts, MDF Transport, 1st East, Seajacks, Compass Travel and EastPort UK. Great Yarmouth Borough Council is also supportive.