Whitehaven
Maritime Festivals
June 15-17, 2007
In October 2006 Carlisle
airport boss Andrew Tinkler flew to the rescue with an £80,000 donation
to ensure the future of the 2007 Whitehaven International Maritime Festival.
WHITEHAVEN’S Maritime Festival
has gone International. The bi annual event has now officially been
branded the Whitehaven International Maritime Festival.
Chief executive for the festival, Gerard Richardson, said: “Ever
since the very first festival Whitehaven has been truly international.
At that first festival we had representatives from both Russia and the
USA and the international spirit is a key factor for the festival, so
we thought it important that we reflect that in the title of the 2007
event.”
The organisers have now settled the date for the big event as the
long weekend of June 15-17, 2007
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The 2005 Festival,
the fourth hosted by the town, took place on June 25-26 and is
timed to coincide with the International Year of the Sea and Nelson's
death at the Battle of Trafalgar 200 years ago.
It attracted 250,000 visitors and was blessed with sunshine throughout.
Among attractions
were the Utterly Butterly flying circus (Pictured).
There were fly pasts by the
Red Arrows, and Tornado jets plus a World War 2 fly-past..
Four tall ships came for the event;
Liverpool's flagship the Zebu and sail training ship, Jean de
la Lune, Scotland's only working square-rigged tall ship. They
will also be joined by Jeannie Johnston and The Kathleen &
May a wooden coaster launched in 1900, costing around £2,700
at a time when shipwrights earned the equivalent of £1.25
a week and was among the last four vessels who remained on trade
routes in British and Irish waters. Her home was the Port of Bideford
in the West Country until her retirement in 1961. She was purchased
by a private trust in October 1998 from Gloucester Docks and brought
home for a £1million restoration.
The Zebu came to Whitehaven last year
especially to take part in the festival, choosing it over Liverpool's
own maritime event. Its success in the town convinced the crew
to return to Whitehaven when it took part in a BBC film later
in the year.
Jean de la Lune, a 100ft French brigantine
based on the west coast of Scotland, is coming for the festival
on her farewell voyage before being sold.
As part of the Festival, Cumbria marked the 60th Anniversary of
the End of World War 2, with a Veterans and Ex-Service Personnel
Parade on Sunday 26th June 2005.
2003 Maritime Festival (June 14-15) was a sell out success
with an estimated 200,000 visitors and some £1 million injected
into the local economy. The 2003 show enjoyed brilliant June sunshine.
The next Fest will be on June 25th 2005.
See the action at the 2003 Maritime
Festival
Tall ship the Zebu and the arrival of American warship the USS
Leyte Gulf were among the key attractions for the 2003 Fest. And
in complete contrast the British Jet Ski Display Team racing at
high speed around the harbour.
Other attractions for the 2003 Fest were HMS Biter from the Royal
Navy, and an air-sea rescue display by the RNLI. In the air, there
was a fly-past by the Battle of Britain squadron, featuring the
Lancaster, Hurricane and Spitfire, on Saturday, June 14, while
on the Sunday a spectacular display by the Red Arrows. On the
harbourside at the festival, on June 14 and 15, were stands offering
a wide range of attractions including the ever-popular Made in
Cumbria food and craft tents. There were two free open-air concerts
on Saturday evening: an Abba tribute band will be performing on
The Whitehaven News stage from 6pm, and then there will be a jazz
concert, on the Radio Cumbria stage, by Kenny Ball and his Jazz
Men. The concerts were followed by a fireworks spectacular over
the sea. Also there will be performances by the Central Band of
the Royal Air Force, while local schoolchildren will be delighting
the crowds on The Whitehaven News stage at the Hub. Steamer, Balmoral
will be running trips down the coast on both days, as well as
coming into the harbour on the Saturday evening. There will be
a yacht regatta outside the harbour.
Previous
Maritime Festival scenes
In July 2002 Whitehaven had a mini festival atmosphere as
three tall ships bid sailed into port for a highly succesful month
long visit.
The ships, Kaskalot, Earl Pembroke and Phoenix...were enjoyed
by thousands during the long stop over. On the evening of Friday
June 21 hundreds sang along to Land of Hope and Glory at the Whitehaven
"Proms" when the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
performed on Whitehaven harbourside. The concert was to mark both
the 150th anniversary of The Whitehaven
News, and the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The event, , in
conjunction with the Whitehaven Maritime Festival company, was
a resounding success complete with fireworks finale.
The Whitehaven Maritime Festival...weekend of June 23-24 2001
attracted an amazing 100,000 visitors.
On the menu were three square rigged sailing ships, Earl
of Pembroke, the Phoenix and Prince William. There was a funfair,
Cumbrian arts and crafts, Spitfire, Tornado and Air Sea Rescue
fly pasts, sea shanties and live music, including the Band of
the Royal Marines. The Saturday evening saw a dramatic fireworks
display over the Irish Sea. On the Sunday there were be more fly
pasts and theatrical events around the many visiting ships in
the harbour. To see a page of
Typical of the new nautical interest in Whitehaven was the visit
in 2000 of the square rigger, and the visit in May of training ship Tenacious.(click
and get your free tall ship printable image)
Estimates
of the crowd at the May 1999 event vary..40,000 up to 80,000 but
thanks to sunshine and a lot of hard work by a lot of people the
Whitehaven Rum Festival as it was billed had the town swamped
with visitors.
Highlights of that year's events(Seen below) included the Caribbean
parade and re-enactment of a rum smugglers' capture, complete
with a "gruesome" mock hanging in authentic 17th century
style!
The Festival brought to life much of the fascinating history
behind the port of Whitehaven. In the 17th century Whitehaven
built brigs dared the Atlantic storms to take part in the trade
in rum, tobacco, limes and sugar from the early colonies in America
and the Caribbean. There are even less mentionable instances of
Whitehaven
built ships taking a minor part in the grim slave
trade at these times. To see more of the tall
ships in Whitehaven.
The event was closely associated with the Rum
Story, Whitehaven’s newest £3 million visitor
attraction, which opened on Monday, May 22 2000.
Any local businesses interested in the Festival should contact:
Gerard Richardson at Richardsons
Wines
Web site and pre-event promo run by Lakestay
Lakestay E mails
