OH landlubbers of Lancaster, its time to get that mainbrace out and give it a good old splicing ready for the city's annual Maritime Festival.

The celebration of the days of sail when Lancaster was one of the country's foremost ports will run for four days over Easter, Good Friday to Easter Monday.

As usual, the festival will include performances by a rare gathering of virtually all the country's leading sea songsters and shantymen with a wide range of maritime themed entertainments and events completing the bill.

There will be daily salty singarounds and storytelling sessions, illustrated talks, guided walks, traditional seaside puppet shows and knot-tying demonstrations. The seasonal Lancaster Pace Egg Play will also be performed on Good Friday and Saturday.

Most of the Maritime Festival events will take place on or around St George's Quay on the banks of the River Lune with the Maritime Museum, the Three Mariners and the George and Dragon at the centre of things. There will also be events at the Dukes Theatre on Moor Lane.

A programme of events can be picked up, completely free of charge, at the Lancaster Tourist Information Centre on Castle Hill.

Unfortunately that doesn't included the movements of the notorious Cumpsty the Smuggler, quayside doxies or the infamous King's press gang.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.