Festival of the Sea

Club member Chris Clouter stepped into the speaker slot to talk about his involvement in the Festival of the Sea in Barrow docks.

He began by explaining the timeline of how it all started for the now "Royal Port of Barrow'' from 2002 until the present day. 

Chris showed an aerial view of the current dock system, which gave a visual understanding of how extensive the first event was in 2002.

He went on to say that this first festival was in competition with similar, more well-established events at Whitehaven, 40 miles up the Cumbrian coast.

Our 2002 festival was indeed funded by a combination of local authorities and commerce to the point where it was possible to see powerboat racing, tall ships open to the public, and up to 30,000 visitors who witnessed a Red Arrows flypast on the day. 

2004 saw a similar event take place at the dock complex rebranded as ''International Power and Glory''.

Amongst the attractions, there was jet skiing, water excursions, carnival stalls and spectacular seagoing vessels of all types.

The event hosted the biggest sailing ship in the world at the time, the Russian ship MIR, a tremendous sight for anyone not familiar with sailing ships. 

Sadly from 2005 - 2009, the national, and local political landscape shifted which meant that the Barrow festivals could no longer be sustained, and interest waned in funding such events in general, as other priorities emerged. 

However, in 2017 the ''Tall Ships Festival '' was created.

Chris pointed out that this was a much scaled-down project which saw him hoist a special flag on the top of Barrow town hall to promote the event. The festivals have continued until today and the 2026 event is well under way at the time of writing. It’s a credit to Chris and his team for their involvement in these initiatives and he pointed to a colleague Andy Naylor of Associated British Ports who has tirelessly worked, sometimes almost single handedly, to bring this event to Barrow and the surrounding area year after year. 

Staffed by volunteers, we hope the Barrow festival of the sea continues to gain momentum for many years to come. 

Chris was thanked by President Peter Garwood, and the members showed their appreciation in the usual manner.

The Royal Port of Barrow Festival of the Sea returns to the Port of Barrow and Town Quay (behind Morrisons) fromAugust 8 to August 9, 2026. This free event features the vintage tall ship Pelican of London, live music from groups like the Barrow Male Voice Choir, community stalls, and local food vendors.

The festival celebrates Barrow's proud maritime heritage and royal port status, offering free deck tours of the Pelican of London from 11am to 5pm. It also features performances, family activities, and the return of local sea cadets.