By Andrew Jarret

THE EIGHTH annual Arbroath Sea Fest opened under bright blue skies on Saturday, drawing tens of thousands of visitors to the town.

The organisers had planned for everything, except of course the weather, but after a dull week leading up to the event the sun finally broke through and remained in place for both days.

Car parking was at a premium in the town, with people descending on the harbour area from near and far. With Inchcape Park already full of cars by mid morning on Saturday, organisers began directing motorists onto the low common.

Mrs Jean Mitchell, from Ceres in Fife, brought her grandchildren to the event.

“I came once before a couple of years ago and it rained but today the weather is beautiful,” she said. “This is the first time the kids have been and there’s plenty for them to see and do.”

Many of the foreign farm workers living in and around Arbroath also took the opportunity to visit the maritime festival, adding an international flavour to the scene.

Local MP Mike Weir was also in attendance and said that the organisers should be congratulated on the “magnificent organisation” of the event.

“It was great to see so many people at the harbour enjoying the wonderful warm sunshine, especially after the dire weather we have had for most of the summer,” he said.

“As usual Sea Fest was well organised and very enjoyable. It has established itself as one of Arbroath’s major attractions, bringing in visitors from far and wide.

“Certainly on Saturday they saw the town at its best and hopefully many of them will be encouraged to visit here again and view some of our other attractions.

“The fishing industry has gone through rough times in recent years and it is particularly gratifying to see the harbour once again at the centre of the life of the town, if only for the weekend.”

On Saturday night hundreds of revellers got into the spirit of things into the wee small hours with a well attended street party in South Street and a sell-out beer festival in front of the Signal Tower, organised by the town’s rotary club.

A number of bodies and organisations took advantage of the huge numbers attending—estimated at around 25,000 over both days—to gather public support for various causes.

Representatives of Tayside Fire Brigade asked members of the public to support their petition to save the brigade’s control room.

The service at Macalpine Road fire station in Dundee faces closure as part of Scottish Executive proposals to reduce the number of control rooms in Scotland.

“Everyone has been very supportive,” commented control operator Jackie Cargill.

“The response to our campaign has been brilliant at Sea Fest, with everyone happy to sign our petition.”

Another petition which found favour with the public was Sea Fest sponsor Asda’s continuing drive to bring a new supermarket to the town.

Their cause was supported by thousands of people who signed a petition backing their bid to open a store at the Westway.

The Courier’s campaign to save The Black Watch was also very popular.

The police reported that the event had passed very smoothly, with only a couple of minor incidents to deal with.

*The winner of The Courier competition for a Baxter’s luxury food hamper is J. Stewart, 87 Broom Hill Drive, Monifieth.