MARYPORT’S Taste of the Sea festival at the weekend held special memories for one old sea dog.

John Coleman and wife Barbara came here 40 years ago – on their honeymoon.

This weekend they were back with the Port Sunshine Shanty Dogs who entertained the 6,000 or so who attended the festival.

Maryport has changed and the couple could not identify the hotel they stayed in, but they had vivid memories of the day.

In those days Maryport was a stop-off point for many of the top musicians of the day. They would give a concert at the Civic Hall on their way from London to Glasgow.

There was a band in that night although the couple do not know who it was. “I do remember that the hotelier told them they would have to be quiet because we were honeymooners and had a baby,” John said.

The bit about the baby was not true but early the following morning they were awoken by a band playing Rock-a-Bye Baby.

While the shanty band had people – if not quite hornpiping – at least tapping their toes during four one-hour sessions, there was also loads of other entertainment.

Fletcher’s ferris wheel towered over the rides in the Wave car park with additional children’s entertainment courtesy of Taste Cumbria favourites Rainbow Jelly Productions and street theatre – complete with a real live mermaid – from the Fairly Famous Family.

Rainbow Jelly offered nautical-themed arts and crafts to keep children entertained but the hardest job of the day was catching a real live mermaid.

The Fairly Famous Family saw Andy Yates,(Frogman Steve) in flippers, pushing “mermaid” Rowan Birkett around – and it was not easy. “It would be better if I could walk backwards,” he said.

n Festival spirit: Page 20