Folkestone Harbour Festival 2008

This years Folkestone Harbour Festival 2008 will take place on July 19 2008. We have a full day program lined up starting at 10am in the morning right through till 9pm when we close with a spectacular firework display in the Harbour. Events include the Sunny Sands Raft race at midday, followed by the Trawler race and a demonstration yacht race. DOver Lifeboat will be in the harbour and usually welcomes visitors. The Coastguard rescue vessel will give a firefighting display and there will also be an air sea rescue helicopter display.

Have a go events will include a Rodeo bull, a bungee run, Gladiator challenge, skittle alley, 3 bouncy castles and more. for the kids there will be fairground rides and there will also be sideshows and stalls hosted by HarbourMart.

Live bands all afternoon and into the evening.

All proceeds go to the RNLI and other local Charities

full details may be found here www.askshepway.com/harbourfestival enquiries to FolkestoneRNLI@btinternet.com

folkestonernli :: Comment / reply

Weekend! Curry! Spazzy twitches! Everything!

Great weekend, bailed out of work slightly early and got the train to Mum and Dad's, for a nice long relaxing weekend. As previously mentioned, Clare was in London drinking and dancing with her friends, and definitely not lighting fires, and I was heading for a boy's night out in Fareham. Made good times on the trains, but it's still a four hour journey, and I had to sit on the floor for most of it from London down to Hampshire. So tea and chat and TV and then an early night really on the Friday.

Saturday went into Fareham in the day for a bit of a look and a shop. Not really much to see there, but I'd certainly not loiter in Folkestone town centre on a Saturday either. One advantage of everything being a bit pikey is that there's a super cheap greetings card shop there. I don't normally buy cards, but got a bit pressured into it, being in a crowd of other people who made out it was cool and that everyone else was doing it. At least that's only 29p I'll never see again, I'm pretty pleased with that, yes 29p greetings cards. If you think about it, they shouldn't cost much more than that. I hope this catches on, amazed Folkestone doesn't have one already. UPDATE: It does now, it's called Card Factory.

Saturday night, CURRY! At Cafe Tusk. Met up in The Fareham for a cheeky couple, that's a nice pub, for Fareham. Cafe Tusk was good, twenty pounds a head with drinks, eyes completely bigger than my belly as it turns out, I was sure I'd manage more platefuls than I did. Very good to see so many people in one go, we don't get together nearly enough. Probably they do, but I don't. Took a few pictures, not as many as I thought I did, and not sure the GPS was working properly, so this map:

[map]2008-02-09[/map]

probably isn't displaying properly. Are those pink route lines appearing in the middle of the channel for anyone else? Maybe all the satellites were off for maintenance at the weekend. UPDATE: sorted, I was importing Western longitudes incorrectly....

After the ruby we tried The Vanguard, but they didn't like the look of us, something about wearing trainers. I suspect they didn't want eight old giffers doubling the average age, their loss. Normally it would have been my default first choice for a place to meet up in Fareham, but it won't any more. We went to the Lord Arthur Lee instead, starting to head the opposite way out of town for me, but good beer on (it's a Wetherspoons) and open until 1am.

Sunday, boot fair in Bishops Waltham in the morning, then a nice big lunch with the family and a relaxing evening. Bit too relaxing at one point, I dozed off an ddid a bit of a spazzy twitch with a glass of red wine in my hand, which went all over the carpet and sofa, oops.

Monday, smooth journey back, achieved very little for a whole day off work. Grocery shopped a bit and cooked some tea, then was glad to see Clare at the end of the day, too long without her, ah bless.

Got some NEWS regarding the impending wedding of Clare's bro, it's now been moved forward, and will be on a yacht, in Key West, in April. WOO!

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Leave Dave the dolphin alone!

The Folkestone Dolphin is in The Sun today:

JET skiers and kayakers will be prosecuted if they harass a dolphin that has taken up residence in the English Channel.

The dolphin who has been nicknamed "Dave" has made the sea off Folkestone, Kent, his home over the past few months.

He can regularly be seen swimming along the reef between Seabrook and Folkestone harbour.

The warning from Kent Police comes after reports that people in kayaks were harassing Dave today.

Police say jet skiers and people in motor boats were getting close to him on recent occasions.

A Kent Police spokesman said: “Kent Police is asking the public to help protect Dave by reporting any behaviour by jet skiers and kayakers that may harm him.

"The Marine Unit may also be patrolling that area of coast and will take action against anyone who is annoying Dave."

Dolphins are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which makes it an offence to recklessly or intentionally harass them.

PC Andy Small, Kent Police rural and environmental crime coordinator, said: “Dolphins are well loved creatures and very friendly towards humans. However, they are wild animals and should be treated with respect.

"Boats, jet skis and kayaks should keep a distance of about 100m from the dolphin and people must not approach, grab, touch or try to swim with him."

2006 :: Comment / reply