WEYMOUTH would not be the same without Trawler Race Day.

And fittingly it is celebrating its own special anniversary in this Royal Jubilee year.

The event was originally dreamt up by a band of fishermen and a few other regulars at Colin Horne's King's Arms pub on the harbourside in 1977 and will celebrate its Silver Jubilee over the Bank Holiday weekend.

However, there were fears last year that the event might sink without trace after several long-serving committee members decided to call it a day.

But a new committee saved the event and now they are hoping it will go from strength to strength.

Organiser Hugh Chalker said: "Trawler Race is an integral part of Weymouth's calendar and we hope it will never end.

"We are confident that this year will be a great success and we believe we have a tremendous programme that will appeal to everyone.

"The trawler race itself will continue to be the centrepiece but there are a host of fun events including squirrel racing in the harbour. A few people will be dressed in squirrel suits and people will be able to have a guess on which one wins. There will be a load of great prizes on offer.

"We are also lucky to get the Yakolevs, who are one of the UK's top air display teams."

The team carry out precision formation flying and graceful aerobatics in robust Yakolev training and aerobatic competition planes.

All the various events help to make the Trawler Race Day one of the most eagerly-awaited and crowd-pleasing spectacles of the year.

Other towns have tried to copy the format but none has come close to matching the spirit of the event, which raises thousands of pounds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and other local charities.

It has long been seen as the precursor to the summer season.

The event's humble beginnings can be traced to a smoky bar in the King's Arms where fisherman Brian 'Tarps' Randall suggested the idea of staging a trawler race on Whitsun Bank Holiday Monday 1977 to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

Fisherman Pinkie Menzies-Welham, who was among the founding group, said: "There were about six or seven of us in the pub and we were disappointed that nothing was happening for Jubilee Day.

"The council was closing roads so people could have street parties, but there was no single event the whole town could be involved in.

"Tarps had been going down to the Brixham trawler race for a few years in his boat and he was always raving on about it, so he said why don't we have one here.

"It's not actually a race as such, more of a time trial. But it sounded like a lot of fun and we thought we could raise some money for the lifeboat because the King's Arms supported the RNLI."

The group managed to stump up a small amount of cash and a committee was formed in order to get the event off the ground and into the water.

Among the members were Pinkie, publicans Colin Horne and Don Honeybon, accountant Vic Cooke, fish trader John Jennings, chimney sweep John 'Sootie' Stockley and Jo Stainer, who was appointed secretary.

"We had a lot of laughs trying to get it together and everything was co-ordinated from the pub," said Pinkie.

The King's Arms Trawler Race, complete with charity stalls, tombola, raft-race, madcap tug-o-war across the harbour, majorette displays, the Poole Sea cadets band and extended licences was declared an overwhelming success.

The town lifeboat led fishing vessels around a set course in the bay and trophies were presented to the first boat home, the best-decorated boat and harbourside properties.

Pinkie added: "It went down an absolute storm and was a great family day out. When people suggested we do one the following year we didn't think it would work because no-one would be in the mood, but it was even better. We knew we had started something special."

Support from business meant the trawler race, with its colourful carnival atmosphere, was able to become an annual fixture in Weymouth's events calendar, and the amount of trawlers and money raised steadily grew over the years.

The original committee stayed loyal to the cause for many years and chairmen included Arthur Hambleton, the former Chief Constable of Dorset, and Sam Dunlop, a retired Commodore who spent a distinguished career in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.