With parachuting, marching, gun displays and sea shanties galore, the Festival of the Sea got off to a rousing success this weekend.

This two-weekend long festival is a celebration of the county’s seafaring tradition and links with the ocean.

The first weekend (June 11-12) was hosted by the Royal Hospital School (RHS) in Holbrook, which opened its gates to the public and pulled out all the stops for a spectacular show.

Crowds were wowed with displays from the Royal Marines, Royal Navy parachute display team The Raiders, and the RHS field guns and guards.

The afternoon saw performances from the Motley Crew sea shanty group from Brightlingsea and the school band.

“It’s great to be part of something bigger,” said Brian Martineau, assistant head at the RHS. “The Festival of Suffolk is a really fantastic event, and we are delighted to be a part of it.”

The Festival of the Sea is one of the main events in this summer’s Festival of Suffolk. It is jointly supported by the Countess of Euston, HM Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, and Mrs Jennifer Tolhurst, HM Lord Lieutenant of Essex.

Mr Martineau continued: “A lot of people have put their heart and soul into today. We’ve never done this kind of thing before, so it’s all new – we didn’t know if we’d get five people, or five thousand!

“But we’ve had such a brilliant crowd here.

“It’s bringing the best of the community together.”

He is particularly proud the students in the RHS band, who gave three parades.

“They’ve had a really busy day, but they’ve been absolutely loving it,” he said.

“This has all been very exciting for them. They do a lot of parades, but here we’ve got a whole new audience, with lots of parents and members of the public who wouldn’t normally see our parade.

“They’re brilliant – you hear them, and think, I can’t believe they're children, and they’re doing this amazing playing and formation.

“They’re fantastic.”

Sophy Walker is the director of communications at the Royal Hospital School.

She said: “It was absolutely packed. The sun was shining, and there’s been such a lovely atmosphere.

“Everyone has been getting involved and enjoying all the nautical activities.”

Celebrations will continue next weekend, when dozens of boats of all shapes and sizes are will take to the waves between Harwich, Shotley and Felixstowe.