PEMBROKE’S annual river rally has proved a success once again, with up 1,000 people attending the popular event, which took place on Saturday, August 19.

Organised by the West Wales Maritime Heritage Society, the rally transports the mayors of Pembroke and Pembroke Dock and their consorts to Pembroke by sea.

The flotilla arrived at Pembroke’s South Quay car park that afternoon, with small boats from all over the Haven estuary joining in the procession to make it a spectacle.

The rally enables the Mayor of Pembroke, this year Cllr Dai Boswell, to exercise his right to navigate the Pembroke River.

Pembroke Dock was represented by Deputy Mayor Cllr Gordon Goff and Councillor Peter Kraus, dressed as Pembroke Castle-born Henry VII.

South Quay once again saw stalls and festivities, creating a carnival atmosphere.

Pembroke Mayor Cllr Dai Boswell said: “It went alright, 20 boats turned up for the rally, even if it was a bit breezy on the river, and there was a good load of stalls on South Quay and a good turnout by the public, and nice weather.

“All-in-all it was a good day, it’s a one-off. It’s very important that the mayor attends, it keeps us in the picture of keeping the rights to navigate the river; we carry out the river rally to keep our rights to keep the river open. It goes back years ago to when the ships used to come in and offload their cargoes.

“It was well attended, people were coming and going left right and centre; in all there was a hell of a crowd, you had to ‘navigate’ your way through the crowd, there must have been 1,000 people, coming and going.

“If they had a ‘clicker’ counting numbers like they do in nightclubs, I think they would have burned it out.

“It was a great atmosphere all round.”