SEAMEN from as far as Salcombe in Devon braved the atrocious weather to get to this year's Open Day and Rally Weekend.

The community and members of the Lydney Yacht Club greeted the cold and wet men after their horrendous sail up the Bristol Channel to Lydney Harbour.

Commodore Susan Pearson said: "We are overwhelmed by the amount of people who came along to support us by land and water. There were 16 boats in total that braved the conditions, some had come from Gloucester and Tintern while others travelled further afield from Portishead and south Devon.

"The seamen remained in high spirits and were impressed with our club."

The annual boating event coincided with the Lydney Festival and marks the opening of the Yacht Club at the harbour where people can visit the site and enjoy a day of music, food, stalls and locally-sourced ales and ciders.

The Mayor of Lydney, Cllr Bob Berryman opened the event.

Susan added: "We had a fantastic turnout considering the weather and everybody enjoyed the artisan stalls, 'beer tent', wood carving as well as games. We are always looking for more members to join us and at the moment we are offering a temporary membership until October. We would like to thank everybody who came along to support the weekend."