A LITERARY festival celebrating writing inspired by the sea is coming to Weymouth next year.

The Weymouth Leviathan Maritime Literary Festival will take place from March 11 to March 13 next year and aims to celebrated the power of great maritime writing and also hopes to enjoy the sea more.

The festival will celebrate fiction, non-fiction and guides and books both new and old as long as they have a connection with the sea.

Organisers are still in the early stages of planning the event and are delighted to announce that Vice Admiral Sir Fabian Malbon KBE has agreed to take on the role of honorary chairman of the Weymouth Leviathan.

Sir Fabian, who lives in Weymouth, spent 37 years in the Royal Navy.

He served in 12 ships and commanded three, including the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible, and rose to the position of Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Fleet – effectively second in command for the whole Navy.

On retirement from the Royal Navy, he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey, the Queen’s representative on the Bailiwick.

James Farquharson said after some time planning the event he was delighted to be launching the festival and making it public.

He said: "We've got a literary festival launching in Weymouth but its a maritime literary festival so it will feature fiction, non-fiction and guides, anything as long as it's got a maritime theme.
"It's going to happen all around the harbour."

Mr Farquharson, a local councillor, said a number of venues had already been confirmed and it would be a chance for the whole town to celebrate its connection with the sea.

He added that he was also delighted to have Sir Fabian involved with the festival.

He said: "Sir Fabian’s role within the Leviathan is to support the festival’s organisational team with advice drawn from a lifetime’s involvement with the sea.

"He will also take a role front of stage, when the festival requires a chap who’s very much more accustomed to public speaking than the rest of us are."

For more information and to keep up to date with plans for the festival as they develop visit weymouthleviathan.org or follow @weyleviathan on Twitter