Crowds gathered in Royal Avenue Gardens on Wednesday evening for the official opening of the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta.

A Royal Marine Band led a procession of civic dignitaries including Dartmouth mayor and Mayoress Rob and Di Lyon, Regatta committee members and invited guests from the Guildhall to the ceremony in the bandstand.

There Cllr Lyon invested the traditional replica silver oar in the form of a lapel brooch on Regatta chairman Ed Botterill.

Earlier the band had performed Beat the Retreat and Ceremonial Sunset along South Embankment.