A SEA battle between two legendary tall ships will open this weekend's Hartlepool Maritime Festival with a bang.

The two contenders will be full-size replicas of explorer Captain James Cook's ship, the Endeavour, and Tsar Peter the Great's Russian frigate Shtandart.

It is the first time such an event has been organised in the UK, and the first time the Shtandart has entered British waters.

At noon on Saturday, the roar of cannon fire will echo along the coastline as the two great ships confront one another within sight of the entrance to Hartlepool Marina.

At about 4pm, they will fire further volleys as they pass each other at close quarters, before the Endeavour enters Victoria Dock to berth and the Shtandart enters the harbour at the Marina.

Organisers predict 100,000 visitors over the two days of the festival.

Claire Munroe, of Hartlepool Borough Council's arts and museums services, said: "The festival is bigger than ever. It is the biggest and best so far, and the next one, in 2006, will have a lot to live up to.

"It is recognition of the really exciting developments going on in Hartlepool and it is becoming very much a tourist destination."

Inquiries about what the town has to offer have come from as far away as Australia, the US and India.

The festival will incorporate a three-day French market, which will sell Gallic wines, delicacies and crafts.

There will be trick-ski and jet-ski demonstrations and a two-day music event, which will feature artists arranged by Hartlepool music venue The Studio.

There will also be international street theatre, abseiling, dancing, acrobatics, a trapeze, tumblers, clowns and puppetry.

A Spitfire will fly over the festival site, spread over the Historic Quay and the Marina, at 3pm on Saturday, and at 3pm on Sunday, a Lancaster bomber will do the same. Both aircraft are part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

A free park-and-ride service will run every 15 minutes between a temporary car park off Greenland Road and the Historic Quay. This will run from 11.30am to 9pm on Saturday and 11.30am to 7pm on Sunday.

For timings of festival events, call the organisers on (01429) 869706.