Port welcomes pelican of london to dry dock

Shoreham Port welcomed the tall ship ‘Pelican of London’ to its Dry Dock this week to receive some routine maintenance and repair work. This impressive tall ship has gathered a lot of attention from regular visitors of the Port and passer-by’s along the A259.

Used predominately as a training vessel, the crew of Pelican of London are preparing her for her annual inspection and carrying out other remedial work such as taking out the side valves for servicing. The crew will also re-coat the hull with anti-fouling paint to slow the growth of organisms that attach to the hull and can affect a vessel's performance and durability.

Pelican of London has a rich history, starting life in Le Havre, France as a deep water trawler. The Pelican worked in the Arctic for 20 years before being sold to Norway and converted to a coaster in 1968. Now nearly 40 years on, following a complete rebuild in Portland in Dorset, she sails again as 'Pelican of London’, this time as a main mast Barquentine.    

Pelican of London is the ultimate Pirate Ship! Her rig is based on the Barbary Coast Xebec - the most successful Pirates of the Mediterranean for 200 years. Pace and space is what she offers. For comfort and elegance she has no rival amongst her peers.

Pelican of London – Vital Statistics:

Once the work in the Dry Dock has been completed Pelican of London will return to Weymouth before heading out for another season of training.

Captain Paul Compton commented “Shoreham Port’s Dry Dock offers us the opportunity to carry out essential maintenance work in an ideal location, being close to main transport links. The team at Shoreham Port have been fantastic and very supportive, ensuring that we have everything we need to carry out speedy repairs.”

Keith Wadey, Assistant Port Engineer added “It was great to have the Pelican come to our Dry Dock, it is always exciting to carry out a dry docking, but on a vessel such as the Pelican, it is exceptional. This is the Pelican’s first visit to our Dock and I hope to see her many times in the future.”