IT has been a very busy and exciting year for Weymouth’s Tall Ship Pelican.

There have been many highlights of the 2014 sailing season, especially nearer the tail end.

The Pelican kicked off with a number of fully booked day sails around Weymouth Bay and the Jurassic coastline with members of the public enjoying taster days on the water.

She then sailed from Weymouth to Alderney in the Channel Islands and back on an adult-only voyage with a group of enthusiastic retirees.

A high point for the crew was when the oldest trainee, Anne Wrapson, climbed the mast to celebrate her 80th birthday, assisted by two trained watch-leaders.

The next events on the programme were appearances at the Belfast, Dublin and Liverpool Maritime Festivals.

Here she welcomed hundreds of people on board during the open days, including a group of children and their families from the Make It Happen Foundation.

The foundation offers experiences to terminally ill children in Ireland.

Con Murphy, fundraiser for Make It Happen said of the pirate-themed day: “It was simply outstanding and not only did the kids enjoy their visit but their parents did too. They all felt so special.”

While in the Irish Sea, Pelican celebrated multiculturalism in the UK and Ireland during an Irish Sea Exchange Project.

This saw the ship visit ports across the Irish Sea, including the Isle of Man and young people on board were encouraged to learn about one another’s traditions, languages, history and foods.

This project was sponsored by Adven-ture Under Sail, Causeway and the Youth Council for Northern Ireland.

TS Pelican then embarked on the UK’s first Apprentice Ship Cup organised by the Merseyside Adventure Sailing Trust.

During voyages from Liverpool to Workington and back, more than 50 app-rentices from the north-west of England sailed the ship as trainee crew members.

As the summer set in, TS Pelican headed across the North Sea to take part in the annual Tall Ships Race.

This is an international event with ships from all around the world racing between ports.

During the second race from Bergen (Norway) to Esbjerg (Denmark), students from Thomas Hardye School in Dorch-ester joined the ship and took her through the stunning Norwegian fjords.

Pelican returned to her home port of Weymouth in mid-August and enjoyed two more fully booked day sails.

One of these included a group of police cadets from Camden, many of whom had never been sailing before.

These young people spent an enjoyable night on board the ship and particularly enjoyed the challenge of climbing the rigging to ascend the mast.

TS Pelican was soon off again as she attended an international regatta in Falmouth.

Here the ship was joined by 28 trainee crew members from Turn To Starboard, a charity dedicated to helping service personnel adjust to civilian life after time overseas through sailing.

Pelican raced with around 50 other ships from Falmouth to the Isle of Wight, then sailed to the Thames, arriving at Royal Greenwich for a second regatta.

While in Greenwich, the crew were delighted to welcome visitors on board the ship and also enjoyed accepting an invitation to 10 Downing Street.

The regatta ended with a spectacular Parade of Sail with the ships sailing in a fleet up the Thames.

Pelican has now entered a maintenance period during the winter months in Wey-mouth.

This is necessary to prepare her for the next season, which it is anticipated will be as busy and exciting as the one just gone.

While in harbour the ship is available as a unique and very special venue for private and corporate functions. With a fully-fitted galley, dining area, saloon and bar, Pelican is the perfect venue for a Christmas or New Year function.

If you are interested, contact Adventure Under Sail on 858274.