POP-UP PELICAN A SAILING SHIP BELLY FILLER
A neat and nautical ‘nosh shop’ just popped up for the winter season in Weymouth, Dorset.
The fine figure of the training tall ship ‘Pelican of London’ is opening its galley and mess deck during its annual maintenance to help raise funds for the ship with a weekend pop-up café.
The Pelican of London sailing ship in the port of Weymouth, Dorset.
It’s taking on visitors during the winter to welcome those who would like to step aboard a sail training ship to get an insight into the work it does from April to October and whilst there take on some tasty snacks too.
The mess deck cafe below deck on Pelican of London.
The cosy pine clad main mess below decks is the venue for this café run by an enthusiastic band of volunteers and crew. Who I can assure will not ‘Press Gang’ you…unless you fail to pay of course!
Cosy cafe with simple snacks below decks on The Pelican.
With home-made cakes and hot snacks at inexpensive prices are the main focus along with teas, coffee and soft drinks. The money raised will help the sailing ship, which is run by the charity ‘Adventure Under Sail’ to keep its valuable training work going.
Open at weekends in the winter pop-up cafe.
With day sailing and longer trips all planned for next year ‘The Pelican’ lays up during the winter and does not earn so the café idea which has been running for few years seems to be one way of adding a little more for the pot.
Sail training on the Pelican of London
Going onboard to the café will also give you a chance to have a look around this ship created by a retired Naval Commander Graham Neilson, using a the metal hull of a former Arctic fishing boat.
Towering masts were fitted in the style of a barquentine and after 12 years work by many volunteers ‘The Pelican’ was born and has been sailing from its home port of Weymouth for a number of years and even to places like the West Indies.
Masts to be climbed if you sign up for a sailing trip.
Most ages can take part in the trips which you sign on as crew but pay for the privilege so its very much a working holiday but the rewards in personal development and learning new, if rather old fashioned skills are great for team work and fitness too.
Check out a tall ship if you visit the pop-up cafe on The Pelican.
Open most Saturdays and Sundays during the winter the pop up café can fill your belly and perhaps fill your mind with the idea of taking on a challenge that only sailing on a tall ship could give you!
One way to get fit and enjoy a holiday under sail!
However when I think of the ship and its pop up café these words written by American Poet Dixon Lanier Merritt always seem to come to mind!
“A wonderful bird is the Pelican.
His beak can hold more than his belly can.
He can hold in his beak
Enough food for a week!
But I’ll be darned if I know how the hellican?”
