CROWDS of people flocked to the port of Barrow over the weekend to catch a rare glimpse of some commercial and historic vessels.

Barrow Sea Festival returned in full force this weekend (August 5 and 6) as a number of tall ships arrived in Buccleuch Dock to the delight of onlookers.

Among those was the Pelican of London which arrived in Barrow Town Quay early Saturday morning.

The public was able to climb aboard her for the duration of the festival.

The ship is owned by the youth development charity Seas Your Future, offering young people sail training and ocean science voyages. The charity takes young people, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, on voyages to develop employability skills, ocean science skills, environmental awareness, character, confidence, resilience, teamwork and more.

Pelican of London sails for 46-48 weeks each year with up to 35 young trainees and 12 professional crew and volunteers.

Following the two-day festival, trainees from Kendal Sea Cadets and Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service Cadets, Merseyside Adventure Sailing Trust, Love Barrow Families plus other youngsters from within the community will then embark the Pelican for a five-day sail training voyage from Barrow to Dublin.

READ MORE: Love Barrow Families unveils sculptures for Tall Ships event

Seas Your Future CEO Adrian Ragbourne said: “We are delighted to be sailing into Barrow again and looking forward to annual visits to Cumbria in the future offering sail training to youngsters from the area.”

Neil Doherty, BAE Systems social impact project manager, said: "We are delighted to support Seas Your Future for a second year. The voyage that our local young people take on TS Pelican has the potential to be really life changing. Not only is it a great opportunity to learn all the skills required for sailing a ship successfully it also teaches them about teamwork, leadership, and resilience, which can be taken forward into their future careers.  I look forward to hearing about their adventures”.

A 12-foot tall mermaid and its seahorse steed also anchored into the seaside port as part of an ambitious community project led by Love Barrow Families.

Love Barrow Families commissioned the artistic sculptures which were created and designed by Barrow artist Tom Mortlock Jackson.

The art trail includes two other sculptures – a starfish and a crab – which were created and made with the communities at Love Barrow Families.

All the sculptures were made using recyclable fabrics and materials donated by the community and local businesses.