Ship sails on after bad weather

The Lord Nelson was diverted to Dover after bad weather

The tall ship Lord Nelson, which was diverted to Dover because of severe winds, is due to set sail on Friday.

She was scheduled to dock in London, but changed route because of high winds during the passage across the North Sea from Scheveningen, Holland.

Andy Spark, ship operations manager for the Jubilee Sailing Trust, said: "Sailing against strong headwinds is not much fun and hard work."

The charity owns two tall ships adapted for crews of mixed physical abilities.

Preview glimpse

Mr Spark said severe winds could have led to the ship not being able to make her scheduled arrival and crew change in London which may have led to delays to the following voyage.

He said the decision to divert to Dover was to ensure minimal disruption to the voyage programme.

The move gave Kent people a chance for a preview glimpse of the ship before she visits Chatham in August 2005.

The Lord Nelson is due to spend four days at Chatham's historic dockyard as part of the bicentennial celebrations of the battle of Trafalgar and the death of the ship's namesake, Lord Horatio Nelson.