Originally named 'le Pelican' the Pelican of London tall ship was built in France in 1948 to work as a fishing trawler in the Arctic for 20 years, before being sold to Norway and converted to a coaster and renamed Kadett. Arrested for trafficking a whole cargo of Vodka from Finland in 1993, Kadett became an Excise sale, and her owner went to prison. The ship remained in Norway until 1995, when she was purchased by Retired Commander Graham Neilson for restoration. The ship was motored to Portland in Dorset where a complete restoration and reconstruction would take place over almost 12 years. All shiny and new, Pelican of London commenced her maiden voyage for Seas Your Future in September of 2007 with a full complement of trainee crew bound for the West Indies. She spent the winter months there, under charter to various groups and colleges, sailing between the islands of the West Indies from Grenada to Antigua before a return crossing with a new group of trainees, arriving back in UK in June of 2008. Pelican of London now has Winter and Summer Programmes and comes back to Dry Dock once a year where she is maintained before heading back to sea at Sharpness Shipyard and Drydock.