Around Dorset

Sailing close to the wind was a matter of life or death for 17th century pirates. And the Arabs along the Barbary coast knew how to do it best.

Their plans have inspired Graham Neilson's latest venture, The Pelican. The former Naval commander is using designs discovered in museums to build his own Xebec-style vessel in Weymouth harbour.

"These pirate ships had to get away quickly," Graham explains, "So they sailed closer to the wind. Not only did that help them go faster, it also helped them sail in a different direction."

Arab pirate ships were notoriously difficult to catch. The French attempted to make their own Xebec fleet but still couldn't catch the Arabs. So what was so unique about the Xebec design?

The Pelican

"They added square sails to the middle mast," says Graham. "That, combined with a triangular, lateen sail on the fore mast, gave the boat both lift and thrust."

The designs, it seems, were lost in time. Until they were discovered by Philip Goode, a sail designer who had been researching Xebec ships in French and Spanish libraries.

Having joined forces with Graham, Philip went to work on a model Xebec ship, to test how effective it would be. To their surprise, the model ship went faster than any other they had seen.

It wasn't long before they started to recreate the Xebec style vessel on a larger scale. The 150ft long Pelican is a 60 year old fishing ship. Graham has stripped it right down and rebuilt it according to the Arab designs, adapting it with modern technology.

The Pelican's middle mast

"There were aspects of the plans we couldn't put into practice because they were too risky. We couldn’t brace the yards quite so sharply, so we have achieved the same sharp angles using tricks of geometry."

The Pelican is used as a training ship for young people.

The ship will leave on its first long voyage in September, bound for the Caribbean. Graham hopes it will teach the youngsters on board important life skills.

"I believe these long trips – of 3 months at a time - will be life determining voyages. Not only will the travel open up their minds, but the team work involved will help them develop their own identity in relation to others."