World's second largest tall ship visits Plymouth Sound

The Dar Mlodziezy arrived in Plymouth Sound on Wednesday evening

The world's second largest tall ship has arrived in Plymouth after being granted permission by the city's Lord Mayor.

Dar Mlodziezy from Gdynia, Poland, is in Plymouth Sound for five days before heading to Portugal.

The vessel was due to go to Falmouth for Falmouth Tall Ships 2021, but the event was cancelled.

A commodore arranged for the ship to moor in Plymouth while it had "nowhere else to go".

Dar Mlodziezy, which translates to the gift of youth in English, is a training vessel carrying 122 students from Gdynia Maritime University.

At just over 203ft (62m) tall and 358ft (109m) in length, it is believed to be the second largest tall ship in the world.

It is hoped the boat's stay will strengthen links between Plymouth and Gdynia

Commodore Chris Arscott, from The Royal Western Yacht Club, said the ship had "effectively nowhere to go" when the Falmouth Tall Ships 2021 event was cancelled, and the captain of the boat asked if there was any way it could moor in Plymouth.

Mr Arscott said it was an opportunity to strengthen links between Plymouth and Gdynia, which have been twinned since 1976.

"We wanted to be able to gain permission for it to moor in Plymouth, but it needed certain permissions, including an official invitation from the Lord Mayor, due to it being registered in Gdynia," he said.

The ship will be moored in Plymouth for five days

Permission was granted and the ship arrived on Wednesday

An official reception at the Lord Mayor's parlour was arranged where a plaque will be presented to the captain from the City of Plymouth.