Two neighbours had the “most wonderful experience” when they were offered the chance to sail on board a tall ship that docked in Whitehaven.

Sylvia Mitchell, 83 and Janet Baker, 73 were given the opportunity to sail on board La Malouine from Whitehaven to Silloth.

The ship visited Whitehaven last month and their friends Karen Thompson and Wilson Matear had got talking to the crew, who offered them a chance to sail up the Solway on the ship.

But they asked the crew if they would accept their friends Sylvia and Janet on board instead as they were always saying it’s something they would love to do.

Captain Roy Kerr took the ladies on board La Malouine to Silloth the following morning.

Karen waved the ladies off as they departed from the Lime Tongue and  went through the sea lock.

They were off Parton in no time, then up the coast sailing close in to Harrington, Workington and Maryport.

Once north of the wind farm they headed toward Scotland so the ladies could see the top end of the Solway, and then got ready for their approach into Silloth at the right moment.

La Malouine sailed into Silloth, greeted by tourists and beachgoers, with young boys shouting, ‘It’s Jack Sparrow!’ and people waving and taking photos.

Sylvia and Janet said they had “the most wonderful time”. They gave the crew a donation and bought them some essential ‘stores’ for the galley.

Sylvia said it was one of the most wonderful experiences she had ever had, and Janet was particularly interested to see what the coast looked like from the seaward side off Harrington.

When she was curator at the Helena Thompson Museum in Workington, she had done a considerable amount of research on a painting of a ship, ‘The Philomela’, by Joseph Heard who was born and bred in Whitehaven. The background to the painting is Harrington, around 1846.

Being familiar with the Harrington landscape, Janet was able to identify many of the features in the painting, even though she had never seen the land from the seaward side.

La Malouine stayed overnight in Silloth and then went on to Annan, for a Sea Festival there, and then on to the Isle of Man.

The ship is based in Liverpool and has been used as a set in a variety of TV programmes and films.