TALL ship the Lord Nelson has returned home to Southampton after her first round-the-world voyage.

There were emotional scenes as families and friends waited at the city’s Mayflower Terminal to welcome home their loved ones who have been tackling the high seas for weeks at a time.

Run by the Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST), the journey, which departed Southampton in October 2012, gave people with disabilities the chance to sail alongside able bodied crew.

The Lord Nelson didn’t return home alone, sailing into Southampton with the charity’s other ship Tenacious – the first time the pair have been seen in the city for two years.

Daily Echo:

Jubilee Sailing Trust tall ships Lord Nelson and Tenacious together in Southampton

The voyage on board the Lord Nelson was split into ten legs, with stops in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, South Africa and even Antarctica. In all she has travelled 52,000 nautical miles and visited more than 100 ports in 30 countries in the past two years.

Elena Sudlow was dockside to see son James Whale, who has cerebral palsy and took part in several of the legs.

James, 27, said: “I’m excited to be home but very tired. It’s been a brilliant experience and it’s hard to say what my favourite bit was but it was really nice to see some of the warm countries like Brazil, Australia and the Caribbean.”

Mum Elena added: “He’s had such a good time and made a lot of friends and they even named him the ‘chief pudding eater’. He also saw plenty of whales.”

Trust chief executive Duncan Souster was also on hand to welcome the crew home and said he was thrilled the trip went without a hitch.

He said: “I’m absolutely delighted. It’s an amazing landmark moment for the trust and for the sailing community in general. This is the first time a mixed crew has gone around the world and it is an amazing achievement.

“It also means we have taken our values of equality and participation for everyone to countries that might not be as familiar with them.”

He added the trust hoped to send the ship back to Australia, South |America and South Africa in the future.

It was also a special day for Barbara Campbell, one of the two captains along with Chris Phillips, who was celebrating her birthday and was greeted off the ship with a loud rendition of Happy Birthday to You.

Although the ship was away for almost two years, none of the crew were on board for the whole time, with sailors swapping over during each|leg.

The ship reached a top speed of 14.2 knots, or 16mph, under sail, and crossed the Equator six times.

The trust also thanked Associated British Ports Southampton for all its support along with principal sponsor Norton Rose Fulbright.

JST was set up in 1978 and has welcomed more than 38,000 sailors of all abilities onto its ships since then.