Only the mast of The Swan could be seen poking out of Hartlepool Marina in 1989.

But town man and ship enthusiast Keith Parkes spotted the sailing boat's historical importance and pulled it to the surface.

Over the last 20 years it has been restored by proud Shetlanders and is now heading back to the marina where it lay rotting for the The Tall Ships Races.

Peter Campbell, skipper of the ship as it heads for Hartlepool, said: "It's great that the ship is heading back to where it was found, but now fully restored and racing.

"We are all excited to be taking part and look forward to reaching Hartlepool where we hope to get a good reception."

The Swan was launched in May 1900 as the largest boat built at the Hay and Company's yard in Lerwick, Shetland.

She spent half-a-century fishing off Shetland before retiring in 1950.

She went to Grimsby in 1960 to be converted into a house boat and in 1982 she ended up in Hartlepool, where she lay neglected, and sank two or three times due to lack of care.

Mr Parkes bought her in 1989 and began to restore her but it proved too time consuming so he offered the boat for sale.

An advert in The Shetland Times newspaper caught the attention of local navigation teacher, Tom Moncrieff.

After appealing for help, The Swan Steering Group was formed and they bought the ship before making it seaworthy enough to head for Shetland.

The restoration took six years to complete with local craftsmen faithfully restoring her to her former glory.

The Swan began her new life as a sail training vessel in 1998, making dozens of trips and carrying hundreds of trainees each year.

Since then, she has become a familiar sight not only in Shetland waters, but around Europe as she regularly takes part in The Tall Ships Races.