VISITOR numbers to the Discovery ship at Ipswich Waterfront exceeded tourist bosses expectations on the first day of guided tours.So many history-seekers turned up to see the replica ship that there were queues of between 30 and 50 people all day yesterday .

VISITOR numbers to the Discovery ship at Ipswich Waterfront exceeded tourist bosses expectations on the first day of guided tours.

So many history-seekers turned up to see the replica ship that there were queues of between 30 and 50 people all day yesterday .

David Stainer, from the Ipswich Tourist Information Centre, said the maritime exhibition at the Old Custom House and the tourist information centre at St Stephens Lane also saw business booming.

He said: “It was a perfect day for us.

“There were queues at the Discovery all day, yet no one had to wait too long.

“My colleagues at the tourist information centre said it was packed all day with people making general enquiries, and the phones didn't stop ringing.

“And the maritime exhibition, which is not far away from the Discovery, had 500 visitors.

“We had no idea the tours would be so popular.”

The guided tours cater for 15 people at a time, and last around ten minutes. They continue until Monday.

Crowds are not allowed to go below deck because the hull is so small and does not meet health and safety regulations.

The original Discovery set sail 400 years ago as part of a fleet of brave explorers. Setting off under a charter from King James I in 1606, the Discovery, along with the Susan Constant and the Godspeed, sailed across the Atlantic to set-up the first English-speaking colony in America - Jamestown.

The ships, all led by East Anglian Captains, including Suffolk's Bartholomew Gosnold, were commanded to search for gold, silver and other precious goods and to take the Christian religion to America.