The replica ship Deliverance is open to visitors again after more than six months of renovations.

The attraction was formally reopened after an overhaul of around 40 percent of the replica's wood, much of which rotted as the ship lay in a state of disrepair.

The ship had suffered a great deal of weather damage since its construction in 1967, including losing its mast during Hurricane Fabian in 2003. The ship was close to being dismantled last year until $300,000 was donated toward its restoration by the Bank of Bermuda Foundation following a plea by St. George's Mayor Mariea Caisey.

Said Sharon Jacobs, the executive director of the St. George's Foundation: "It is important for it to continue to be an educational tool."

The Foundation was given the ship by former owner Nick Duffy, who ran the attraction in the late 1990s before closing it and moving to France.

While the formal reopening was on Wednesday, the attraction had a soft opening in June, and reactions from visitors have been positive.

"Those who have come aboard have left impressed. It's quite impressive when you have docked right next to it the Norwegian Majesty. It really demonstrates just how much ocean travel has changed," said Ms Jacobs.

According to Michael Hooper, a St. George's resident who handled most of the renovations, 40 percent of the ship was redone, including the mast, the boom, the rigging and the deck.

"The list goes on and on. The boat was rotting really badly, so a lot of the ribs had to be taken out and replaced," said Mr. Hooper. "I had a lot of fun doing it."

Mr. Hooper said the job was a pleasant change of pace from his usual work, saying: "It's kind of odd, to leave that job and go do someone's wood flooring."

Along with the renovations to the ship itself, enhancements to the interior of the attraction have made similar leaps forward, including an animatronic talking figure of William Strachey, one of the colonists stranded by the wreck of the Sea Venture.

"It allows people to learn a little bit about the history and the role the Deliverance played in saving Jamestown," said Ms Jacobs. "It's a piece of history that's been there for years."

Catch a special supplement marking the opening of the Deliverance and The World Heritage Centre in The Royal Gazette on July 28.