Melissa Cunningham reports: Organisers of a sailing trip by the tall ship Tenacious were forced to cancel their journey despite being fully booked.

Project manager of the Jubilee Sailing Trust of Australia Peter Mitchell said Melbourne's extreme weather forecast meant it wasn't safe for crew or passengers to set sail on Sunday.  

Tenacious is the world's largest operative wooden hulled tall ship, weighing in at 586 gross tonnes. 

"We had cancel due to the forecast very high winds and to make sure all souls on board were kept safe," Mr Mitchell said.

"It shows how extreme the weather is today because this is the first sail of any description we've had to cancel in Australia."

Mr Mitchell said the ship's voyage to the annual Hansa Asia-Pacific Championships in Geelong, leaving from Port Phillip Bay on Monday morning was still going ahead.

He said the 40 people booked to set sail on Sunday from Port Phillip Bay were offered a seat on the voyage on Monday instead, a full refund, or the option of going on another day sail later in the year. 

The ship was designed and built by the Jubilee Sailing Trust in England to specifically cater to people for passengers disabilities.