A Marriage Elopement to Scilly & the Fastnet Fleet

Feeling pretty privileged that Richard and Pip chose Tallulah for a summer runaway to the Isles of Scilly to get married. No fuss. Just a great dress and champagne and the registry office on the beachfront at Porthcressa to offically tie the knot.

Richard Kirby was very modest about what he did for a living but turns out he is a world renowned cameraman and cinematographer with BAFTA awards and many film festival triumphs. With 32 years in documentary and wildlife film-making, he has worked on BBC feature films ‘Deep Blue’ and ‘Earth’ to the television series’ ‘The Private Life of Plants’ ‘Wild Africa’, ‘Human Planet’ and ‘The Monkey Thieves’.

Pip Crosley has worked with Richard for years and they have their own time lapse specialist film company. She has been a TV producer, artist and sculptor and has worked in natural history and wildlife. Pip has lived all over the world from Dominica to Australia. She has such a lovely smile and zest for life ….and revelled in climbing in and out of boats in her wedding dress.

No pressure to get to the ‘church on time’ but just a lovely way to celebrate their bond after many years and adventures together. The planning for this trip just kind of evolved. It started as a holiday escape, but then the idea to use the registry office to get married became a possible, subject to weather. The other crew on board were total unsuspecting strangers who became friends during the voyage. We also managed to find two of the couple’s friends Mark and Ian who, by happy coincidence, happened to be on holiday ashore on St Marys, adding to the small audience.

“…thankful that there weren’t 500 guests waiting for us in St Mary’s; just 2 accidental ones who were just as surprised as the ‘bridesmaids’.

Anchors holding fast so far and it was such a joy to sail on Tallulah that I am sure we will be back, families in tow.

We had an awesome time, made even more so by being with such a wonderful fun crew.

Richard and Pip.”

Tallulah crew are resourceful bridesmaids

The supporting cast on board were Marjoleine Jonker – who has sailed to remote destinations on Tecla and many other boats, Simon Collison sailing on Tallulah for the first time, regular Tallulah sailor Nigel Bickerstaff from Melbourne, and one of my first ‘Eve of St Mawes’ customers Richard Cooper – back on a pilot cutter after a few decades. The mate Anthony – dug out a clean shirt for the occasion, and I sported a dress briefly.

Water raids, beach life and barefoot sailing

Our time in Porthcressa was a bit sunshine and drizzle but St Agnes was tropical and perfect for sea swimming. As a crew we had to go on a water raid to top up our water tanks by jerry can. This involved portage with a stand up paddleboard and a bit of subterfuge as water on the Isles of Scilly is precious at peak season. It took 60 minutes to gain a guilty 30 litres – just enough to cover us for the last 2 days. We hadn’t quite run out, but were planning to be in remote anchorages the last few days, plus the passage home.

Bronze age Huts and high tech Fastnet Fleet

Our last afternoon was spent in the Eastern Isles with the seals and quite a few other classic yachts of taste, including Georgia Witchell and Nick on Jenny Wren. We rowed to Nour Nour to check on the bronze age huts and climbed to the summit to see a horizon full of yachts as far as the eye could see. It was the Fastnet fleet coming through, including one of Tallulah’s customers from the last Scillies voyage. Nick Cook was racing in the Fastnet 2025 Race on a yacht called Unruly.

It was strange to be standing on the summit of such an ancient land watching the black carbon and kevlar yachts of the 2025 race fleet tacking their way through between the shipping lanes and the Isles of Scilly…on their way to the Fastnet Rock lighthouse in Ireland.

In the evening we sat at anchor listening to the final minutes o the Womens Football Euro finals. England winning on penalties. the icing on the cake for me.

Th

Tuna, sunbathing and wedding dress cavorting

The sail home was in a pretty perfect North West wind under full sail. We saw two feeding frenzies of tuna and gannets and many dolphins. The last beam reach down the Lizard coast at 8 knots was gorgeous light so we encouraged Pip to get the wedding dress out again for some windswept camera shots.

Romance and adventure is not dead….and we were back on Tallulah’s mooring just as the sun was setting for the last bottle of champagne.

Tallulah and Jenny Wren

Weddings on Boats

Classic Sailing are happy to discuss any wedding events based on traditional boats and tall ships. Naturally, if you are wanting to do something special without hiring the whole boat as a venue or voyage to a special location, then we have to consider the other customers on board, as everyone needs a fair share of the holiday experience they were expecting. You really do need to be able to go with the flow and the total unpredictability of being on a sailing boat, but they do make a totally memorable backdrop.

For example – Adam and I got married on ‘Eve of St Mawes’ in St Mawes harbour in 1999. It was a blessing after a trip to Falmouth Registry office for the legal bit and a moonlit cruise for about 70 guests on a local passenger ferry for the reception. Bigger Classic Sailing vessels might be able to provide a complete venue, but you need to book early as they normally have sailing programmes finalised a year in advance.