Sail Tallulah to Brittany & Paimpol Chant Du Marin Festival 2025

IDEAL VOYAGE FOR…

The long awaited return of Paimpol Shanty Festival will draw sailors and music lovers from all over the world. Where else could you hear songs from land locked Afghanistan with whaling sea shanties from Nova Scotia? If you love the mix of challenging sailing out of sight of land, overnight watches with the reward of music, seafood and chilling out in company then this 9 day voyage could be for you. An unforgettable experience for musicians and traditional music lovers, artists and photographers but there are active moments too. Tallulah is a 44ft cutter with sails that are not too heavy to set, but she cracks on at a fair pace when the winds are right, so you have to be happy to live a few days at an angle. There are two Channel crossings of approx 130 miles, there and back, plus sailing from the corner of the North Coast to Paimpol. Often a beam reach in a prevailing South Westerly, this route is potentially an easier sail than an Isles of Scilly trip, but the tides around Brittany are fast and the scenery remarkably similar around the offshore islands of Brehat or the Sept Isles. 

Once you are in Paimpol Festival for a few days, there is no scope for day sailing. It is an amazing festival atmosphere, and music happens everywhere. Being crew you can escape the bustle ashore by returning to your own vessel or going for a walk in the surrounding countryside. On deep keeled vessels like Tallulah, being below decks is reasonably sound insulated if you need a rest from partying. This is not a good voyage if you don’t like traditional music, world music and chilling out on wooden boats.

FULL VOYAGE DESCRIPTION

This will be Tallulah’s first appearance as a new charter boat at a Brittany festival. We may enjoy the solitude of a Channel crossing at its widest, but as Tallulah approaches the fascinating rock strewn corner of the Granite Rose Coast to Paimpol Shanty Festival, many other tan and cream sails will start to appear. Tallulah’s skipper Debbie is thrilled to be going back to Paimpol. Popular with guest crews on her former pilot cutter ‘Eve of St Mawes’, Paimpol Chant Du Marin Festival is unique and draws a fascinating mix of sailors, artists and musicians. The British call it Paimpol Shanty Festival but it is much more than just sea shanties or fiddle music. Think Glastonbury Festival with Boats. The musical roots of many countries from Brazil to Lithuania, Russia to Ireland come together for an incredible mix of nautical culture, wooden boats, music and dance. 

On a sailing voyage we never use the word itinerary, as skippers will always be aiming for the best sailing and shore landings for the forecast and most idyllic or sheltered anchors and ports. They are as keen as you to include some of the highlights described below, but you have to go with Mother Nature, not fight her. The description below is based on what we think might be possible, based on past trips, or experience, but nothing is guaranteed on a sailing voyage.

Across the Channel to the Granite Rose Coast

Paimpol is in the Western part of Gulf of St Malo made famous b y its Granite Rose coastal rocks. In past years several wooden ships and working boats have headed for Lezardrieux before the festival and there has been an informal race – parade of sail around the corner of France and past the Isle de Brehat. Sailing up the Trieux River to this beautiful inland town could be your first stop and a welcome change from offshore sailing. Other first stops might be Guernsey, the Sept Isles, Isle de Brehat or Tregieur.  There are also anchorages in the shallow waters off the Paimpol.

Up the Channel to Paimpol

Getting into this tiny harbour involves a long approach channel over shellfish beds and mud flats and with hundreds of wooden boats nose to tail in a small channel. Chaotic, photogenic and building a sense of anticipation this procession ends with a sea lock into a wet dock. Thousands of people line the harbour walls to welcome the fleet and for a moment every vessel is a celebratory.

Once you are in position, possibly rafted up alongside other sailing trawlers or working craft, many vessels leave their sails up to look colourful. You can chill on you own boat, visit other vessels, or join the throngs ashore. Early morning the festival site is shut to the public so you can pop out to get the fresh baguettes or enjoy the peace. 

Paimpol Harbour – Nautical Tradition

Paimpol was home to a big fleet of deep sea fishing boats that sailed all the way to Newfoundland Grand Banks. Many fishermen didn’t return so there is a melancholy to some of the Breton shanties that sailors around the would would understand. The jolly Breton dancing and more up tempo brass Omph pa bands and jazzy saxaphones make up for the late night sad songs.

On the mainland the historic port of Paimpol is a busy fishing port popular with visiting tourist boats as they enjoy the many restaurants and bars. Paimpol provides a warm welcome to a traditional wooden ship and her crew and you are guaranteed to enjoy the french hospitality shown to you. If it is festival time, over 200 boats with wooden masts fill the main harbour basin and you can almost walk across the middle on boats rafted together.

Music Venues and Impromptu Sessions 

Biannually, Paimpol hosts an amazing Sea Shanty Festival The French, and the Bretons in particular, are very proud of their seafaring roots and their festivals are full of life, fun and music. Many young people are involved and musicians and sailors come from all over the world. You might hear Polish Polkas or Brazilian drum bands as well as Breton Pipes playing more familiar shanties. Paimpol Festival is a well kept secret and eagerly awaited every two years by those who know about it.  In terms of setting this shanty festival is in the perfect venue as it provides moorings for a whole host of visiting yachts and ships. The lock basins are right in the heart of the village with outside cafes and bars all around. The dock provides a natural focus and the organisers arrange the traditional boats and tall ships like a scene from 200 years ago. All grouped together there is a great atmosphere of camaraderie and meeting new similar like minded wooden boat enthusiast feels like one big family.  

Sailors Know How to Party

Traditionally sea shanties and folk songs can be rather sad telling stories of lost loved ones out at sea. You won’t be crying in your wine or calvados for long as there is folk and world traditional music and dancing all around.  Having a large number of sailors in the audience – including yourselves – who have actually sailed their traditional wooden vessels to the festival, gives a real purpose to the festival. Shanties were working songs for sailors and you will have earnt your excuse for drinking beer and singing badly by hauling on blocks and tackles, standing on watches overnight as you cross the Channel on your voyage. 

WINDS, WAVES & WEATHER

Any Channel crossing has the potential to be rough but Pilgrim is a big ex deep sea fishing trawler. Along the North Brittany and Channel Isles coasts the tides are fast and can kick up choppy seas. Once around the corner of the North Brittany coast the land creates some shelter from Atlantic swell. In Paimpol it is flat as a pancake …or crepe 

HANDS ON HOLIDAYS

Whether you are an experienced sailor or a complete beginner, the professional crew will train you to be guest crew from the moment you arrive, with the intention that everybody works together to sail the ship. The common thread to all Classic Sailing holidays is ‘Hands on’ participation on ships that use ropes, blocks and tackles and ‘people power’ to set sail.

SAILING STYLE & LIFE ON BOARD

We cater for a wide range of ages and physical abilities and how much you are expected to do varies a bit between vessels. See the vessel tab above which explains all about the ‘sailing style’ and what to expect in terms of hands on participation. There is a lot of information about day to day life, the ships facilities and accommodation on the vessel pages.

AGILITY & FITNESS

Every customer sailing with us will need to fill in basic medical questions on their booking application. If you are not sure if your current level of fitness and agility are up to a voyage, then please ring the Classic Sailing Office on 01872 58 00 22 and we can chat through your concerns and possibly find options that might suit you better.

What to pack for a sailing holiday on Tallulah

Included

• Sailing Instruction
• Safety Equipment (Life jackets and harnesses)
• All meals on board & refreshments throughout the day
• Bed linen, duvet, pillows
• Wooden rowing boat activities
• 2 x Stand Up Paddleboards & buoyancy jackets (on summer voyages)

What is not included

• Alcoholic beverages
• Towels
• Wellie boots
• Waterproof jackets & trousers 

What to Bring

Please limit yourself to one soft bag or rucksack as there is limited storage space on board. No suitcases please!

Tallulah does not have waterproof jacket and trousers yet, so please bring a properly waterproof jacket and trousers on all voyages.

Walking and cycling waterproofs are usually adequate and much lighter to pack, so there really is no need to buy a coastal sailing jacket (unless you really want an excuse to invest in your future sailing). If you need any advice, or lack of a jacket is preventing you participating, please ring us on 01326 53 1234

• warm, windproof jacket for days when you don't want to wear a waterproof jacket
• Hats for sun and cold weather.
• At least two sets of warm clothes - layers e.g. tracksuit bottoms, shirts, fleece jacket, wool jumpers, thick socks, and neck scarf. It can get cold at sea even in mid summer.
• Swim suit, towel, and suntan lotion.
• we have space if you want to bring a wetsuit for wild swimming or SUP adventures
• Flat shoes with a good grip e.g. trainers or sailing deck shoes.
• Sailing boots or wellies as the sea can come over deck if rough*.
• (An alternative to boots in summer is to bring another pair of flat shoes with a good grip in case the first pair get wet).
• All terrain type sandals are great for dinghy trips ashore – but you do need shoes which protect your toes for sailing.
• Scillies trips – Walking boots are useful and can be these can be worn on deck too
• A small rucksack is useful for going ashore
• Camera, binoculars, sketchbook, a relaxing read.
• Passport for European or Ireland Voyages, Reciprocal Free Health Care card in Europe.
• Please bring a passport on French trips
• Any medication, spare spectacles. Seasick tablets - check with your Doctor, which brand if you suffer asthma or are on medication.
• RYA Cruising Logbook or similar if you want to log your sailing experience e.g. sea miles, night hours
• Musical instruments are always welcome.

Alcohol

Tallulah does not always have wine bottles for sale on board so you are welcome to bring modest quantities of alcohol, (unless it is an alcohol free voyage) e.g. to drink with evening meals, but drinking whilst sailing is not allowed.

A Note on Covid 19

While Tallulah's guests do not need to prove Covid Vaccination status at this time, it is expected that if a guest feels unwell prior to joining the ship they should always use common sense and test when appropriate to decide whether they should join the voyage, for their own safety and the safety of others onboard. It is a requirement that guests on residential voyages take out appropriate Travel Insurance and care should be taken to ensure insurance includes cover for such a case. Likewise, should members of Tallulah's professional crew including the skipper feel unwell prior to a voyage, they will always use common sense & test when appropriate.

 

Well, I was surprised everything else went right, given the lack of experience of us paying crew members.  Only a couple of things went wrong for me, which did not spoil the trip.  I was caught off guard the first time the jibe swung over to the other side of the deck, but in fact I was well forward of it.  The rope ladder to the sea was at a crazy angle which I found difficult to descend, even more so to ascend and nicked my knee struggling to get back aboard.  I decided against swimming and went for a bucket shower.  

The most memorable moments were the moments together when we shared experiences, stories, jokes and excellent food thanks to Finlay and Anthony.  Then there was Tallulah scudding along with the deck at 45 degrees with the water spilling into the scuppers, 7-8 knots at times.  I was trusted at the tiller for a few short periods. 

Anthony is a great skipper.  He thanked us constantly for our assistance despite having to intervene many times.  

It was a brilliant and too short a voyage.

David Sept 24

Thank you, I had an amazing time. The skipper and first mate, were very warm and welcoming , they did everything they could to make our mini adventure the best they could, discussing destinations and ports of call, ensuring we had plenty of sailing and opportunities for a swim. The food was excellent, catering for many individual requirements, vegetarian, lactose intolerant. 

I was also very grateful that Antony was kind enough to let me practice my tidal curves, streams , taking bearings, helping me with my day skipper theory, I really appreciated the help…thankyou.

Sarah Sept 24

This was a brilliant trip. We sensibly didn’t go to the Scillies given forecast gales from awkward directions but had a splendid time nevertheless touring nearer destinations west, east and north of Falmouth. Skipper Debbie and mate Anthony made a great job of showing us a good time , teaching us the ropes and involving us as much or as little as we wanted. Tallulah is beautiful and an exciting sail and the food was great too. Highly recommended. Many thanks .

Scillies Island Hopping 17-23.8.24

This was a brilliant trip. We sensibly didn’t go to the Scillies given forecast gales from awkward directions but had a splendid time nevertheless touring nearer destinations west, east and north of Falmouth. Skipper Debbie and mate Anthony made a great job of showing us a good time , teaching us the ropes and involving us as much or as little as we wanted. Tallulah is beautiful and an exciting sail and the food was great too. Highly recommended. Many thanks .

Duncan

Hi Adam and Debbie,

First of all, thank you for providing the opportunity for Fran and I to realise one of our dreams: to sail to - and explore - the Isles of Scilly. The fact that we were able to do so on a classic boat, with a knowledgeable and experienced skipper in Debbie, certainly heightened the experience.

Memorable moments, there were many but here are some highlights:

- Making the 19-hour sail under the stars at night, keeping tabs on the huge vessels looming by while we bobbed along on the rolling sea.

- Coming ashore on white sands in St. Martin's Great Bay and heading off to explore the island's incredible scenery, and rich flora and fauna on foot. - Learning how to crew a pilot cutter, taking part in watches during the night sail and becoming more adept at sail handing and anchoring as the week progressed.

- Visiting the stunning Tresco Abbey Gardens on a sunny day and meeting an inquisitive red squirrel.

- Last but not least, the ease with which Debbie and Will kept spoiling us with a variety of tasty and nutritious meals even while under sail.

Is there anything you think we could improve for future voyages?

Not really anything that we can think of. The trip met all of our objectives in full. As sailors, we know that all plans are necessarily weather dependent and Debbie did a good job of explaining the options and gaining a consensus when we had to change tack: for example delaying the return journey by a day due to a change in the forecast.

Do you have any stunning photos you'd like to share with us? I have already shared some photos on the trip's Whatsapp group. You are welcome to replicate, and also to use any comments. Thank you once again for making our trip to the Scillies such a wonderful, life-affirming experience.

Richard and Frances.

I had a lovely weekend aboard Tallulah and really enjoyed the company of all the interesting women on board. Claudia was a great and inspiring teacher and we all appreciated Debbie’s calm and very good humoured competence in the face of some difficult weather conditions. Debbie and Bex looked after us extremely well and were both superb teachers, incredibly patient with their explanations and instructions, and I would be delighted to sail under them again. The change of schedule was completely immaterial to my enjoyment of the weekend.

Being the last on board, though, I got the saloon seat berth which meant there was nowhere I could retreat to and no space that was "mine" to stash my stuff, and I did find it very difficult having to stuff literally everything back into my bag and rummage for everything I needed. 

I had two particular highlights: Claudia producing a Celtic Harp and playing it softly on deck in the evening light, and the thrill of manning the jib sheets with the clear cold water rushing over my feet in the scuppers.

Very best wishes,

Heather July 24

Hello Adam,

Thank you for your invitation to contribute my impressions of my “Escape the Election” voyage last week.

This was a short voyage, and for reasons which I completely understand, was not able to follow the planned itinerary. Hence I am not able to contribute any interesting anecdotes or photos. However I should like to express my thanks to Debbie and Becky, and Classic Sailing, for providing four days of absorbing experience of living on a classic pilot cutter. Their professional expertise was obvious and their patience in explaining and instructing was exemplary. I particularly enjoyed the very high standard of cuisine which was provided; I had fully expected to be offered four days of soup and sandwiches!

I have no hesitation in recommending Classic Sailing to anyone, of whatever level of experience, who wants to enjoy traditional sailing in good company.

My regards and very best wishes to all at Classic Sailing.

Richard July 24

Hi Adam

Thanks for this. We had a great time and an authentic small boat sailing experience, having only done tall ships before. I tempted my wife along on the promise of a double bed in a luxury en suite room, lavish food and drink and personal service by a valet. Only one of these turned out not to be true but we are still together!  We certainly had some exciting times as well as moments of tranquility! It was very reassuring having half the crew who knew what they were doing! I loved the area but probably wouldn't do the shanty festival again. It was an experience wandering around the town amongst all those pirates and a plethora of peg legs and we really enjoyed the music with everyone enjoying the bunfight. At one point I was hearing Drunken Sailor coming at me from three different directions, each accompanied by a raucous audience! Enough is enough though, and talking like a pirate all evening was rather a strain. It was brilliant that you arranged for a couple of excellent folk musicians to be on board - Alan and Penny - who kept us entertaining even in the most perilous conditions. Proper job!

Tallulah is a lovely vessel and so were the gallant crew. I will send some more photos when I've sorted them out.

Kind regards

Steve and Diane, May 24

Hi Adam

I very much enjoyed the whole experience of sailing with Debbie, and Will  (and you) on Tallulah.

Despite poor Peter having to leave on the second morning,   and Linda   waking us all  vomiting for hours on the third night , it was  just brilliant ; such a beautiful boat, amazing sailing and learning how to sail Tallulah   was scary at first but soon began to feel more at ease , lovely to sleep on board , Will prepared delicious food , and the trips ashore were fun as well - seeing the seals in their hidden cove was a bonus , as was  exploring the little Celtic Church of St Anthony.

 and  I loved rowing ashore and then back to Tallulah in the dark . Oh and being on the tiller too!  It was great that on the second day we were able to get out to sea - so thanks Adam for coming on board so that it was possible.  For me it has restored my confidence in my physical abilities,  at a stage in life when its easy to feel such adventures are no longer possible.  - and I really enjoyed the company too - so maybe the Scillies next year and  hoping to do a longer voyage when my two aged dogs  are no longer around.  The only improvement I can think of  is it would be great to have environmentally friendly   wash up liquid etc.

 Hope to see you again,  all good wishes for the rest of the season.

 Jane May 2024

Fantastic experience where we were given expert help and advice by Debbie and crew. I never thought we would tack Talulah into Falmouth harbour but we did, what a fun experience and soooo enjoyable. Highly recommended and will be booking up again soon, thank you

Howard - July 2023

This was the first time I had sailed, and although I suffered from seasickness a couple of times, the experience was something that I could not have even imagined. The crew were all very helpful to a "newbie" and would think of another sailing trip, but perhaps in calmer waters .

Anonymous happy customer - July 2023

Fantastic day! The skipper (Debbie) kept it interesting by rotating crew and still maintaining full control! Amazing

James - July 2023

Debbie is great, she has a great passion for sailing and is very knowledgeable about boat building too! Anthony was extremely helpful, they make a great team and they made us feel very comfortable on board. Understandably, there is limited space and privacy but I slept really well which I really did not expect! Would love to sail again with Debbie and Tallulah.

Caroline Spring 2023

Thanks for looking after us very well. Good to be in safe, sure and pleasant hands...It was a nice experience I've wanted to try for a long time. Thanks for making it a good one...I love what you're doing and your courage and I wish you great success.

Diane

Great to sail on another class of sailing vessel with an experienced skipper and mate. I enjoyed the sailing a lot. The crew were very helpful and the food was very good.

Peter

Sailing on Tallulah

Both Debbie and Jess were excellent. Both were good at explaining things and very patient. I have also been out on Moosk and Agnes. Going out on Tallulah with Debbie and Jess was by far the best experience.

Alasdair, Spring 2023

Photos and images of the striking 44ft pilot cutter Tallulah, offering charter voyages for individuals, couples and groups from 2022.  Based in St Mawes, Cornwall. No experience is necessary and a local skipper as your guide.