Sail amongst the Tall Ships Race in Falmouth August 2023

FULL VOYAGE DESCRIPTION

Just what is the best way to see the Tall Ships?

It’s not viewing from the land with a telescope.
It’s not from a tripper boat where you got squashed in the crowd.

It’s on a traditional sailing boat sailing amongst the fleet, adding to the glory of the day.

There will be time to sharpen your sailing skills after the fleet has left and enjoy the exquisite sailing area of the Fal and Helford estuaries. It may be possible to visit Fowey or another ancient Cornish port.

Skills you can learn on Tallulah

Handling ropes & Sails: Basic mechanics, crew teamwork & working with your own body weight, muscles and the wind – How to handle large sails and ropes with loads on. Where to stand to be safe during sail hoists and drops, how to secure ropes and ease them out under load.
Personal safety – how to be a competent beginner, contribute to the overall safety of the boat and be able to make informed decisions about sailing on other peoples boats.
Sailing fundamentals: Understanding how sails work and how to steer and manourvre under Sail. Tacking gybing, backstays and all the jargon demystified.

Communication & shared responsibility: On a RYA course this is where you are trained what to do in emergencies. Drills and learning how to use fire extinguishers or bilge pumps are important but there is more to it than that. One day you might have a boat of your own. Even if it is a small dinghy, how you communicate with your crew is critical. Do they understand their role?
Unless you are a wealthy boat owner who leaves everything to a paid crew you will have to rely on friends, volunteers and family members to sail the boat and avoid emergencies. Are they clear when they have some responsibility to do something? It might be keeping a lookout or knowing what to do if someone falls overboard. This course teaches you what your role is and where you have a responsibility to help. One day you may be passing those skills onto others.

‘parking’ your boat
If you asked skippers what parts of sailing generate the most stress then many will say slowing down and mooring (‘parking’) big boats in tight spots in ports and harbours. The more you can understand about the forces involved then the more alert and useful you will become as crew preparing to moor alongside, pick up a mooring or anchor. There is a lot more to it than worrying about which knot to use to tie a fender on…..but te best knots and fenders in the right place are a good start.
Intro to Navigation – Common sense pre planning. Navigation is not just for skippers. It is interesting for all the crew to be involved. Nobody wants to get lost. Basic intro to tides and weather. Where to find answers so you can anticipate what your arrival spot is going to look like when you get there, and what the hazards might be on route.

Carbon free skills. Learning boat handling under oar in our 15ft clinker dinghy. Try sculling with one oar or even test drive our silent electric outboard. Use a stern anchor to make a beach landing safer. It the weather is suitable we can try some picking up mooring bouy under sail manoeuvres with 20 ton Tallulah.

Learning to live on a boat. Never under estimate the importance of these skills. We want your sailing experience to match your dreams. Below decks can be heaven or hell. Sailing is a civilised as you learn to make it. Marine toilets, cooking with gas, storing food safely, keeping cloths dry, looking after your engine and batteries for electrics, respecting privacy in a communal environment, understanding bilge pumps and seacocks.

Conserving the ocean environment – Tallulah’s skipper is interested in marine wildlife and conserving the ocean ecosystems. A short break on Tallulah is a great opportunity to learn about the rich seas around Britain. Traditional sails are quieter than the bang and crack of carbon racing sails and we see and hear a lot of wildlife as sail the Cornish coast and rivers.

What next – Buying boats, sailing on other peoples, careers at sea, restoring wooden boats or building your own. Debbie has tried them all so you can quiz her about the best way forward and some of the amazing opportunities to explore the world under sail.

St Mawes – The Pilot Cutter Harbour

Falmouth has always been an important deep water harbour and staging post for exploring the world and trading by sailing ship. In the 1890s many of the pilot cutters registered in Falmouth were based in St Mawes as the bay has fast access to the open sea. Tallulah’s mooring is far enough out in the bay for the crew to train you to sail off the mooring on the first evening. In summer there are many local racing fleets to dodge and off season the Falmouth Oyster Boats are out dredging under sail, trying to hang onto their unique fishery.

There are plenty of stunning locations to sail to on the first evening, from sunset spot off St Just to the grandeur of anchoring below Trellisick House. Its a short romp to the Helford River if the winds are right.

Lizard Peninsula for Basking Sharks & fishing villages

The sepentine cliffs of the Lizard Peninsula protect Falmouth Bay from the west. You have 14 miles of tiny fishing villages and great coastal walking at every anchorage from Porthallow to Cadgewith.

The fast tides and rocky reefs like the Manacles or Black Head, create eddies and plankton upwelling that cetaceans and basking sharks love to feed on. Easter might be a bit early for basking sharks surface feeding but the seabirds are starting to find nests and dolphins seem to enjoy the lack of boats about yet.

Even on a 3 day trip there will be time made to go ashore in some pretty unique places.

Helford River – Marine Nature Reserve

Helford is timeless. You feel like you are in a Daphne Du Maurier book. Dense, twisted oak trees sweep down to the water. Oystercatchers flash between rockpools, bluebells, gorse, wild garlic and primroses waft their scent out to sea. Tallulah can tack into the widest part of the river and sometimes right up through to the moorings free upper reaches if the tide is high.

Roseland Coast & Beyond

Shoot the gap between Nare Head and Gull Rock with its guillimot colony, anchor off beaches where seals breed in caves. Skipper Debbie has lived here since 1996 and explored the coastline intimately, by sailing, rowing, swimming and coastal walking. The possibilities are endless if you are not obsessed with sailing great distances. If you do want to sail for miles – we can always go on a fast reach out to sea too.

Charlestown is the home of Poldark and many over movies, and full of bars and waterside restaurants. Polkerris is another place to anchor off and row ashore for a pint in an Easterly. Fowey was a privateers lair and impressive to sail into.

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 and we can chat through your concerns and possibly find options that might suit you better. 

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 & bouyancy jackets (on summer voyages)

What is not included

• towels
• 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

• Proof of Covid 19 vaccination dates & status (See our terms & conditions: Basically to be safe for all guests and crew in a confined space we ask that you keep your covid vaccination status up to date with appropriate boosters. All crew and volunteers will be expected to be vaccinated too).
• 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.

 

 

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.