Try dinghy cruising in a 17ft wooden sailing yawl. Travelling by small boat using only sail and oar is a fast-growing trend worldwide. In France its the movement is called Voile-Aviron (sail and oar). The Scandinavians like their Small Boat Raids and the Americans call it Gunkholing. Purist might want to sleep under a boom tent but we have mountaineering style tents to wild camp ashore too.
Spring tides are best. High tide is morning and evening for exploring on our 17ft wooden boat Outdoor Girl. Sailing far up a Cornish creek, finding secret stone quays wooded glades is one option. For those that love to hear the sea close by we can stick to the coast if the weather is kind and find back beaches with samphire that are just above the high water. If our favourite beach is going to be underwater at high tide, we sometimes walk the tents to higher ground for a clifftop panorama.
Voyage
Vessel
The Voyage
IDEAL FOR: Outdoor lovers and independent types who can see the attraction of wild camping without a big rucksack but don’t yet have a boat or sailing skills do their own thing. Sailors who want an authentic taste open boat cruising over 2 nights. Any solo traveller wanting to get very close to Cornish wildlife.
Learn boat-craft with sails, anchors and oars
Local skipper as your guide & adventure buddy
Go places too shallow for yachts
Enjoy wild camping without the ‘walk in’
Sail right onto Cornish beaches & step off
Row into tiny historic harbours
Cook up a feast on camping stove and fires
WHAT TO EXPECT: Every vessel in the Classic Sailing fleet is independently run, but all involve hands on sailing as guest crew. The VESSEL tab shows you accommodation photos and our view on what to expect in terms of participation, catering, and crew.
Outdoor lovers and independent types who don’t yet have a boat and camping kit to do their own thing, but want a taste open boat creek hopping and close to the coast exploration. Solo travellers who want to go on a nautical wildlife ‘safari’ or try but don’t have any friends adventurous enough to try wild camping by boat without backpacks. Sailors who love the idea of messing about in sailing boats close to the shore, and all the seamanship skills that go with it. Eco warriors who care about the planet and want to minimise their carbon footprint but still see beautiful wild scenery and have thrilling experiences.
Voyage Highlights
Learn boat-craft with sails, anchors and oars
Local skipper as your guide & adventure buddy
Go places too shallow for yachts
Enjoy wild camping without the ‘walk in’
Sail right onto Cornish beaches & step off
Row into tiny historic harbours
Cook up a feast on camping stove and fires
Watch the sunset and rise with a bit of yoga
Modern mountaineering tents to try
FULL VOYAGE DESCRIPTION
Outdoor Girl is a 17ft Spritsail yawl – an ideal rig for sailing, rowing into very tiny places and carrying tents and camping equipment. A wooden replica of the 1882 Gorran Bay crabber Ellen, Outdoor Girl is equally at home exploring an open coast as she is, gliding up wooded creeks, but this week we are taking full advantage of a full moon and really big tides to venture deep into the creeks and salt marsh of either the River Fal and its tributaries, or if the winds are more suitable, a dash to the Helford River and places less well known than Frenchmans Creek.
The 3 day / 2 night adventure on an engineless sail-row boat is led by either Debbie Purser (skipper of pilot cutter Tallulah and Classic Sailing Co-founder) or one of her guest skippers. The boat has 2 man mountaineering tents (shared or solo), a boom tent for sleeping on board, or you can even try a solo bivvie tent. All equipment and food provided except sleeping bags and waterproofs.
Micro Itineraries with Pre Planning
Outdoor Girl is a historic design based on Gorran Haven fishing boats which would venture out to sea from this tiny coastal harbour to lay crab pots off the rugged South Cornwall coast. The fishermen learned from their ancestors what weather and sea state their boats could cope with. Outdoor Girl is rugged, fast and seaworthy but she is still an open boat.
These voyages are micro adventures and the distances Outdoor Girl will sail are very small compared to some of her bigger sisters in the Classic Sailing fleet. Without an engine* the skipper always has to think about being able to reach a safe haven in daylight hours without an epic row. In order to maximise your experience of sailing and camping, we may pre position Outdoor Girl before you arrive in the best sailing ground for the wind and wave conditions (your transport to the boat from our normal rendezvous point will be organised for you, or agreed amongst us in advance). It may not exactly match the voyage description but safety and keeping guest crew active, warm and having outdoor fun is our aim on every voyage. The skipper is not trying to turn you into a Royal Marine. Cornwall has wild beauty but it is not ‘the wilderness.’ If we have to resort to a warm cafe or pub in a waterside village to escape bad weather we will.
Sail with Debbie Purser as your adventure buddy, RYA instructor and local wildlife guide
Tidal Estuaries & Creeks
South Cornwall is blessed with miles of drowned river valleys called rias. They typically have fishing villages or ports near the estuary mouth and quite a bit of yachting activity and moorings. Luckily the signs of human habitation disappear quite quickly as you sail further inland. In the Helford River anchoring is restricted beyond Port Navas to protect the oyster beds, which means there is an empty wild playground for a small boat without a deep keel (Outdoor Girl draws 60cm). In the upper reaches there is salt marsh and you might see otters. The stunted sessile oak trees hug the rocky shores and several stone quays can be found. In spring there are bluebells and primroses and in autumn
Inland of St Mawes Bay is the Percuil River which has moorings for a mile and then just steep farmland and woods. This is our backyard and we know several landowners.
The River Fal and its tributaries is heavily wooded with steep sides and overhanging branches. There are a few gravelly foreshores above the high water mark, with overhanging trees and a few private quays with grassy areas. Far up Ruan Creek are very shallow channels through the salt marsh that were once commercial waterways. Romans used to trade all the way to Tregony, but the furthest we can reach on a big spring tide is Ruan Lanihorne. Old lime kilns and ospreys have been sighted here and the salt marsh is a nature reserve
South Cornwall Coastal Landscape
If you have never been to this part of Cornwall it is very different from the surf beaches on North Cornwall. The Lizard Penisula and angle of the coast protects it a bit from the Atlantic, and a series of headlands creates bays and sandy or gravel beaches. There are many caves and small islets where seals and seabirds hang out. The whole coast is part of Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural beauty and protected from development. In addition to the popular village beaches, there are many small coves backed by cliffs and gorse which are inaccessible to the public.
Outdoor Girl is typical of the beach fishing boats that used to operate under sail and oar from Porthholland, Portscatho, Portloe and Gorran Haven.
Neap tides give more room on remote beaches to camp. Photo Mirek Janowski
Wildlife you might see
The Atlantic is so close and the English Channel is wide here in Cornwall so the acrobatic common dolphins from the ocean are as common as the coastal bottlenosed dolphins. Rarer sightings include Risso dolphins, minke whales and pilot whales.Outdoor Girl will never be offshore more than a couple of miles so marine creatures of the foreshore are more likely – Western Grey Seals are here all year round. Ocean birds like guillimot, shearwaters and razorbill breed in the cliffs. On the beaches turnstones, oystercatchers and curlew are likely to greet you when you emerge from your tent. There is edible seaweed, samphire, wild garlic and mussels to pick for the pot. Ravens, Peregrin falcons, buzzards, great blackbacks, herring gulls and gannets rule the skies.
Up the creeks you can hear owls and foxes at night and many waders and wildfowl can be spotted on the muddy banks. Otters and Ospreys have been seen but are rare.
Seal marks the isolated danger rock
Small Boat Skills – What can I learn?
Nudging Outdoor Girl onto a shelving beach is fine in calm weather, but she weights over 700kg so the trick is not to get stuck on the shore unless you mean to. Stern and bow anchors, placing temporary outhauls, utilising boat legs and laughing at the skipper as she wades or swims back to shore after anchoring is all part of the fun in summer. The boat also has a stand-up paddle board, and the skipper has a drysuit/waders for later in the year. Sailing into small ports for icecream or beer is not too stressful as it is easy to brail up the mainsail and row the last few yards onto steps or a pontoon.
Setting sail and getting going under sail are key sailing skils for any size sailing vessel, as is helming and coastal navigating. Sailing Outdoor Girl is not hugely complicated despite having 3 sails. You can try sailing her single handed, which is a bit more challeging. Using our body weight to trim the boat properly is important if you want to sail fast or upwind. In moderate winds with strong gusts you may have to sit and lean out like on a dinghy, but Outdoor Girl has a lot of ballast to keep her upright. It is a different mindset to dinghies. The seamanship you are learning is to carry the right sail area for the conditions. Keeping a lookout is very important as the sails are low with many blind spots so it is a team effort.
Wild Camping – Where Might we Stop?
We are not stopping – we are just sailors resting for a bit…..
Wild camping is clandestine and secret. We ask guests not to reveal our landing locations blatantly on social media. If you are not happy with this concept then this is not the holiday for you.
There are very few places in England where wild camping is legal without the landowner’s permission. Scotland and some national parks have right to roam and wild camp, but these freedoms were often hard fought from the landowners. This does not stop South West Coast path backpackers discretely camping in remote spots. Sea kayakers often pull up on Cornish beaches to rest and camp overnight. Pilots in Cornish pilot gigs would often pull their 32ft wooden gig boats up on the beaches of the Lizard Peninsula and camp underneath the upturned boat overnight, rather than row 10-14 miles back to port.
The foreshore is the area between the high water mark and the low water mark. When the tide is in there is an absolute right to navigate through the shallow water. All foreshore belongs to the Crown unless it has in the past been sold or given away. In South Cornwall this normally means the National Trust or the Duchy.
Where we stop overnight, it will be a mix of special spots where we have the landowners permission, and other more secluded places where we have simply come ashore to ‘rest for a bit.’ In the morning or on the high tide we will move on.
In some places we will actually sleep on board on comfy mattresses with a boom tent. This not so easy to accommodate whilst social distancing is in place but if you want to experience it then it can be arranged.
The Wild Camping Code for Scotland will be followed so we leave no trace.
Accommodation overnight – Are you brave enough to camp?
The price of these voyages is set to include meals and camping overnight. We will accommodate you in a 2 person tent on your own if you are coming solo, or sharing the tent with a friend. There are full details of these mountaineering style tents in the accommodation section. The skipper has her own tent.
Two friends can sleep on the boat. The middle seat is removable. The 17ft ft sprit pole forms a ridge pole for a breathable and waterproof boom tent . There are mattresses for the floor boards and you can keep it level if you beach the boat with legs or anchor in deep enough water. The skipper will camp ashore but needs to be sure she or he can get to you in an emergency.
The boat is 6ft wide (183cm). Tent is 136cm wide – designed for 2-3 people with full mosquito net doors and outer flysheet porch either end
Camping or Glamping not for you?
If you really don’t want to camp and you are prepared to book more conventional accommodation ashore, Debbie is happy for you to come back in the morning and carry on with the next day sailing. There is no reduction in price, but we can probably give you a lift back to your hotel or cottage. Please let us know where you are staying when you book. Cottages, campsites ashore and hotels can be very oversubscribed, so please plan this as early as possible. price remains the same.
Catering
The skipper will cook and adhere to standard food hygiene requirements. Cutlery/crockery is generally rinsed in seawater first and then hot fresh water washed where possible.
Wild swimming and washing can be combined. Eco friendly soap products please if you bring your own toiletries.
As well as soap and seawater we will have hand gel, but please bring your own if you have a preferred brand of sanitiser that you are comfortable with using.
Wild Swimming
Debbie is a big fan of wild swimming and trains for open swimming events with ‘Into the Wet Stuff’ a local Cornish fitness coaching and swim training company run by Binnie and Nick. She swims in the sea all summer after work in Classic Sailing office and has spent years encouraging guest crew on pilot cutter Eve to jump in the sea.
There is a tradition in many Cornish villages to jump in the sea on Boxing Day. The sea rarely drops below 10 degrees centigrade in the winter months and locals surf in wetsuits all year round…Its cold but allegedly good for your mental health! In summer the temperatures are much kinder and the water is often crystal clear.
WINDS, WAVES & WEATHER
The outer limit of our sailing area in summer is Nare Head to the South of Helford River and St Anthony, but within this sailing ground is a huge range of sailing and landing opportunities. In Winter the area shrinks slightly from St Anthony’s head to Rosemullion Head, allowing open water sailing in Falmouth Bay.
HANDS ON HOLIDAYS
This is probably the most hands-on sailing experience in the Classic Sailing fleet. The skipper/owner of Outdoor Girl is Debbie Purser. As co-founder of Classic Sailing she is taking these mini sailing expeditions right back to our company roots. When we set up sailing voyages on pilot cutter Eve of St Mawes, the skipper sailed solo with guest crew and it was a truely collaberative effort, with guests fully involved in the whole process from navigation planning to anchoring and rowing ashore.
Debbie loves cooking, whether it is on a big boat or on a campfire/camping stove so you don’t need to do that, but just about everything else is a team effort. Pitching tents, setting anchors and shorelines, carrying equipment ashore in drybags and packing up again in the morning to go sailing is a team effort.
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 facilities and accommodation of the ship on the vessel page above.
AGILITY & FITNESS
Every customer will need to fill in basic medical questions for their voyage. If you are not sure if your current level of fitness and agility is up to a sailing voyage, then please ring the Classic Sailing Office on 01326 53 1234 and we can chat through your concerns and possibly find options that might suit you better.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
skipper / RYA Yachtmaster Instructor
Personal Safety Equipment
Sailing Instruction
All hot meals, snacks and refreshments
Port and landing fees
firewood / charcoal/ stove fuel
Tents, camping matresses, yoga mats
Third Party liability insurance
Any land or ferry transport back to base
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
Travel to Joining Port
Travel from end port
Alcoholic Drinks
Towels
Waterproofs
Sleeping bag and pillow in a waterproof bag
waterproof bags for your clothing and sleeping bag
personal torch (each tent has a fixed light)
Nitty Gritty
Itinerary
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 above, but you have to go with Mother Nature, not fight her. These open boats carry local boat licence safety equipment which is similar to our offshore boats, including a liferaft, but these are still open, historic boats, designed for inshore conditions when the weather and seas is suitable. Our commercial licence for these small boats will not allow us to operate in seas over certain wave height and wind strengths or sail at night. Luckily we have many creeks to explore instead, go for a row, or wildlife safari ashore.
Visas and Vaccinations
Classic sailing is unable to be an expert for advice on visas and vaccinations for customers travelling outside their own country. Please seek advice relating to your nationality travelling to the countries of your voyage from the country you will be setting off from and returning to.
Passports
In most instances, you will need a passport that expires six months or more after your return to your home country.
Travel Insurance
Classic Sailing requires that you have travel insurance for all voyages except day sails.
There are many other reasons why you need cover for your holiday with travel insurance, for example if case you have to cancel or have to curtail your voyage. We recommend that you ensure that your travel insurance covers the eventualities described in the terms and conditions for your vessel. Topsail Insurance offers a range of travel insurance products, designed with sailing trips in mind. Find out more here and choose the right policy for you
Start & End Port
St Mawes, Cornwall
This is the home port of Classic Sailing. A seafaring village on the East side of Falmouth Harbour.
Latest Updates
Where to Meet in St Mawes to Join Tallulah
Updated 7-03-23
The historic Quay in St Mawes Harbour (TR2 5DW) is the official rendezvous for all Tallulah Voyages. Plan your travel for the quay in your first instance.
Tallulah has a mooring in St Mawes Bay. Skipper Debbie or the mate will normally meet you at the quay steps /harbour pontoon in Tallulah’s tender – a large blue rowing boat with ‘8’ on the side.
Bad Weather Alternative Ports
In the event of St Mawes being exposed to strong winds / big seas from the west or SW, we may start the voyage from more sheltered waters. This is likely to be the River Fal – Smugglers moorings near St Mawes or Falmouth Estuary.
Debbie will contact you at least 48hrs before the voyage with final joining instructions by email and text. All confirmed customers will be sent Debbies mobile number for emergencies or late arrival.
The A30 is the best route into Cornwall for St Mawes – if you follow a Sat Nav you will probably be taken via King Harry Car Ferry which is not the quickest route but is worth doing for the experience.
The best way is to leave the A30 at Fraddon and follow the B3275 until it meets the A390 where you turn left for a little way back towards St Austell. Then follow the signs to the right for the A3078 which ends in St Mawes.
There are two car parks in St Mawes both trouble free and you can pay by card
St Mawes Quay Car Park is very convenient as it is where you join your voyage but is a little more expensive.
St Mawes Central Car Park run by the St Just in Roseland Parish Council is recommended. It is just a minute walk from the Quay.
You can pay for a number of days with a debit card
There is free street parking in the roads up from the main beach, if you can find a space. Buckeys Lane is one way so please park on the right. The private roads of Pedn Moran or Freshwater Lane are popular with beach visitors and holiday cottage customers. Local residents are used to mystery cars parked outside for several days, as long as no drives are blocked, it seems the accepted thing. As with all street parking please make sure there is room for fire engines to get through. From any of these roads the Quay is about 5 minutes walk.
Rail & transfers
To get to St Mawes by train, buy a ticket for Falmouth Town Station, walk down to the waterfront and come across the water from Falmouth to St Mawes by passenger ferry.
Falmouth is on a branch line from Truro which is on the main London – Penzance rail line. Trains come into Cornwall to Truro from many parts of the UK and it is only 30 minutes down the branch line to Falmouth. Beware there are several small stations in Falmouth. Get off at Falmouth Town Station.
Falmouth Town Station (the Dell) is ten minutes walk from Customs House Quay where one of three ferries runs to St Mawes in the summer. If you just miss a ferry there are other departures to St Mawes from Prince of Wales Pier, the other side of town. In the winter – all ferries run from Prince of Wales Pier only. It is about 15 minutes walk through the town to the Prince of Wales Pier.
Ferry is the best way. St Mawes Passenger Ferry timetable for both piers https://www.falriver.co.uk/ferries/st-mawes-ferry/timetable. This has a live update to confirm which ferries are running on the day. It only stops in really bad weather.
St Mawes Ferry 01872 861 911 or 07855 438 674
Ferries are hourly in winter and three per hour in the summer and the journey is 20-25 minutes.
Buses
There are buses from Truro to St Mawes but they are very infrequent and take about an hour.
Air & transfers
Newquay is the nearest airport but it is poorly served by public transport. A taxi to St Mawes can cost over £60
Feeling Guilty? – Carbon Offsetting Schemes
Classic Sailing recommend Treesisters charity as a carbon offsetting scheme and we have our own Classic Sailing Forest you can add tree planting to. These community tree planting schemes are all in parts of the world that desperately need reforestation and have maximum scope to reduce CO2
Packing your gear for a self sufficient sailing expedition in an open boat is a skill in itself. At least you don't have to worry about the food provisions, water, cooking and camping equipment, as Outdoor Girl's skipper will supply and pack that for you on the 2 and 3 day taster voyages.
FUNDAMENTALS Fast drying clothing is helpful, but the main trick is to stay dry and always have spare dry clothing kept dry.
Lightweight packing is not as important as it would be if you were back packing, but we still have to keep the overall boat load light, and have room to stow everything securely on a 17ft x 6ft boat.
We also need enough floor space to be able to move around the boat and sail and row Outdoor Girl, access anchors and safety kit etc.
Classic Sailing can look after any spare kit or valuables ashore if you come by public transport.
WHAT WE SUPPLY: tents The tents each have a fixed torch for interior lighting Mountaineering quality Insulated inflatable mattresses a yoga mat each - for yoga / sitting down ashore / extra insulation/padding lifejacket All food and cooking equipment, BBQ charcoal and wood
We tow a stand up paddleboard you can try. (If you dont have a wetsuit for buoyancy then we can supply a small or large buoyancy jacket.)
ESSENTIAL KIT YOU NEED TO BRING
a good sleeping bag - appropriate for the season you are sailing in (or we can hire one if you pre book it)
waterproof bag for your clothes and sleeping bag. These will be stowed above the floorboards so may get wet from spray /rain and we have to carry them to the shore. Rucksacks with rain covers are ok.
A torch
Waterbottle (the boat has plenty of fresh water to top your bottle up)
Waterproof jacket and trousers
suitable footwear to wade ashore (can be rocky so bare feet not always ok)
2nd pair of footwear to keep dry
personal sanitising hand gel is useful.
HOW TO PACK The kit bags will be stowed against the sides of the boat or under the thwart seats. Please try and keep bag sizes small, so we have room to move about whilst sailing. Our tents and spare fresh water are stored under the floorboards to lower the centre of gravity.
When we stop for the night these will be unloaded and you can either store them in the outside foyer of the tent (Quasar tents have an entrance either end with foyer tent under the flysheet) Or bring your kit bags into the inner tent if totally dry.
The inner tents have ample headroom when you are seated, waterproof built in groundsheet and a zipped door or zipped mesh insect screen so you can enjoy the view.
There are no waterproof lockers on board, but you are welcome to bring a SMALL extra bag for things you might need during the day like cameras, money, extra layers. Please make sure anything valuable is well waterproofed.
WHAT TO PACK - FULL LIST
sleeping bag
Sailing Clothing
Waterproof Jacket & Trousers (salopette trousers best as it keeps your lower back warm.) If you are a dinghy sailor with a dry suit or similar then that would be great instead.
personal waterbottle ( we carry approx 3 litres per person per day in bottles if you need to top up)
Sun hat / warm hat x2/buff or scarf x2
In autumn or spring you might need gloves, or gloves for rowing
suncream and good sunglasses
Wellie boots or sailing boots - for getting ashore with dry feet or if sailing in rain. Neoprene dinghy boots are ok but not as warm if you are in them all day.
another pair of sailing shoes to use in dry weather or ashore.
pack a set of clothing for each sailing day (if you get wet one day, there is not much time to dry salty clothing)
keep a set of warm clothes for the evenings outdoors. We try and light a campfire but we can't do this everywhere. Once the sun goes down it is pretty chilly. Down jackets or wool jumpers and windproof layers are good if you want to stay up for a bit after dark.
Swim wear and towel. If you bring a wet suit Debbie will make sure you get it wet. Travel towels are less bulky.
Wash gear
Now is the time to use that eco shampoo bar that you were bought for Christmas. Try and bring environmentally friendly products as your bathroom is some sea creatures home. Always fresh water on board for teeth cleaning.
Debbie has sailed this area for 20 years - there are showers in surprising places....but they are a bonus.
Ladies, please pack sanitary bags if needed. We must leave no trace camping....but dont be shy to ask if shore facilities needed any time during the trip.
Other Activities
SUP - on request we can bring a stand up paddle board to try. alcohol - you are welcome to bring some for evening ashore for responsible drinking. (none whilst sailing please) fishing lines or collapsible rod.
Review
Summer Voyages - First Season in 2020
"My weekend sailing trip (photos). Can’t recommend this highly enough. With Debbie Purser who made the trip a real joy and we got lucky with the weather."
Russell Young Aug 2020
Sea Trials and testing Cornoravirus social distancing in June 2020
A huge thank you to the lovely Debbie Purser for the best day out of shielding....a socially distanced sailing adventure followed by a wild swim. Debs you're a legend xx"
Caroline D. & Freddie
Today a socially distanced sail with Debbie. Many thanks also to Adam for helping Debbie step the mast so we could keep apart. the trip up and down Percuil River and back and fore across Carrick Roads has done my mental health a power of good....Chons da me hearties."
Jan P.
Check out SailRowExplore.com - Debbie Purser is a female empowerment heroine of mine. Anything to do with Debbie is worth getting involved with. She is a true entrepreneur x'
Esther M. June 2020
The Sail - Row- Explore concept meets with approval
I think your new venture with Outdoor Girl is BRILLIANT! It's lovely to see a small and engine-less alternative to all the large and (sometimes) luxurious vessels you promote.
I'm not planning to sign up for this (sorry!) because it's the kind of thing I already do singlehanded on my 11' lugger, sleeping on board and cruising my patch. If you'd been offering this ten years ago, I'd have done it like a shot!
Sarah S. Past sailor with Debbie - inspired to buy her own small boat.
Vessel Gallery
Outdoor Girl is a 17ft spritsail yawl. Travel around the Cornish coast the greenest way possible by rowing and sailing 'Outdoor Girl’ with a local skipper as your guide. This is an open boat with no cabin so you can really live an outdoor life for a few days. Tuck into places that only smugglers would find. Wild camp, improve your small boat skills and gain the confidence to explore without an engine. Take part in the voyage navigational planning with the skipper and learn to make full use of wind, tide, ingenuity and oars.
