Drifter spent winter 2018/19 alongside the historic quayside at Truro. This wonderful small city is the capital of Cornwall and is approx 9 miles from the sea. To get here we sailed from Falmouth, across the Carrick Roads and into the River Fal. This then leads onto the Truro River of which the City is the limit of navigation.
A beautiful three spired cathedral dominates the surrounding historic streets, parks and our bit of quayside. There is a great and welcoming vibe with hotels, restaurants, markets, artisan retailers, entertainment venues and regular seasonal events all dedicated to showcasing the spirit of Cornwall at its very best.
The navigation to Truro is quite straightforward, excepting the final few miles through which narrow channels cut through broad banks of mud and this part is only possible an hour or so either side of high water. While navigating along this channel we pass the picturesque village of ‘Malpas’ and then past the aptly named ‘Sunny Corner’ before sailing alongside the commercial quayside at Newham, surprisingly still in use today by ships of over 80 meters. We then pass through an often used flood gate before the final but very winding channel upto Truro, passing by office and residential developments which not so long ago were quayside warehouses and factories.
Our berth is a mud bank adjacent to the quay wall alongside the harbour masters office. This is a small promontory dividing the two rivers ‘Kenwyn’ and ‘Allen’ which quickly disappear into and under the city after this point. Not so long ago ships could navigate a little further into the very heart of Truro and the only telltale signs of this these days are the street names such as ‘Lemon Quay’ and ‘Back Quay’.
‘Drifter’ will be here until April/May time when once again we will return to the lower part of the river for our sailing season. Drifter will be available for sailing trips from 2 hours to all day. More information is available on our website https://sailingbargedrifter.co.uk
You must be logged in to post a comment.