Category: General

The crew onboard Sailing barge Drifter exploit every chance to get under sail. This is what makes every one of our sailing trips different.

Different wind conditions and states of tide mean the challenge that we set ourselves is always that, a challenge. Sometimes it is an easy sail over the current, other times there is need to tack and gybe (changing direction often) to find the best route. On some occasions we also have to concede defeat, but usually only because the time that passengers have onboard is limited and there is a lot to see, and so the engine is started but only used until such time that we can get under sail once more.

Continue reading “Sailing past the King Harry Ferry, River Fal, Cornwall.”

The River Fal is an enchanting river, with steep densely wooded banks along most of its length. Although not wide, it is very deep in parts allowing large ships to sometimes moor within or navigate to Truro for cargo.

Continue reading “A tour of the River Fal”

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. 

Continue reading “A winter on the quayside in Truro”

As well as being a beautiful  place for visitors to explore, the River Fal  has also always been a place of commerce. It is difficult to imagine that this enchanting and seemingly unspoilt river, with its steep sided densely wooded banks has ever seen any industry at all over the last few centuries, but it has and is still supporting commercial activity.

In bygone days the river was used by ships to access quays for loading produce from the tin, copper and clay industries on which the adjacent estates of Tregothnan and Trelissick drew their wealth.   Continue reading “Oysters and ships!”

The River Fal is a place of highs and lows. Not in the emotional sense, but in a very visual and physical sense.  The twice daily tides altering the picturesque shorelines of this unspoiled river always give us an excited anticipation of what will be revealed or hidden depending on the hour of the day.

Continue reading “Highs and lows in the River Fal”