Many people have a perception of a sailing trip as being a boat heeled over, splashing and bouncing its way excitingly across choppy waters. While this might be true of many sailing trips and what some people want to experience, we aim to offer something quite different.
Sailing in our minds can be a gentle, engaging and magical experience suitable for all generations of family, friends and individuals. We aim to tempt those who have never sailed before onto the water, but also for the experience to be appreciated by seasoned sailors. It should not be just about sailing, but also about discovering and seeing a beautiful area in a way that enhances the journey. Being under sail should bring about a feeling of having a closer connection to an areas nature and heritage. This is what we offer onboard ‘Drifter’.
Drifter is a Dutch sailing barge, ideal for sailing in the shallow waters of creeks and rivers. It is a traditional vessel carrying characteristic leeboards (you can learn more about those in another blog entry). It can comfortably accommodate 6 people and 2 crew in its spacious and sociable cockpit.
When people ask us where we sail to during our trips, we reply that every one of them can be different. Not only because of the weather and tides but also because we adapt our trips to make it as engaging as possible for all onboard. We have accumulated many skills and experiences over the years from our various roles, both on and off the water. Everything from Debbie being a carer and nanny, Neil skippering sail training vessels with young people, the two of us crewing luxury charter yachts in beautiful locations, crossing oceans and a multitude of other experiences which altogether complement our focus on ensuring passengers feel safe and have a great time on the water.
We are fortunate to have the perfect sailing area for our Barge. The enchanting River Fal which links Falmouth and Truro has always been a favourite sailing ground for us. It offers not only sheltered waters sailing but a rich mix of nature, heritage and maritime activities and events. It is, in our opinion, one of the most beautiful and interesting parts of Cornwall.
One of our trips this summer was a family spanning three generations. It was a fabulous 4 hours on the water and everyone had their favourite moments. That day we had the children diving and swimming from the barge for so long we happily overrun the trip by an hour as we did not want to interrupt their fun, grandad steering the barge under sail in the Carrick Roads and then looking very relaxed at anchor soaking up the sun and scenery, and a very contented mum and grandma who knew that they had found a perfect family day out.
Please consider joining us onboard on of our sailing trips soon, we look forward to seeing you.
For more information about our sailing trips visit https://sailingbargedrifter.co.uk/
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