| Starting Port |
Starting Time |
Finishing Port |
Finishing Time |
Number of Nights |
| Bristol |
17:00 |
Newlyn |
10:00 |
5 |
Voyage Summary
Between 1907 and 1960, the sail from Bristol to Newlyn was a regular run for the West Country Trading Ketches. In this voyage, we follow the path well trodden by Irene as we make our way down the Bristol Channel and round Lands End. We’ll pass Bridgwater where she was built and where her first owners were based and visit some of the old ports where Irene would regularly drop off, or collect cargo. A real trip down memory lane!
Sailing Highlights
This voyage is a full-on thrash down the Bristol channel. We’ll cover around 200 miles in five days, taking advantage of the ferocious Bristol Channel tides to speed us on our way.
The voyage starts with a fascinating trip down the Avon Gorge from Bristol to the Bristol Channel at Avonmouth. This is a narrow passage that requires some careful helming but the scenery is fantastic and has some real highlights such as the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
Once in the Bristol Channel, we’ll need to be careful on the course. Sandbanks have caught Irene out before and resulted in an impromptu game of cricket for the crew, as we waited for the water to return! We’ll pass the little islands of Flatholm and Steepholm before we start to see a little more depth and a freer course.
Our first stop will probably be somewhere around the Clovelly area, south of Lundy before resuming our course west again. If time and tide allow, we may squeeze into Padstow for a quick fish supper. Rick Stein seems to own most of the restaurants here but the food is excellent and the harbour very quaint, if a little on the small side!
All too soon, we’ll be underway again for the run around Lands End. This part of the coastline is littered with shipwrecks and one look at the coast will tell you why. Tides run hard, the seabed is strewn with hidden rocks and there are very few places of shelter. All in a day’s work for the Irene team, though! Once round the Longships, it’s a course change to port as we line up Gwennap Head and then round to start the run into Newlyn.
This will be a fascinating trip with plenty of contrasts. Narrow gorges, the tides of the muddy Severn and the stark coastline of North Cornwall. What a great experience!
