Spirit of Falmouth

Spirit of Falmouth

Having seen the schooner at the end of the jetty I was curious to have a look on her and walked over as I had some spare time. On the pontoon I found presumably the skipper and chatted with him awhile. Turned out they had just done some patching up of the side with fresh timber due to storm damages, in the pics below one can see the large area midships painted grey was newly done with planks. 

Spirit of Falmouth

They had several crew on bosun's chairs and dingy applying paint on her hull. In addition the skipper listed out things they had done recently so she had a fresh set of sails, masts and rigging. The vessel is pretty spacious with 18 bunks but they were in process to reduce them 14 as the most forward ones were designed for very small people. I'm told she is a 40 year old replica of an original Mersey side pilot schooner and last summer when they had visited Liverpool she had made a big success with enthusiasts. "In Liverpool the crew had the honour of meeting and crossing the Mersey with Stuart Wood who is essentially the ‘father’ of Spirit. He was fundamental in the design and build of this amazing vessel in 1984" (credit: T2S FB page). 

Spirit of Falmouth

I was also told that the next day they were going to change the main engine or overhaul the old one as it had just conveniently seized up. They had managed to find 2-3 spare engines that may do the job in combining it to one working one. Skipper also apologized he couldn't show me around as they had the deck full of gear from recent repairs and refit. I could see there was a lot going on, a true sign of summer approaching.

Spirit of Falmouth

Seeing the skipper had his hands full with current affairs I bid him good luck, fair winds and water under the keel and saw him leaving off to handle probably the next days activities.

Spirit of Falmouth

The National Historic ships organisation has her listed and details her specs and ownership history.

Spirit of Falmouth

I also found out that they are owned by a charity called Turn to Starboard that is geared to help veterans out to sea after their service. They write the following on their website:

Spirit of Falmouth is our flagship.

She is a 92-foot (28m) wooden gaff-rigged tall ship, generously gifted to T2S in 2014 by The Prince's Trust, now The King's Trust.

Spirit is a replica Mersey Pilot Schooner, built using traditional methods. She has significant capacity - able to comfortably carry 12 passengers and 6 crew members. She is a truly outstanding vessel and enables us to offer life-changing voyages to our veterans; tall ship sailing is a completely different activity to yacht sailing and something few others offer. Spirit also enables us to deliver our vital charter work.

Adjusting to a new pace of life, coping with mental health challenges, and finding new career opportunities are just some of the issues that veterans face. At Turn to Starboard we provide a solution through sailing - a powerful and transformative activity that not only improves physical health but also fosters mental wellbeing, social inclusion, and skill development.

Through a combination of structured wellbeing sailing programmes and formal RYA training, we offer veterans a unique opportunity to reconnect with themselves, their peers, and society. By engaging in the physical challenge of sailing, veterans develop resilience, teamwork and leadership skills. Through RYA courses we equip them with professional qualifications, which can be used to springboard into new and rewarding careers in the maritime industry.

We look forward to a future where every veteran who needs support can access the opportunities, resources, and camaraderie necessary for a fulfilling life. There is both empirical and anecdotal evidence that Turn to Starboard is a leader in veteran respite and recovery.

Spirit of Falmouth