Reviews

Blue Clipper voyage was amazing  great food never a problem when weather was being difficult.   Skipper Steve , Archie, Cat , Tanya and crew made it all very enjoyable, many thanks.

Amazing adventure on Blue Clipper from Falmouth to A Coruña (worth the detour) and then further down the map to Portimão in leg 2.

Great to spend so much time genuinely at sea, on watches with an excellent and personable crew, who really know their stuff at all levels, as well as two different guest crews.

A trip of incredible contrasts from the churning waters of the Bay of Biscay, complete with an authentic ‘land ahoy!’ moment, as a bird appeared and the sun rose through a baroque cloudscape, to the tranquility of the Cies archipelago. Not to mention the dramatic caves and rock formations near Lagos once we’d turned into the home straight along the Southern coast of Portugal. My second (and third, if we’re counting legs) voyages on Blue Clipper. Highly recommended!

Had a great week with the Blue Clipper crew as we sailed from St Lucia to Antigua
via the 3 intervening island countries. Captain Jack and his crew did everything to
make this a fantastic trip – as our first tall ship experience. We were encouraged to
take part – hauling ropes etc. The 5 countries visited had lots going for them as we
went ashore daily – including a visit to Deshaies in Guadeloupe where “Death in
Paradise” is filmed. We had plenty of wind in the week so sailing was fast – if a little
lumpy at times! We tried fishing from the boat with the several rods on board – but
failed to catch anything. We saw thousands of flying fish enroute and much other
wildlife including turtles. We enjoyed using the kayaks and also snorkelling. Admin
wise the booking/payment all was good. However the final disembarkation port
changed a few days before the trip – which for us did not matter (thankfully).

Atlantic crossing from the Azores to Cascais, Portugal, unique, nature’s love of
details, the winds, swells and waves, the common dolphins in their beauty, a
wonderful “rush” and a special experience in keeping focus, concentration, team
building and dealing with team dynamics and excellent in their professional
behavior to us as guest.
The great Crew, with its unique spirit, unforgettable

What an unforgettable adventure we all had on Blue Clipper from Penzance to
Oban! Nothing was too much trouble from the crew, food amazing, very clean and
comfortable cabin, views incredible, climbing the mast rigging and anchoring off
Easdale Island just a couple of the more memorable moments. A huge thank you
to the wonderful skipper Grace and all her fabulous team. Just awesome and I will
be back!

What a splendid team on board blue clipper. Incredibly helpful, generous in their
time showing us the “ropes“ and involved with the guests and helpful. The
unforgettable time with them and the sailing was great fun and we got to all the
places that I was looking forward to see. The skipper Grace was great fun as was
the first made archie engineer and the other deck hands cook Sam was a five star
Michelin man of unbelievable culinary abilities which is not what I was looking for
or expecting but overwhelmed also by his great banter as with the rest of the
team. If there’s any chance of me sailing with them again, I’ll take it up.

A wonderful experience.
Blue Clipper a beautiful vessel
Crew were ALL fantastic and clearly wanted us to have a good time
Recommend 100%

What an amazing adventure on Blue Clipper! The crew were so friendly and
accommodating and did all they could to make this a memorable trip. The
accommodation is cosy. The food- out of this world! Every effort was made to get
us to the places we wanted to see – Staffa, Iona and Mull as well as unexpected like
Ulva and puffins on Lunga – got to climb the mast and go out on the Bowsprit.
Loved the chance to learn about sailing and get hands on.
Worth every penny – unforgettable.

Had the most amazing time on Blue Clipper. It was a gift from my daughter and we
traveled together. Sam is an excellent cook and catered for my non dairy option.
Ben was skipper and such a wonderful man. Cat looked after us splendidly she
couldn’t have made us feel more special. Archie and the rest of the crew were
fantastic and the girls really encouraged us to climb the mast and get out into
bowsprit. I can’t thank them enough. It was a time I will remember and treasure
the memories.

Writing a five-star review while not repeating other peoples’ comments is difficult:
here goes.
I have previously sailed many miles on long passages on the Jubilee Sailing Trust
square-riggers before that charity’s closure, but this was my first experience with
Venturesail and a gaff-rigged schooner, Blue Clipper.
For background, I’m 73, rather deaf, and with damaged legs that restrict my
mobility somewhat. In the last 4-5 years I have been day sailing with friends on
their 40’ Contest based near La Rochelle: very comfortable, excellent restaurants
up and down that coast and, to be honest, very little challenge. I joined Blue
Clipper in Portimao, Portugal, for the passage to Penzance, mainly for personal
pleasure but also with the aim of discovering whether I was still up to the physical
and mental demands of such sailing (and I was, just about).
There is very comfortable accommodation for 12 paying passengers, and I was
surprised that there were only three of us signed up. This had the obvious
advantage of giving us each our own cabin, but meant that there were only 14
aboard, of whom 9 were watchkeepers, so we had to operate on three watches
rather than the conventional four. Rather more duty hours than I had planned, so
fitting in sleep was a priority, but I was able to do this without missing out on any
of the excellent meals. I regret that once or twice I slept through the afternoon
cake.
The crew were all very much younger and fitter than I am, so hauling on ropes was
pretty much left to them, while I spent a great deal of the time on the helm as they
did the hard work, in very variable conditions (but keeping me supplied with tea all
the while!).
The crew were without exception welcoming, friendly, considerate and
knowledgeable. There was absolutely none of the ‘them and us’ that often exists,
and I felt that I was being treated much more as an equal rather than a passenger.
Good company, even 0000-0400 was enjoyable (!). I would be delighted to be
able to sail with any of them again. I deliberately haven’t mentioned any names: I
would have to list the entire crew.
My sincere thanks to all of the permanent crew and my very best wishes for their
futures. To borrow a phrase: ‘you have made an old man very happy’.
Portimao to Penzance 5 May – 15 May 2025.

Trip of a lifetime on board Blue Clipper to St Kilda. Great crew and other guests.
Fabulous.

I have just sailed around the Inner Hebrides for 5 nights and it was absolutely
amazing. I am now seriously considering chartering the entire boat to run a retreat
in 2026 for my clients.
The crew were ALL incredible from the captain Ben, hostess Cat, all the sailing
crew and chef. SO kind and patient in showing us the ropes to get involved in this
adventurous holiday. I LOVED learning about the sailing part and chipping in to
help. The food was amazing and we ate like kings and queens and was grateful to
burn off some of that energy. Always be prepared for the full onslaught of
Scottish weather no matter what time of year
Highly recommend – if you love some adrenalin, wind and sun on your face and a
great time that truly feels like family on board this magnificent ship – perhaps I’ll
meet you one day coiling ropes!

Along with 7 other guests I joined TS Blue Clipper in Oban, on the west coast of
Scotland on Sunday 3 August 2025 with the prospect of an “interesting” 6
days/5nights at sea around the Western Isles due to forecasts of severe weather
during most of that period. Although the intended voyage, which would have
included Iona, the west side of Mull, Tiree and Coll had to be largely abandoned
due to us having to shelter in safer waters, the three masted schooner – being
large, heavy and very seaworthy – coped well with the conditions. We were
therefore able to sail safely and in reasonable comfort to Ardfern, Loch Melford,
Tobermory and Loch Duart and to go ashore in most of these locations for local
entertainment and to sample local “refreshments”. This would not have been
possible without the professionalism and dedication of the crew under the
guidance of Captain Grace all of whom were very accommodating in involving the
amateur guests on board in assisting with hoisting and lowering the sails, at the
helm and other tasks. The saloon and berths were spacious and comfortable and
we were very well looked after by the hospitality team under Cat. Special mention
needs to be made of Sam, the chef who worked tirelessly to produce 3 wonderful
meals (and afternoon tea) each day for up to 17 people, including home baked
bread and cakes, from a very small galley which was often pitching around in
heavy seas. The voyage was well organised with useful pre-departure information
from head office and good planning and information from the team on board so I
would certainly include Venturesail in any sailing plans I have in future.

Till the last moment not knowing if it would be possible to reach St Kilda… But we
did. It’s such a special place to be! Very nice to be together in this bubble for a
nine days… away from media , just together ( with a great crew by the way) with
winds, sails .. sea. Had dolphins playing besides the boat..and some saw a whale .
And not to forget the great cook Sam. Like nine days eating in a star restaurant!
And much fun how everyone could be involved in the sailing. Hanging or guiding
the many many ropes. It turned out to be a wonderful trip!

I joined this cruise because I have sailed on all sorts of vessels throughout my life.
I’d been on the Sir Winston Churchill in the 60’s and wanted to relive that tall ship
experience. I was not disappointed. Sadly the wind was in the wrong direction for
us to get to the Scillies, but we went to a variety of other Cornish anchorages. The
permanent crew and many volunteers, some in their middle years and others in
their twenties were all delightful. We were made to feel valued members of the
crew and we helped with sail handling, helming and were welcome to get involved
in the navigation and log keeping. I was pleased to see that Blue Clipper is run on
totally professional lines. There was never the slightest risk taken. Passengers
were treated to really excellent meals the like of which you’d expect in an
exclusive hotel and the accommodation was luxurious. If you wanted a drink or
two in the evening there was plenty of choice and the option of a ‘low tide’ or a
‘high tide’ was a nice touch!