Reviews

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!

What a trip! Cant thank the crew enough. It was truly my trip of a lifetime when
Scottish weather was at its very best!

I don’t “ do” Instagram or Facebook so replying by email to say that we had an amazing trip last week. The crew were outstanding, so professional and all so interesting and knowledgeable about either the boat and sailing and/or the area of
Scotland where we were cruising and the wildlife. The chef , Sam’s food was all outstanding and Kat and Liam were wonderful hosts. We were very blessed to have the owner Steve as our skipper who was so interesting.
Weather was pure perfection, all helping the experience! My husband and I were very spoilt. I will recommend the trip to others.

Helen and I had an excellent holiday on board the Blue Clipper from the 4th to the 9th July. The crew were all excellent and we learned a lot. The food was especially excellent! I particularly liked the helming and navigation (less so the knots!).
It was a good idea for the crew and passengers to dine together as that helped create the feeling of a single crew (not possible I know if there were a full compliment of passengers).
We took out an insurance policy with Brunel on your recommendation but didn’t need to contact them or make a claim.
We would certainly recommend Blue Clipper and Venture Sail and would definitely consider another sailing holiday in the future. I’m sure we are on your mailing list already but please keep in touch with future offers and updates.

It was absolutely amazing and I am now seriously considering doing the full retreat in 2026 with the whole boat. The crew were incredible and I LOVED learning about the sailing part and chipping in to help.The food was amazing and I cannot fault or offer constructive feedback on any single thing. It really was epic.Weather was good Scottish style so we didn’t get to sail every day but that’s the luck of the draw.

We had a great holiday thank you. It was better than I had anticipated from the
point of view of the captain and crew. The weather was a little bumpy and it was
more difficult to move about the ship at times because of the angle and
movement, but apart from a few bumps and bruises we were fine.
Jack did a brilliant job in setting a tone that ran through the ship and everyone on
board of care and commitment to us as treasured guests. That was lovely.
Interaction between guests and crew was encouraged and greatly appreciated.
What we saw was great and what we experienced through life on board will be
ever-remembered throwing a light, as it does, on all our great explorers of the
past.
Yes i would recommend. Yes I may join Blue Clipper again around the UK at a later
date.
Thank you

We were concerned that we may be too old although we have a lifetime of sailing
experience but the crew were great and very supportive and inclusive. The
swimming ladder on the side of Blue Clipper proved to be no obstacle!
The skipper was friendly and very competent. The crew were enormous fun and
also very competent. It was great to see them enjoying one another’s company as
well as ours.
A good balance of sailing and shore time.
We were impressed by Blue Clipper and by her cosy accommodation.
We had a lot in common with our fellow passengers, perhaps not surprisingly.
We would consider another Venture Sail holiday in spite of our advancing years!
Your office was very helpful and efficient, and gave us good advice for the
planning of our holiday. Thank you.

The trip was amazing. The crew were fantastic, and we were very well taken care
of. I wish there’d been more participation in the actual sailing part, but the crew
did a great job offering opportunities without pressure for a varied range of guests
(I recognize it’s very hard to cater to all!). They were especially kind to my slightly
seasick and very shy son, engaging with him and gently getting him to try new
things. Each of the crew was fantastic, but I’d especially like to thank Emma for her
hospitality/stewardship, and Archie, Luke and Jack for their rapport with my son.
My only suggestion might be to have lunch be more of an a la carte kind of thing,
the way breakfast was. I frequently was still full from the excellent breakfast and
could not do justice to Shane’s (excellent) large lunch plates. I feel terrible wasting
food, so it would have been great to have the option for a lighter lunch. (especially
in a hot climate!)
Am wishing I were still on board, and definitely considering future Blue Clipper
excursions. 🙂

Absolutely wonderful trip from start to finish. The Blue Clipper is gorgeous and
well maintained, cabins comfortable. The crew were amazing- always helpful,
friendly and encouraging, especially to those of us who were nervous sailors. They
supported us to get involved as much or as little as we felt comfortable with. The
food was absolutely amazing and definitely up there with fine dining cuisine , not
to mention the afternoon tea and cake.! We were blessed with amazing weather
and were able to visit several islands, swim in the sea and a fresh water lake and
went kayaking with the seals. Saw lots of dolphins and even a few Minke whales.
Beautiful scenery. Definitely keen to do it all again. Would highly recommend. A
huge “Thank You” to the Blue Clipper team!

We recently sailed round Mull on Blue Clipper. It’s no exaggeration to say this was
one of the best experiences / trips in my life. Despite some inclement weather –
that’s Scotland – EVERY aspect of the sail was brilliant. The crew, under the
captaincy of Ben were a wonderful mix of youth, personalities, and sheer
professionalism The chef was absolutely the best – I can honestly say we ate
better on Blue Clipper than in many upmarket restaurants. Cat was the Steward –
her experience and personality and warmth made us all feel at home, in luxury. I’m
not sure I can remember all the names, apologies if I miss one or two, but a shout
out to all – Ben, Archie, Phillipa, Alex, Gero, Joe, Sam, Cat and Miriam. Whether
your are a novice, or experienced, go with Venture Sail, and count your blessings if
any of the above are there with you. And the guests were brilliant too!! I’ll be back.

It was indescribable!!!! I have dined in some VERY good restaurants in the past .
Sam’s culinary skills are of the highest . Now Grace is another matter : more fun
than one is allowed to have , from one ex farmer to another . It’s a lot to name
them all , the crew :talented , fun , easy going . And fall is upon back here on the
Chesapeake ……. Many thanks Cheers Teddy Clucas😎

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!

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!

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.

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!