The highlight of the year is certainly going to be our visit to the Brest & Douarnenez festivals. The behemoth of festivals that is Brest happens only once every 4 years and once you’ve seen it you’ll understand why. The whole thing is mind boggling.

The festival site itself covers kilometres of Brest’s harbour front – with multiple “villages” showing off maritime artifacts and skills from countries around the world. Stages are also dotted liberally around, showcasing every kind of music from shanties to folk rock. Bands and performers stroll the streets which are lined with a profusion of stalls selling everything from pirate hats to freshly smoked kippers.

Out in the Rade de Brest hundreds of boats from dinghies to schooners spend each day thrashing about in the sunshine whilst between the two in the outer harbour more organised parades of sail happen daily. Even at night the festival is a riot of sound and colour with evening sail parades and fireworks lighting up the quaysides.

But once last firework of Brest falls silent this adventure will be far from over as we head off with thousands of other boats on “Le Grande Parade” to the pretty harbour town of Douarnenez.

Douarnenez is the birthplace of the Breton traditional boat festivals that we love so much. The longest running and in many ways one of the best it plays host to the fleet as we gird ourselves for another 4 days of festival frolics. Though much smaller and homelier than Brest, Douarnenez refuses to be outdone when it comes to the entertainment, and especially the craziness of the closing night.

This pair of festivals and the trips there and back to/from Falmouth make up an amazing “bucket-list” adventure for any traditional boat aficionado and we don’t expect these berths to hang around. Want to join us? Get over to https://www.topsail-adventures.co.uk/2019/ar20-11-brest-douarnenez-festivals/ to find out more.

The new decade will also see the return of plenty of our favourite adventure destinations. Chief amongst these are our visits to the stunning Isles of Scilly. Our fabulous “8-day-week” adventures to these amazing islands will return in 2020. Starting and ending in Falmouth our trips are longer than most, giving us the best chance to get out there and revel in all that the islands have to offer whilst also giving you time to get to and from Cornwall at the beginning and end. Visiting the Isles by Scillonian Pilot Cutter makes for (we think) the perfect holiday and actually works out to be great value when you realise that your travel, accommodation, food and inter-island travel are all factored in to our one great price!

Want to visit the Isles of Scilly aboard the Amelie Rose? Click https://www.topsail-adventures.co.uk/2009/the-isles-of-scilly/

If price is your main concern when booking aboard a traditional ship then be sure to checkout our Milebuilder Cruises. We’ve got a clutch of these planned for 2020, visiting The Channel Islands and running along the beautiful Jurassic coastline between our home in the Solent and our Summer cruising ground in Cornwall. Pound per mile these are the best value that we offer but the quality of the experience is exactly the same – perfect for anyone watching their pennies or looking to pile on the miles.

Click on https://www.topsail-adventures.co.uk/2009/mile-builder-voyages/ to find out more about our milebuilder cruises.

No Amelie Rose season would be complete without a bevy of our Traditional Taster Weekends and 2020 is no exception. We have a bundle of them for you to choose from and they really are the perfect way to sample the Amelie Rose experience before signing up for something meatier. Two to three days sailing around the hustle and bustle of the Solent gives you the chance to experience what makes these boats so fabulous and our location in the heart of the New Forest is so easy to get to you won’t need to use up your precious holiday allowance to do so.

Want to find out more about our Traditional Taster Weekends? Click on https://www.topsail-adventures.co.uk/2009/traditional-tasters/.

We’re really looking forward to a new year of fab adventures aboard the Amelie Rose, and we hope that you will join us soon!

Fair winds,
(Skipper) Nick & (Pilot Cutter) Amelie Rose