About Us

(Pronouns: She/Her or They/Them)

Nic is the owner and Managing Director of Topsail Adventures, as well as being the main skipper and instructor aboard the Amelie Rose.

Before leaving the business world to commission and sail the Amelie Rose, Nic was a successful IT Project / Programme Manager in the City of London, but in 2009 decided that they’d had enough of “normal” life and ran away to sea.

Nic is a Commercial Skipper & RYA Yachtmaster Instructor/Examiner with thousands of sea-miles under their feet, and is passionate about introducing people to wonders of traditional sail.

Chris has sailed as occasional volunteer crew aboard the Amelie Rose since our very first year of operation when he jumped aboard for the St Mawes Pilot Cutter review after bumping into us in the pub.

In 2019 he joins us for the first time as our professional mate, taking over from Jules.

A glazier by trade Chris has run his own firm in the Southwest for many years but the call of the sea has never been far away.

(Pronouns: They/Him)

Jez joined the Topsail Adventures Crew in 2022, somehow managing to squeeze us into a busy life running their own business in Southampton.

They are a person of many talents; chef, drummer, venue manager, motorbiker, marketeer, parrot parent, and sailor of their very own little ship, “Sophie”.

Usually either found in the galley, rustling up amazing veggie grub, or on deck where they profess to know nothing and yet are extraordinarily useful…

Missy, “Boo” to her many friends, joined the team in November 2014. She’s a Border Collie crossed with a Black Lab crossed with an idiot.

Although she lives aboard out of season she prefers to stay ashore when we are sailing with guests, stating “I prefer the floor to be the floor, and not keep turning into a wall”.

Boo lists her hobbies as “eating, sticks, and eating sticks”. Her main role at Topsail Adventures is ensuring that we get plenty of exercise by walking us twice a day, she also looks after the mental health of the team by making us laugh a lot.

(Pronouns: She/Her)

We met Jules for the first time back in 2010 when she was 2nd mate aboard Morwenna, another charter pilot cutter who used to ply her trade in our waters.

Since then she has acted as volunteer mate and cook for us many times and, since leaving her old job as a Graphic Designer for the PDSA, has been our primary first mate.

When we took a year off to complete the Clean Seas Odyssey Jules took the opportunity to jump to a bigger ship (the Pilgrim) but still graces us with her presence now and again.

Bee first bounced onto our foredeck (completely unannounced) back when we used to work out of Poole. She declared her love for Amelie Rose immediately and proceeded to do sterling service as crew for a number of years.

Bee is also an excellent sail-maker and it was this that finally pulled her away, when she set up the awesome Bees Sail Repairs a few years back.

We still see Bee lots though, and she’s still our go to gal when Amelie’s canvas needs some attention.

After Melisa realised that crewing aboard a chart boat wasn’t for her back in 2010 Steve was the man that stepped into the role as it coincided with him finding himself at a loose end.

A hugely knowledgeable traditional boat sailor, awesome musician, bodger extraordinaire (that’s a good thing on a boat btw) and all round good egg, he is responsible for many of the little systems that make life easier aboard the Amelie Rose.

He left us when he found love in Wales. Sob – we miss you Bro!

Diggory served as Amelie Rose’s primary skipper back in 2015 when he was looking to escape from the Canary Islands and we were looking to experiment with running the boat more continuously.

Since first going to sea as a Deckhand on the sailing trawler Leader in 1998, Diggs has pursued a career as a sailor and skipper of traditional boats almost continuously.

Sadly our experiment came to an end when Diggs was offered his dream job of playing with the shiny toys at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard…