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"Thank you so much to Bessie Ellen and her owner, captain and crew. It was a long held dream of mine and my dream ca...
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Bessie EllenTestimonials
Photo: happy crew on a Scottish evening by Gordon Hudson
Bessie EllenTestimonials
Comments from past Classic Sailing sailors.. |
Re Bessie Ellen
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| "Ruud, Nikki and the crew created a wonderful experience. Bessie Ellen is a special boat and the area around the Inner Hebrides is ideal for this type of sailing. We had fine weather, skipper responded sensibly with more time ashore and met up with the tall ships. It could not have been a better holiday." John L. July 2011 |
| Best bits were "Great mix of 'mucking in' to get sails up and down / not having to clean the toilets. Crew were brilliant. Nicky amazing." John A. July 2011 |
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"Thank you so much to Bessie Ellen and her owner, captain and crew. It was a long held dream of mine and my dream came true. Fantastic ! " Bits enjoyed most - "getting involved, learning sailing, meeting the other guests and crew, delicious meals, scenery, wonderful anchorages overnight, watching wildlife, climbing mast and bowsprit and steering." Anne S. June 2011 |
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Most enjoyed " getting to St KIlda, wonderful scenery, excellent and plentiful food, excellent crew." Cliff S. July 2011 |
| " A journey I will remember for the rest of my life - most enjoyable was sailing to St Kilda and landing there; island hopping, Shiant Islands, and the guests and crew were great." Jane H. July 2011 |
| "A wonderful break from the real world - It was all fantastic. Loved sailing at night, the moon and sun rising and setting, dolphins, sharks and whales. Bananarama and Boy George at Whitehaven Festival on the last night ! Fabulous company, excellent food, stunning boat and exhillerating sailing. " Claire H, June 2011 |
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"Two days of heaven. excellent food, company, good team spirit, safe and fun ship." Wendy W. June 2011 |
| "one of the most enjoyable, exciting + relaxing experiences I have had - wonderful" - Alan W. Gift voucher recipient - June 2011 |
| "Very helpful, willing and 'forgiving' skipper and crew. Was luck to have a great guest crew with varied expertise. Landing on Lunga to see the puffins was the hightlight. In summary - exceeded expectations; challenging; over too soon. " Steven H. July 2011 |
| "Brilliant experience to be on the water under sail. Aspects I enjoyed the most were getting away from normal life for a few days, sailing such a wonderful ship. learning to sail the boat, taking the helm and being fed with great food and no washing up !" Claire J June 2011 |
| "Absolutely fantastic. The skipper Ruud and owner Nikki were excellent at telling us novices what to do in a non bossy way, letting us get on with it, but being reassuringly close by. Food was outstanding." Hilary M. July 2011 |
| "Utterly content, happy, satisfied, did'nt want to get off. Nikky's crew go out of their way to make you feel comfortable and happy. Sam and Neils two lovely young men - very polite - (they never make you feel old or stupid etc), pleasant and cheerful but also very good at night helping you pull the right rope in the dark. Skipper Ruud was very calm and always ready to answer silly questions. Nikki is like you Debbie(Eve's Skipper) - everywhere at once, she puts a lot of effort into getting it right. She went to a lot of trouble to make sure we had a good look at Europa - we tied alongside her and Nikki arranged a tour. So yes, I had a good time, such that I was fighting back tears when we had to get off. Only an enormous seafood platter with lobster recovered my spirits." Liz L. July 2011 |
| ~ "Good fun good company" Tony S 2011 |
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~ "I feel totally changed by the whole experience, and can't wait to get back sailing again." Sarah S. May 2004 |
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~ "It has been a good tonic, to keep us sane and stress free on our return to work" Jules and Sandra. |
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~ "The weather was mild, a little wind and the seas were flat, the voyage highlight being an excellent view of basking sharks." - Jim Cadle. |
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~ "I had a great time sailing on Bessie Ellen. Sailing through the Scottish Highlands via the Caledonian Canal was just beautiful." - Laurie Edland, 2004. |
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~ "Beautiful Ship, excellent skipper and crew, good company, good food, great sailing." - Chris Barnes-Holmes, 2005. |
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~ "Lovely old boat, great company, excellent food. “There is room for improvement in everything” but on this occasion I have to disagree!" - Derek Ames. 2005. |
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~ "Great crew with wonderful leadership from Nikki. Food first class. All in all fully up to expectations. A really great holiday!" - Jim Kennedy, 2005. |
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~ "This holiday was fulfilling an ambition. I’ve always been enthralled by stories from authors such as Arthur Ransome and Patrick O’Brian – yet until last year I had never sailed. Aboard Bessie Ellen I saw so much that I have read about: the phosphorescence, dolphins squeaking in the dark, the wealth of the bird life, to name a few. I loved night sailing and the sound of the water as I was tucked up in my bunk, relaxing to the roll – fantastic!" - Sally-Ann Edlin, 2006. |
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~ "I have recently returned from one of the best holidays of my life aboard Bessie Ellen. Everything was so much better than my wildest dreams! I loved sitting on deck watching the gannets, the islands the clouds and the guillemots. I also loved hauling on the ropes. Nikki was great and her cooking was fabulous! Waking up in the idyllic anchorages was just sublime!" - Deirdre Hoyle, 2006. |
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~ "I think that Bessie Ellen under Nikki’s supervision has been restored to an extremely high standard." - David. |
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~ "I had a fantastic time on board Bessie Ellen. The crew were fantastic, the sailing was fantastic – I haven’t laughed so much in years!" - Alan. |
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~ "Sailing in the Western Isles of Scotland is one of the best ways of exploring these remote islands and lochs. You do not have to worry about accommodation, it’s close to nature but cosier than camping and the midges get blown away or stay ashore." Joy M. |
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Michael F. B. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE125 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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The Freedom of sailing, meeting different people. |
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If you could sum up your voyage in a few words what would they be? |
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Very Good |
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Philipa S. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE128 |
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If you could sum up your voyage in a few words what would they be? |
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An absolute brilliant experience. |
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Frank S. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE129 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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Food and coffee onboard, seeing dolphins, visiting Tresco. |
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If you could sum up your voyage in a few words what would they be? |
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Perfect mix of sailing and exploring ashore. |
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Fiona S. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE124 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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Sailing, scenery,food |
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Jenny S. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE128 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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The whole thing, meeting people and crew, sailing and visiting places. |
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If you could sum up your voyage in a few words what would they be? |
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FAB! |
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Ellen S. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE128 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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I enjoyed all the sailing and climbing the rigging,and I thought all the crew were very nice. |
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If you could sum up your voyage in a few words what would they be? |
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Amazing fun and inspiring. |
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Jeremy M. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE129 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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What I wanted was to get out sailing again, get hands on, meet a good bunch of people (guest and crew), and see some beautiful views and places, above all to feel like I was away from it all and on holiday. |
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Met all of that, so PERFECT. |
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Lyn W. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE129 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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Anticipation, exploration of Cornish Coast, glorious sailing times, socialising, meeting new people, re-learning stuff I really should know by now, opportunity to spend time on the Scilly Isles. |
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If you could sum up your voyage in a few words what would they be? |
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Great boat, good company, achieving ambition to visit the Scillies by “proper” means. |
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Paul C. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE129 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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Sailing on Bessie Ellen again and seeing the Scillies again. |
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If you could sum up your voyage in a few words what would they be? |
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Good company, good food, good destination. |
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Elizabeth F. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE128 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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The sailing and the company were both very good, I did not want to leave. I enjoyed climbing the mast and going out on the bowsprit. The living space on Bessie Ellen is very versatile, everything from breakfast room to night club! |
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If you could sum up your voyage in a few words what would they be? |
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An amazing few days in beautiful Cornwall. |
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Catherine F. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE128 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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All of it, dancing on the deck under the stars and running from the pub to the zodiac, tacking and trips ashore were some highlights. And the people |
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If you could sum up your voyage in a few words what would they be? |
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A great way to celebrate my birthday. |
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Maha A. S.. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE128 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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The work which included pulling ropes and tacking. I also enjoyed the view and connection with nature. The short trips ashore. |
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If you could sum up your voyage in a few words what would they be? |
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A perfect and friendly get away from city stress. |
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Malcolm H. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE128 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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The wonderful boat |
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If you could sum up your voyage in a few words what would they be? |
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Exhilarating/Fun/Good Company/Crew. |
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Peter O. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE130 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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Working as a team, hands on sailing, helping with the navigation |
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If you could sum up your voyage in a few words what would they be? |
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Fairly intensive. |
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Mark C. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE122 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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The active participation, people, gorgeous boat and scenery, excellent food. |
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Delia H. on Bessie Ellen’s voyage BE127 |
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What aspects of your sailing holiday did you enjoy the most? |
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The cross Channel sail back from st Peter’s Port to Start Point – 9.3 knots beautiful wind and a kind sea. Anchoring in quiet bays in Sark and the Helford. |
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If you could sum up your voyage in a few words what would they be? |
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A full busy 6 days combining a sailing challenge, new social contacts, excellent food and a sense of adventure. A stimulating experience. |
Win a Sailing Holiday for two!
Classic Sailing
Parton Vrane, Portscatho, Cornwall, TR2 5ET
Tel 0044 (0) 1872 580022
skippers@classic-sailing.co.uk