Spirit of Discovery blog

Hello Saganauts, 

Captain Darin from the beautiful Spirit of Discovery.

Well our first cruise is done and what a great start to cruising again!!

Exploring the picturesque ports on the south coast of England under sunny skies was a welcome break for our guests.

Portsmouth was the first port, a naval base on England’s south coast. It’s known for its maritime heritage and Historic Dockyard. The Dockyard is home to Nelson’s Flagship HMS Victory.

The next stop was Portland in the southernmost point of the county of Dorset. A barrier beach called Chesil Beach joins it to the mainland.

The following day we stopped in the Isles of Scilly. A beautiful morning and scenery that could easily be mistaken for the Caribbean! Sandy white beaches, tendering with large shoreside local tenders were the order of the day. Not for Wally the Walrus however, he preferred basking in the sun.

Finally we visited Falmouth which is a town on the coast of Cornwall in southwest England. Pendennis Castle is a well-preserved 16th-century fortress built by Henry VIII and we had a splendid day overlooking the harbour and Marina. Discovery is the largest ship to have ever visited the port. We had 2.8 meters under the keel during arrival. The sunset on departure was spectacular.

Our final day was a nice leisurely sea day, which we spent taking in a little scenic cruising along the beautiful Dorset coastline. We encountered a little fog as we approached Tilbury in the late evening.

It feels great to be cruising again!

Captain Darin William Bowland