A unusually “rough” crossing: Getting to the Isles of Scilly

We have written these blogs so they can be enjoyed independently or in sequence. If you want to start at the beginning, click here: https://www.havehusbandwilltravel.com/adventures-1/2020/8/3/a-week-in-the-isles-of-scilly

One of the attractions of holidaying in the UK is not having to endure the Kafka-esque nightmare of getting through an airport. We don’t mind being on planes, but the rigmarole of security checks, checking-in, dropping bags, more security checks, waiting at the gate and boarding is not something we look forward to.

Of course, you can choose to take the short flight to the Isles of Scilly from the mainland: planes to St Mary’s (the largest island) fly from Land’s End, Exeter and Newquay airports and up to 17 helicopter flights a day can take you directly from Penzance to St Mary’s or Tresco islands  (details here: https://www.visitislesofscilly.com/travel/by-air). In all honesty, flying there is probably a good way to get your bearings of the archipelago as a whole and seeing them all from above must be quite a sight. And we have always found the hassle of a small airport to be nowhere near that of an Internationally-focused maze, so maybe we will fly next time.

But we thought that, for our first visit at least, we would opt for the more traditional method: ferry. After all, this would provide us with another unique perspective of the islands as we approached them. We thought we would be able to experience of first glimpse of the Scillies the way centuries of nautical travellers before us had: Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and the rest. Like many land-lubbers, especially people like us who don’t get to see the sea very often, a life on the ocean seems impossibly romantic.

As it turned out, we saw nothing of our approach to the Scillies. On the day of our departure on the Scillonian, it was blowing a gale. The quay in Penzance was awash, quite literally. At one point, a wave crashed against the sea wall, dousing Antony and everyone else at that part of the queue to board the boat in briny water. David was, as it happens, still on his way back from dropping the car off (a painless procedure), so missed being drenched.

Upon boarding, the crew warned us the crossing would be “rough”. Were they being a little close-lipped? Were they underestimating for our benefit? Were the sick bags, stationed in racks around every part of the ship, strictly necessary?

Both of us have been on many cruise holidays and, although those ships are big, we have tendered in less than favourable conditions in smaller boats on many occasions. So we thought we would not get seasick.

We were wrong.

After making use of several of the bags provided, we headed downstairs into the lowest, window-less deck. On our way, we caught sight of a good half of the other passengers experiencing similar regurgitation issues as us, which made us feel better. On the lower deck we lay down and the rest of the journey passed without much issue. But for that first forty-five minutes (the journey lasted three hours, around 20 minutes longer than usual), we were wondering whether we really would have been better off in the air.

Before, during and after the crossing, the whole crew was consistently mindful of everyone’s safety, doing everything they could to prevent the potential spread of the virus, which is perhaps not easy when there are more bodily fluids doing the rounds than usual. They told several people to put their masks back on and follow the one-way system. Masks needed to be worn for the whole journey (except when having your face in a sick bag, of course).

When we set foot on the quay at St Mary’s the skies had cleared. Even more blissful than the blue skies was the knowledge that we could just walk off without having to clear immigration. The bags were already there, on the dockside, waiting for us.

I expected to keep bumping into the people who had taken the Scillonian with us. After all, there are not that many people in the Scillies, even with the tourist population. Maybe we did but the masks made us all a bit more anonymous? Of the handful we did encounter, we all talked about the crossing. It was a little bit of a bonding experience. Even some of the hoteliers and shopkeepers had heard about Monday’s crossing being an unusually “rough” one. 

At the end of our week, the sun was shining and waters pond-like for our return journet. Still, we were taking no chances and headed straight for the lowest deck. To our relief, we were completely unaffected.

Even so, a life on the open seas is probably not going to be on the cards for either of us anytime soon.

For more information on the Scillonian ferry: https://www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk/scillonian-iii/

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