Penzance welcomes a century-old tallship for four days in September

There is a ship due into Penzance next month that has survived two world wars, a stint as a herring boat, and a government raid on suspicion of running a pirate radio station. For four days in September, anyone can walk up the gangway and help sail her.

Four days under sail from the Inner Harbour

From Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 September, the Dutch tallship Morgenster will run three-hour sailing trips out of Penzance, departing from the Inner Harbour. She is a traditional square-rigger, but rigged so her sails can be set and trimmed from deck level, which means passengers who fancy a go can pitch in alongside the crew. Take a turn at the wheel, haul a line, or simply find a spot on deck with a drink from the onboard bar and watch the coast slide past under sail.

The trips are pitched at everyone from lifelong sailors to people who have never set foot on a tallship, though the crew say the sailings work best for those aged 12 and over.

Trip dates and times

• Thursday 10 September, departing 1420
• Friday 11 September, departing 1500
• Saturday 12 September, departing 1620
• Sunday 13 September, departing 1650

Tickets, timings and what to bring

Adult tickets are £55, and under-15s are £40. Booking is online in advance, and early booking is recommended given the short run of dates. Passengers are asked to arrive at least 20 minutes before their departure time.

A complimentary tea or coffee is served on boarding, and the onboard bar stays open for the whole voyage, selling soft drinks, beer, wine and hot drinks. Comfortable clothing, a windproof jacket and sensible footwear are all worth packing, whatever the forecast decides to do.

From herring boat to seized ‘pirate’ ship

Morgenster was launched in 1919 as a herring lugger, working the North Sea fishing grounds for decades before wartime service intervened. Her story then takes an odd turn. In the 1970s she was seized by the government on suspicion of involvement in pirate radio, a claim that turned out to be false.

Dutch tallship specialist Harry Muter and his wife Marian bought her in 1983 and set about an extensive restoration that ran across several decades, finishing with her re-commissioning in 2008 rigged as a classic clipper-brig. She now sails out of Den Helder in the Netherlands as a sail-training ship, taking part in major European maritime festivals and the Tall Ships Races, running public adventure voyages, and giving Royal Dutch Navy personnel their taste of life ‘afore the mast’.

The rig built to outrun the Royal Navy

Morgenster’s clipper-brig rig has its own history. It was developed by the Americans during their fight for independence, designed for speed and agility so that lighter vessels could outmanoeuvre the heavier ships of the Royal Navy. Fast schooners and brigs built on that principle became the direct forerunners of the clipper ships that later made their name for speed and for handling some of the world’s most difficult waters.

Open ship between sailings

Between the sailing trips, Morgenster will be open at the harbour for anyone to come aboard and look around, free of charge. Crew will be on hand to answer questions and talk through the ship’s rigging, all before she takes the next group out past the harbour wall and into open water.