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Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co
And Other Plymouth Operators From 1985
This is one of a series of Simplon web pages on Plymouth and Devon excursion vessels. This page shows the vessels of
Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co
,
Sound Cruising
and various small independent operators
Background
The
River Dart Steamboat Company
ceased services at the end of the the 1974 season, and
Dart Pleasure Craft
replaced them as the premier River Dart operator. In 1980,
Dart Pleasure Craft
purchased the
Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company
at Plymouth, effectively giving them a monopoly in both areas. However aggressive competition from new company
Plymouth Boat Cruises
led to
Dart Pleasure Craft
to abandon the Plymouth area in 1985 and Dart Pleasure Craft concentrate solely on their River Dart operations since then.
Dart Pleasure Craft
retained
Adrian Gilbert
,
Western Belle
,
Cardiff Castle
,
Plymouth Belle
,
Edgcumbe Belle
and
Dartmouth Castle (3)
.
Southern Belle
and
Eastern Belle
went to rivals
Plymouth Boat Cruises
, whilst
Northern Belle
and
Queen Boadicea II
and the Cremyll service went to
Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co
, owned by John Knight, a former Cremyll Ferry skipper.
My Queen
and
Eastern Belle
moved to Dart operator
G.H.Ridalls & Sons
, and
Totnes Castle (3)
moved to former rivals
Plymouth Boat Cruises
.
Plymouth Pleasure Boat Operators Since 1985
by Graham Thorne
:-
The withdrawal of
Dart Pleasure Craft
from their Plymouth operations in 1985 left two principal operators in the city:-
Plymouth Boat Cruises
and
Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co
. There were also a number of independent operators with whom we shall deal later.
Plymouth Boat Cruises
, based in Millbrook, had been operating since 1981 in competition with
Dart Pleasure Craft
.
Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co
was a new company founded by John Knight, skipper of the Cremyll Ferry.
In 1985
Plymouth Boat Cruises
were operating the
Plymouth Venturer
(1982, 94 grt) built for them at Mashford's and the wooden vessel
Plymouth Princess
(1921, 47 grt).
Plymouth Princess
had run at Southend from 1921 to 1958 as the
Britannia I
and on the Thames as
Thames Britannia
to 1982. Now in addition the company acquired the
Southern Belle
of 1925 and the
Eastern Belle
of 1946 from
Dart Pleasure Craft
. The
Totnes Castle (3)
of 1949 also came to them from the River Dart service of
Dart Pleasure Craft
. Other vessels, which had run in Plymouth for
Dart Pleasure Craft
such as
Cardiff Castle
,
Dartmouth Castle (3)
,
Edgcumbe Belle
and
Western Belle
moved to the Dart.
Plymouth Boat Cruises
soon sold the
Eastern Belle
to
G H Ridalls & Sons
at Dartmouth. She became their
Totnes Princess
and remained on the Dart until 1999. Since 2001 she has run in the Isle of Man for Captain Stephen Carter's Laxey Towing Company bearing the traditional Manx name
Karina
.
Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co
began its operations in 1985 with the
Northern Belle
(1927, 25 grt) - she came with the Cremyll Ferry rights, having been on the service since delivery as
Armadillo
. From
Dart Pleasure Craft
for the Drake's Island Ferry came
Queen Boadicea II
(1936, 45 grt). In 1987 they took delivery of a new vessel the
Plymouth Sound
(1987, 49grt). In 1990
Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co
took delivery of another new vessel. She was the
Plymouth Sound II
(1990, 45 grt). Advertised for sale in late 1996, she now runs at Poole as the
Purbeck Pride
of
R.C.Greenslade
. Her hull is identical to
Ridall's
Dittisham Princess
of 1995, which now runs with
Dart Pleasure Craft
, still as
Dittisham Princess
. In 1991 they disposed of the
Queen Boadicea II
to the National Waterways Museum, Gloucester, where she remains.
1995 saw the Cawsand Ferry vessel
Weston Maid
(1960) come under the
Plymouth Boat Cruises
banner. In 1999 the
Tamar Belle (1)
(1960) was listed with the Tamar Cruising fleet. She was the former
Look Ahead II
at St. Mawes and remained in Plymouth until 2004 when she went to Tewkesbury as
Avon Belle II
. In 2000 the
Southern Belle
was sold away to Isle of Wight owners. After an unhappy spell there she was sold to
Steve Wilson
at Great Yarmouth where she entered service with his
Yarmouth & Gorleston SP Co in 2006
.
The tradition of vessel exchanges between Plymouth and Dartmouth was revived at the end of the 2002 season.
Plymouth Venturer
was sold to
Dart Pleasure Craft
, becoming their
Dart Venturer
with former Millbrook vessel,
Plymouth Belle
(1960), moving in the opposite direction.
The former
Queen of Helford
(1960, 21 grt) arrived with Tamar Cruising in 2004, taking the name
Tamar Belle (2)
from her predecessor, which had gone to Tewkesbury. The
Queen of Helford
had run for a variety of owners on both Dart and Fal and now became one of the select band of vessels to run at all three principal Devon and Cornwall locations. In the same year a new player arrived on the scene in the shape of the
Spirit of Plymouth
(2004, 66 grt), designed by her owner, and built locally. She ran under the banner of
Sound Cruising
, based at Hooe on the Devon side of Plymouth Sound.
By 2005
Sound Cruising
had taken over
Plymouth Boat Cruises
, there being insufficient trade for three operators. The
Totnes Castle (3)
was sold to Ullswater Steamers and, after an epic delivery voyage to Whitehaven, a road trip to Ullswater and a complete refit, she entered service with them as
Lady Wakefield
in 2007.
Weston Maid
and the Cawsand Ferry passed to a new operator, N Fox, and
Coral Star IV
(1962, 13 grt) ex-
Paignton
, joined the combined
Sound Cruising
fleet as the Mount Batten Ferry. The
Catalina
of Tenby (1999, 40 grt) arrived in the summer of 2005 but her stay with
Sound Cruising
was short lived and she left for Inverness to become the
Jacobite Legend
the following year.
Summer 2007 Fleets
Sound Cruising:
Coral Star IV
-
Plymouth Belle
-
Plymouth Princess
-
Spirit of Plymouth
Tamar Cruising:
Northern Belle
-
Plymouth Sound
-
Tamar Belle (2)
Sections on this Page:-
Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co
Sound Cruising
K.J.Bridge
Other Plymouth Boats
Tamar Cruising Boats on this Page:-
Northern Belle
(Built: 1927 Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry: 1985- )
Plymouth Sound
(Built: 1987 - Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry: 1987- )
Plymouth Sound II
(Built: 1990 - Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry: 1990-1996)
Queen Boadicea II
(Built: 1936 - Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry: 1985-1991)
Tamar Belle (1)
(Built: 1960 - Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry: 1998-2004)
Tamar Belle (2)
(Built: 1960 - Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry: 2004- )
Sound Cruising Boats on this Page:-
Catalina
(Built: 1999 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 2005-2006)
Coral Star IV
(Built: 1962 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 2005- )
Plymouth Belle
(Built: 1960 - Sound Cruising: 2005- )
Plymouth Princess
(Built: 1921 - Sound Cruising: 2005- )
Spirit of Plymouth
(Built: 2004 - Sound Cruising: 2004- )
Other Boats on this Page:-
Devon Belle
(K.J.Bridge: 1997-2000) - ex-
Southern Comfort of Plymstock
Devon Belle II (1)
(Built: 1990 - K.J.Bridge: 1990-1994)
Devon Belle II (2)
(K.J.Bridge: 1997-2001) - ex-
Duke of Edinburgh
Devon Belle II (3)
(Built: 1967 - K.J.Bridge: 2002-2003)
Devon Belle V
(Built: 1947 - K.J.Bridge: 2004- )
Duke of Edinburgh
(Built: 1949 - K.T.Bridge/K.J.Bridge: pre-1977-2001) - later
Devon Belle II (2)
My Queen
(Built: 1929 - R.J.Elworthy: 197?-197?)
Queen of Falmouth
(Built: 1937 - K.J.Bridge: 2000)
Southern Comfort of Plymstock
(Built: 1938 - K.T.Bridge: c.1980-1982) - later
Devon Belle
Weston Maid
(Built: 1960 - N.Fox: 2005- )
Simplon Devon Pages:-
Devon Excursion Ships
- Devon Header Page
Brixham Belle Cruises
(
Carol & Peter Scott
)
Dart Pleasure Craft
Dartmouth Lower Ferry
Dartmouth Higher Ferry
Devon Railway Ferries & Tenders
Devon SS Co
Millbrook SB & Trading Company
Plymouth Boat Cruises
River Dart SB Co
G.H.Ridalls & Sons
Associated Pages:-
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
Search This Website:-
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References:-
Estuary & River Ferries of South West England
- Martin Langley & Edwina Small
- Waine Research
(
1984
)
Passenger Steamers of the River Tamar
- Alan Kittridge
- Twelveheads Press 1984
Passenger Steamers of the River Dart
- Richard Clammer & Alan Kittridge
- Twelveheads Press 1987
South Devon Ferries
- Alan Kittridge
- Tempus
(
2003
)
Steamers & Ferries of the River Tamar & Three Towns District
- Alan Kittridge
- Twelveheads Press 2003
Trip Out Guides
- Written and published by G.P.Hamer
- various editions from 1977 to 2007 consulted
Thanks to Graham Thorne, John Hendy and Geoff Hamer for assistence with this page
Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co
(1985- )
Northern Belle
(Built: 1927 - Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry: 1985- )
The Cremyll ferry had been operated by the Earls of mount Edgcumbe. When the line of descent ceased with the death of the fifth Earl in 1944, the ferry passed to the
Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company
(who been operating it for year anyway). After the Second War, the
Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company
received new investment when new directors Sidney Mashford (of Mashfords Shipyard) and William Crawford joined the directors. The Cremyll ferries at this time were the
Armadillo
and
Shuttlecock
, both steam powered. They were dieselised by the
Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company
in 1946/7 and 1945 respectively. Mashfords rebuilt the
Shuttlecock
as the
Southern Belle
in 1945/46, and the
Armadillo
became the
Northern Belle
. In 1985,
Northern Belle
and
Queen Boadicea II
and the Cremyll service went to
Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co
, owned by John Knight, a former Cremyll Ferry skipper. She remained in the 2007 fleet.
Northern Belle
in service with the Millbrook Company at Cremyll
The larger image also shows
Devon Belle
to the left. It looks be just post World War 2.
Photo: © Luke Farley
Click to open larger image in new window
Postcard of
Northern Belle.
Unlike her sister
Southern Belle
,
Northern Belle
was not given an upper passenger deck.
Northern Belle
approaches Admiral's Hard on Cremyll Ferry duty, as she has done since new in 1927.
Royal William Victualling Yard in background
Photo: © Graham Thorne
Queen Boadicea II
(Built: 1936 - Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry: 1976-1991)
Queen Boadicea II
was built in 1936 by Thornycrofts. She worked on the Thames for Mrs C.M.Smith from 1936-1938, and then for
George Wheeler Launches
from 1938-1976, and attended the Dunkirk evacuation.
Queen Boadicea II
was bought by
Dart Pleasure Craft
for use on the Dartmouth-Kingswear ferry, which the company ran from 1st January 1977. She was sold to the
Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co
, when Dart Pleasure Craft pulled out of Plymouth operations in 1985. She passed to the National Waterways Museum in Gloucester in 1991.
Postcard of
Queen Boadicea II
in service with Tamar Cruising.
Click to open larger image in new window
Postcard of
Queen Boadicea II
in service in Gloucester.
Tamar Belle (1)
(Built: 1960 - Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry: 1998-2004)
Tamar Belle (1)
is another vessel from the celebrated yard of Blackmore, Bideford. 42 ft long and built of wood, she came new as
Look Ahead II
to St Mawes in 1960. In 1977 she was running excursions from St Mawes, licensed for 53 passengers and owned by Messrs. Penrose & Davies. By 1989 her operator was the F & B Boat Co., later Balcomb Boat Co.
Around 1998
Look Ahead II
went to Plymouth where she joined the fleet of
Tamar Cruising
and took the name of
Tamar Belle
, remaining there until 2004.That year she left for Tewkesbury where she was the
Avon Belle II
. Following the disastrous floods of 2007 she was put up for sale and was bought by the
Newman family
, returned to the River Fal and had her original name restored.
In order to secure her
Rhos Newman
had to buy another vessel from her owners, named
Champion
.
Champion
is for sale, as is the Newmans' previous vessel,
Queen of the Fal
, advertised in late 2007.
Queen of the Fal
was the
Alice-Marie
at Poole and originally
Gay Queen
at Rothesay. She came to the Fal in 2006 and replaced the
Cornish Belle
, which is now at Torbay.
Look Ahead II
in 2008 on her Falmouth to Tolverne run for
Newman's Cruises
Photo: © Ian Boyle, 23rd July 2008
Click to open larger image in new window
Tamar Belle (2)
(Built: 1960 - Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry: 2004- )
Queen of Helford
was built by Blackmore & Sons in 1960, providing excursions from Falmouth to Helford for the Timmins family of Penryn. She joined the
Ridalls
fleet in the mid-1970s, and remained until 1994, passing to K.J.Bridge of Plymouth. By 1997 she had been replaced in the K.J.Bridge fleet by
Devon Belle
(ex-
Dartmothian
of Ridalls) and had joined P.J.McColl of Falmouth. In 2002 she passed to D.Gold, Dartmouth, and then in 2004 to
Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co
at Plymouth, renamed as
Tamar Belle
, and remained in the 2007 fleet.
Queen of Helford
in Falmouth service.
Tamar Cruising's
Queen of Helford
with
Northern Belle
(left)
Photo: © Luke Farley, 26/12/2003
Click to open larger image in new window
Tamar Cruising's
Tamar Belle
(1960, ex-
Queen of Helford)
, approaches the quay at Cremyll
Photo: © Graham Thorne
Click to open larger image in new window
Tamar Cruising's
Tamar Belle
(1960, ex-
Queen of Helford)
, mid-refit in January 2005
Photo: © Luke Farley, January 2005
Click to open larger image in new window
Tamar Cruising's
Tamar Belle
(1960, ex-
Queen of Helford)
, mid-refit in January 2005
Photo: © Luke Farley, January 2005
Click to open larger image in new window
Tamar Cruising's
Tamar Belle
(1960, ex-
Queen of Helford)
, at Mayflower Steps
Photo: © Luke Farley, July 2005
Click to open larger image in new window
Tamar Cruising's
Tamar Belle
(1960, ex-
Queen of Helford)
, at Cremyll
Photo: © Luke Farley, November 2005
Click to open larger image in new window
Tamar Cruising's
Tamar Belle
(1960, ex-
Queen of Helford)
, at Cremyll
Photo: © Luke Farley, November 2005
Click to open larger image in new window
Tamar Cruising's
Tamar Belle
(1960, ex-
Queen of Helford)
, at Cremyll
Photo: © Luke Farley, November 2005
Click to open larger image in new window
Tamar Cruising's
Tamar Belle
(1960, ex-
Queen of Helford)
, at Cremyll
Photo: © Luke Farley, November 2005
Click to open larger image in new window
Tamar Cruising's
Tamar Belle
(1960, ex-
Queen of Helford)
, at Cremyll
Photo: © Luke Farley, October 2006
Click to open larger image in new window
Plymouth Sound
(Built: 1987 - Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry: 1987-2005)
In 1987
Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co
took delivery of a new vessel the
Plymouth Sound
(1987, 49grt). She remained in the 2007
Tamar Cruising
fleet.
Postcard of