Simplon - The Passenger Ship Website -
www.simplonpc.co.uk
Simplon Home
-
www.simplonpc.co.uk
-
Recent Updates
-
Search Simplon
-
Copyright Information
-
Contact Simplon
This website has no connection with any shipping company, cruise line, boat operator or other commercial organisation
- There are no postcards for sale on this website
Plymouth Boat Cruises
This is one of a series of Simplon web pages on Plymouth and Devon excursion vessels. This page shows
Plymouth Boat Cruises
, formed in 1981, and which passed to
Sound Cruising
in 2005.
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 Plymouth 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
Sections on this Page:-
Plymouth Boat Cruises
Plymouth Boat Cruises Boats on this Page:-
Eastern Belle
(Built: 1946 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 1985-198?)
Plymouth Belle
(Built: 1960 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 2002-2005)
Plymouth Princess
(Built: 1921 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 1982-2005)
Plymouth Venturer
(Built: 1982 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 1982-2002)
Southern Belle
(Built: 1925 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 1980-1985)
Totnes Castle
(
3
) (Built: 1949 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 1985-2005)
Weston Maid
(Built: 1960 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 1995-2005)
Simplon Devon Pages:-
Devon Excursion Ships
- Devon Header Page
K.J.Bridge
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 Yealm Cruise
River Dart SB Co
G.H.Ridalls & Sons
Sound Cruising
Tamar Cruising & Cremyll Ferry Co
Other Plymouth Boats
Associated Pages:-
Ferry Postcards
Cruise Ship Postcards
Ocean Liner Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
Search This Website:-
powered by
FreeFind
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
Plymouth Boat Cruises
(1981-2005)
Plymouth Princess
(Built: 1921 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 1982-2005)
Plymouth Princess
had run at Southend from 1921 to 1958 as the
Britannia I
and on the Thames as
Thames Britannia
to 1982. She was the first boat of Plymouth Boat Cruises in 1982 She passed to Sound Cruising in 2005 and remained in the fleet in 2007.
Britannia I
running at Southend
Click to open larger image in new window
Plymouth Princess
at Phoenix Wharf in Sound Cruising ownership
Photo: © Graham Thorne, 2006
Plymouth Princess
at Phoenix Wharf in Sound Cruising ownership
Although by far the oldest vessel at Plymouth, the
Princess
had a full overhaul last year and
is fitted with twin V6 Daewoo diesel engines making her one of the fastest boats locally.
Photo: © Graham Thorne , January 2007
Plymouth Venturer
(Built: 1982 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 1982-2002)
Former
Millbrook SB Co
director Sidney Mashford designed and built the boat
Plymouth Venturer
for new rival
Plymouth Boat Cruises
, who initiated a fares war with
Dart Pleasure Craft
in the Plymouth area.
Plymouth Venturer
entered service in 1982, a year after
Plymouth Boat Cruises
was formed with the
Plymouth Princess
.
Plymouth Venturer
was later sold to
Dart Pleasure Craft
in 2002 as
Dart Venturer
.
Postcard of
Plymouth Venturer
Click to open larger image in new window
Postcard of
Southern Belle
,
with
Plymouth Venturer
of rival
Plymouth Boat Cruises
behind the pier.
Click to open larger image in new window
Dart Venturer
at Dartmouth
Photo: © John Hendy 2007
Click to open larger image in new window
Southern Belle
(Built: 1925 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 1985-2000)
After the Second War, the
Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company
received new investment when new directors Sidney Mashford (of Mashford's 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. Mashford's rebuilt the
Shuttlecock
as the
Southern Belle
in 1945/46, and the
Armadillo
became the
Northern Belle
.
Southern Belle
was used on the Dockyard trips after the war, and passed to
Dart Pleasure Craft
in 1980. When they ceased their Plymouth services in 1985,
Southern Belle
was acquired by
Plymouth Boat Cruises
. She was sold to the Isle of Wight in 2000. In 2006
Southern Belle
began service on the Norfolk Broads from Great Yarmouth with the
Yarmouth & Gorleston SP Co
.
Complete history of
Southern Belle
Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company
postcard of
Southern Belle.
Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company
postcard of
Southern Belle.
Click to open larger image in new window
Southern Belle
in later
Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company
service
Mashford's yard in the background is where she was built when it was Rogers.
Totnes Castle
(
3
)
can also be seen in the background - Photo: © Luke Farley
Click to open larger image in new window
Southern Belle
in later
Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company
service
Photo: © Luke Farley
Postcard of
Southern Belle
in Dart Pleasure Craft ownership
,
with
Plymouth Venturer
of rival
Plymouth Boat Cruises
, who acquired
Southern Belle
in 1985.
Click to open larger image in new window
Postcard of
Southern Belle
in Dart Pleasure Craft ownership
,
with
Plymouth Venturer
of
Plymouth Boat Cruises
behind the pier and
Totnes Castle
(
3
) on the right.
Click to open larger image in new window
Eastern Belle
(Built: 1946 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 1985)
In May 1957,
the May Queen
was bought by the
Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company
and renamed
Eastern Belle.
She passed to
Dart Pleasure Craft
in 1980, and then to
Plymouth Boat Cruises
in 1985 when
Dart Pleasure Craft
pulled out of Plymouth services.
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
.
Postcard of
Eastern Belle.
Totnes Castle (3)
(Built: 1949 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 1985-2005)
Totnes Castle
(
3
) was built as the
Berry Castle
(
3
)
in 1949
.
The first post-war delivery to the
River Dart Steamboat Company
had been the motor vessel
Dartmouth Castle
(
3
) in 1948, replacing the paddle steamer
Dartmouth Castle
(
2
). She was followed by the similar
Berry Castle
(
3
) the following year, both from Philip of Dartmouth.
RDSBCo
revenues were declining in the late 1960s, and in 1972,
Berry Castle
(
3
) and
Seymour Castle
were sold, although both eventually returned to the Diver Dart. After periods at Fareham and Rochester (as
Golden Cormorant
),
Berry Castle
(
3
) returned to the Dart in 1977 as the
Totnes Castle
(
3
) for
Dart Pleasure Craft
. She was sold to
Plymouth Boat Cruises
in 1985. She is now on Ullswater as
Lady Wakefield
.
Berry Castle
(
3
) in
River Dart SB Co
service.
N.P.O.Dexter postcard B7113-57368C of
Berry Castle
(
3
) in
River Dart SB Co
service.
Dennis postcard T.0601 of
Seymour Castle
(
3
) and
Berry Castle
(
3
)
(right) at Totnes in
River Dart SB Co
service
Click to open larger image in new window
Plastichrome postcard P37821 of
Berry Castle
(
3
) at Totnes
Click to open larger image in new window
Postcard showing
Totnes Castle
(
3
) (on the right) when serving with
Plymouth Boat Cruises
Southern Belle
and
Plymouth Venturer
are
on the left
Click to open larger image in new window
Weston Maid
(Built: 1960 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 1995-2005)
1995 saw the Cawsand Ferry vessel
Weston Maid
(1960) come under the
Plymouth Boat Cruises
banner.
Weston Maid
and the Cawsand Ferry passed to a new operator, N Fox, in 2005.
N Fox's
Weston Maid
, 1960, leaving Mayflower Steps, Plymouth for Cawsand - her regular service
Photo: © Graham Thorne, June 2006
Plymouth Belle
(Built: 1960 - Plymouth Boat Cruises: 2002-2005)
Mashford's built the new motor vessel
Plymouth Belle
for the
Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Company
in 1961. She passed to
Dart Pleasure Craft
in 1980, and was later transferred to the River Dart. 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.
Plymouth Belle
passed to Sound Cruising in 2005, and remained in their 2007 fleet.
Plymouth Belle
at Plymouth.
Click to open larger image in new window
Plymouth Belle
on the River Dart.
Photo: © Graham Thorne, September 1990
Click to open larger image in new window