About Amelie Rose
“ Pilot Cutters would often be out at sea for days and so had to be able to cope with the worst possible conditions ”
Replica Isles of Scilly pilot cutter Amelie Rose was launched in 2009 by her owners Nick Beck and Melisa Collett, who quit their city jobs to start Topsail Adventures, their traditional boat charter business.
Originally, these stunning boats were built in the 19th Century to take pilots out to incoming square riggers. The pilot's job was to provide local knowledge of the tricky waters around the coastline - necessary to keep the ships safe and to make sure that their valuable cargoes made it to port. Pilotage was a lucrative trade and the pilots, who were mainly freelancers, would compete with each other to build the fastest cutters in order to get to the incoming ships first. These pilot cutters would often be out at sea for days and so had to be able to cope with the worst possible conditions that the North Atlantic could throw at them, whilst crewed by just a skipper and apprentice.
This combination of speed and sea-worthiness was exactly what appealed to Nick and Melisa when they decided that they'd had enough of working in London and started to look for a boat to run as a charter business from their new home in Dorset. Having not found a boat that they thought would work, they decided to build the perfect boat instead and started work on Amelie Rose in September 2007 at Gweek Quay Boatyard in Cornwall.
The couple commissioned well-known traditional boat builder Luke Powell (of Working Sail) to undertake the design and build and then worked with him closely to ensure that she'd be an ideal charter boat. With a core team of just four and using traditional methods, Luke took 18 months to complete Amelie Rose - the seventh vessel he's built - and she was finally launched in April 2009.
Amelie Rose is 44 feet long (not counting the 16 foot bowsprit at the front), 13 feet wide and draws 7 feet when afloat. Weighing in at 24 tons she is driven along by anywhere up to five sails set from her 55 foot main mast and 22 foot topmast. She can sleep up to nine crew members and when on charter, is crewed by just two professional sailors, although most guests (like Dick and James) opt to get involved and learn the skills required to sail a boat of Nelson's era.
When not filming for ITV, Amelie Rose takes charter guests and RYA trainees on trips to the Isles of Scilly, Channel Islands and Brittany Coast, or, more locally, along the Jurassic Coast to the West Country and Solent from her base in Poole, Dorset.
