Penzance

9.11, The Saudi Connection is on the iPlayer and on BBC Sounds there's a podcast entry, a 9.11 story.

Now, almost 50 years after the Salonian 3 was launched to ply the route between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly, it is being phased out, replaced with a new ship.

The Salonian 3 has developed a bit of a reputation, especially among passengers without strong stomachs.

In November, it'll be retired.

Gavin Haynes, travel writer with The Telegraph, decided to brave the crossing while there's still time.

The Ceylonian Three is a stalwart of the English Channel.

It's been plying the waters between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly since 1977.

Notoriously rough ride in choppy weather.

Brilliant.

I was going to ask about the stockists and because you have Penzance and you have Stornoway, are you selling the same things at both ends of the country or is there a north-south divide?

That's a good question.

They both have mugs.

And I said, I don't want to do that.

I don't want to play Tigers of Penzance.

I never even heard of them.

Only lately I saw something on the internet that they were pretty good, but I never heard of them at that point.

I wishes it was in my province now, with the deepest respect to try.

Here Polly flashed away, though nobody was pursuing her, got behind some Penzance broccoli, and seized a half bottle to defend herself.

Mr. Clinkers, knowing what he was about, appealed to a bunch of mistletoe, under which, in distracting distraction, the young lady had taken refuge.

Now nobody else in all this London, said the coal merchant to the berries, in all this mighty bar, as the poet beautifully expresses it, especially if a young man, not over five and thirty, not so very bad looking, but experienced in life, and with great veneration for females, and a business, you may say, of three hundred a year clear of income tax, and increasing yearly, and a contract with the company without no encumbrances, would ever go to think of letting that beautiful young lady enjoy the sweets of retirement in that most igniting position, without plucking some of the pearls off, and no harm done or taken, and nothing at all prevents me, no consideration of the broccolo, could pay for it to-morrow morning, but my deepest respects not having my best hogs on, through a cruel accident.

It's kind of scary, [laughs] really.

I did the last trip, uh, from Penzance, um, up to Plymouth recently, um, one of the Castle class HSTs.

And, and they were operating out of, uh, Glasgow Queen Street-

Yeah

[laughs] It's true.

I don't care whether you're in Penzance or fucking Dover-

[laughs]

... you're in London.

I could literally walk there, which is very unusual for me.

Normally I'm traveling quite far for events, but this is a lovely little local event in Penzance-

Oh

... called the Healing Light Festival, which is really lovely.