Falmouth shopping; the last post on Falmouth promise.  There is a whole High Street of shops.  Most familiar to high streets the length and breadth of the UK.  I won’t cover these.  I won’t cover the food or drink shops that I’ve already mentioned.  I’ll just mention the few that were interesting or best in breed.

Chandlers – The Bosun’s Locker Chandlery is a traditional chandlers with everything from striped shirts and smocks to shackles, flags and widgets.  The Chandlery is packed to the rafters and great for browsing.  The staff will helpfully find what you’re looking for if you’re pressed for time.  They seemed equally happy to let you mooch around.  Tom thought the pricing wasn’t too competitive but changed his view when he cross-checked afterwards.

Bookshop – The Falmouth Bookseller is an independent bookshop.  I’ve discovered on this sailing trip that books and boats go quite well together.  Reading whilst on passage just makes me seasick.  Sitting on deck in the sunshine or in the saloon when it’s raining is a great way to pass the time.  By the time we’d got to Falmouth I’d already worked my way through four books.  I had plenty still to go but a trip to a good bookshop is always fun.

It wasn’t packed to the gunnels like the chandlers but there was a surprisingly wide selection of books available.   They are laid out on shelves and tables as they are in many bookshops.  Customers were left to browse or helped depending on their wishes.  The customer was left to call the shots.  There was a rich selection of books on Cornwall, as you’d expect, and also maritime.

I was seduced by two maritime books.

The Levelling Sea by Philip Marsden a biography of Falmouth.  Philip takes the reader on a journey from the establishment of Falmouth up to the present day.  He manages to do this in about 280 pages.  There are stories of key figures from the Killigrews who set up the town to immigrants washed up in Falmouth making a living in the UK.  Threaded through the book is an expression of his relationship with both the sea and Falmouth.

The Sailor’s Word Book by W H Smyth published by Conway.
This is a reference book of sailing terms collated in the 1800s.  If you know your jib and mainsheet but not winding and wearing then this is the book for you.  Close study of this, if I had the time, and I could probably fit right in with the conversation in any English port of the 1800s.

Clothes – Finnisterre is a Cornish surf clothing company.  The specialise primarily in merino based clothing for men and women.  They sell to cold water surfers.  I think this is some of the best quality merino you can get.  Mainly they are an online retailer so no need really to visit.  Except.  The shop in Falmouth is their sale shop.  Yes, I picked up some bargains.  Including a merino/cotton hoody that goes down to my knees.

Dressed in my new hoody, furnished with new books and the evening rain I had a delightful evening on board Trouper.