0:00:04 > 0:00:06The Atlantic can be a dangerous place.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14Usually, only the most experienced mariner will take it on.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18Occasionally, the odd actor might have a go as well.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21If this gets considerably bigger, we're going back.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25I'm Timothy Spall
0:00:25 > 0:00:29and I've just skippered around Land's End in a barge.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37With my first mate and wife Shane,
0:00:37 > 0:00:42we're making our way around the British coast, one port at a time.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44The roughest sea we've ever been on.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46The waves are about eight foot high,
0:00:46 > 0:00:49and the front of the boat is going smash,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52and the waves were coming over the boat and hitting the roof,
0:00:52 > 0:00:53and that was on the Thames!
0:00:57 > 0:01:02We're now in St Ives, and in this last stretch before winter,
0:01:02 > 0:01:04I'm going to get us to Wales.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05That's 150 miles away,
0:01:05 > 0:01:10and our barge does seven miles an hour...
0:01:10 > 0:01:13on a good day.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17It really is you, your boat and the sea.
0:01:17 > 0:01:18A to B by sea
0:01:18 > 0:01:21will definitely end in a catastrophe if you don't get it right.
0:01:21 > 0:01:28# Somewhere at sea A liner is somewhere at sea
0:01:29 > 0:01:32# Bringing to me
0:01:32 > 0:01:37# A traveller who will build
0:01:37 > 0:01:39# My life anew... #
0:01:39 > 0:01:41But there's nothing better, I'm telling you,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44than discovering your own country by sea.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46# Somewhere at sea. #
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Dawn is breaking over St Ives,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00and the fishermen are up early to catch their mackerel.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07They still line fish here, as they have done for centuries.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11These small boats will be back later,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13each carrying a tonne of mackerel.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19We won't be around to see them.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22We've got to be out of here in the next hour.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27If we leave any later, it won't be a harbour, it'll be a beach.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31This green signifies that when the tide goes away,
0:02:31 > 0:02:32the sea becomes land.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39The stretch of sea from North Cornwall to the Bristol Channel
0:02:39 > 0:02:42has some of the most extreme tides in Britain.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47A skilled mariner will get the tide behind him.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50All the skilled mariners around here are out fishing.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Well, if we get that knot, if we get that tide behind us
0:02:55 > 0:02:57like we did last night, yesterday...
0:02:57 > 0:03:00whether it'll be going that way or that way or that way,
0:03:00 > 0:03:01I should check it, really.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05I still don't know if I'm getting this right or not.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07No-one's ever showed me how to do it.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13I calculate I've got a few hours to wait
0:03:13 > 0:03:15if we're going to catch the next tide.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18But as I don't want to get beached in St Ives,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20I'm trying an old sailor's trick.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24It's nothing complicated.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Just move to deep water, switch off the engine and drop anchor.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38- Is it working?- No.- No?- No.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40The anchor's not working.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45The electric anchor's not working, so Tim's got to do it manually.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58This is technical, so I'm giving it a whack.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08The anchor's broken.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14The boat by now is drifting
0:04:14 > 0:04:18and there are rocks to the right and rocks to the left.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25Our only option is to press on...against the tide.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30I don't know.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33- A different story every day.- It's a different story.- I don't know!
0:04:35 > 0:04:40We're heading up the coast to Padstow.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42The strong tides and the Atlantic swell make this
0:04:42 > 0:04:46the best place in Europe for surfing.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54Surfing means big waves that crash in.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Now, that's not very good for a barge.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Oh, my goodness!
0:05:01 > 0:05:04If you're going to go across surfing waves,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06it means it's going to be quite rough.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20I'm feeling a bit nauseous, actually.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23I'm not supposed to say that. He'll be annoyed.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28It's taken us all day just to do 30 miles.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32But finally, we're greeted by the Camel Estuary -
0:05:32 > 0:05:34the gateway to Padstow.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43At either side of us,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46two of the most stunning beaches I've ever seen.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51But beneath the water here is a famous sandbank - the Doom Bar,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55which you can see in all its glory at low tide.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59It's so beautiful.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01It's absolutely beautiful.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04You wouldn't think it was September.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08Once an industrial region of shipbuilding and mining,
0:06:08 > 0:06:13it's now protected as an area of outstanding natural beauty.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Such a delight to arrive in a place
0:06:15 > 0:06:19you've never been before in your life by boat, once again.
0:06:19 > 0:06:20I'm not going to get smug,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23we'll probably end up on a bloody sandbank.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27It may be stunning, but the tide here can create problems
0:06:27 > 0:06:29because of the speed that it comes in.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34And right now, the Camel River has got the hump.
0:06:34 > 0:06:376.8 we're doing here, so the tide's banging in here.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41- The tide's doing four knots. - Yeah, I saw it.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44'It's pulling us along too quickly, and I don't like it.'
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- You stay there, and I'll do this. - I know what I'm doing, love.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49I'm trying to get into position.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53BANG! Oh, right, OK.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56You've sunk the buoy.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00- Eh?!- You've sunk the buoy. You'll have to tell the harbour master.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03'It's not just the buoy we've got to worry about -
0:07:03 > 0:07:06'the dinghy that was attached to it is doing a runner.'
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Are you sure it's loose?
0:07:09 > 0:07:11I don't know any more.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Well, I'll come back and around.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16- It's still attached. - Just be careful.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20- It's attached.- Let me have a look if that's in the water or not.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22No, but you've sunk the buoy.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29I hit it and snapped it off the buoy. The tide got the better of me.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31'Our dramatic entrance hasn't gone unnoticed.'
0:07:31 > 0:07:35MUSIC: Theme from Jaws
0:07:35 > 0:07:37- Hello.- Hiya.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41'This skipper knows the owner of the dinghy.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43'He doesn't seem that impressed.'
0:07:43 > 0:07:47I'm very sorry about that. The tide got the better of me.
0:07:47 > 0:07:48'Shane's not impressed either.'
0:07:48 > 0:07:52It's the biggest buoy I've ever seen in my life, and he missed it.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59I love your loyalty, Shane(!) You know, you blame me when something...
0:07:59 > 0:08:02You should have seen it! It was a bloody big yellow thing!
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Well, what's the point of shouting at me about it for?
0:08:11 > 0:08:15First an anchor and now a buoy.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17It can't get any worse...can it?
0:08:17 > 0:08:20- It's very shallow here, isn't it? - Yeah, I know, I'm pulling back.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Cor, blimey!
0:08:25 > 0:08:26- I think we've run aground.- Yeah.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32'Princess Matilda. Padstow Harbour. Over.'
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Hi, Padstow Harbour, this is Princess Matilda.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39Yeah, we've just arrived and we've run into a bit of trouble.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41The tide got us into this trouble
0:08:41 > 0:08:44and only the tide can get us out of it.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48It's all right. It's coming... it's coming in really quickly, so...
0:08:48 > 0:08:50We might be moving.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57Hang on a minute, let's not get smug.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Padstow Harbour, this is Princess Matilda.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15'Make your way in now. As soon as you go through the gate,
0:09:15 > 0:09:16'if you go to starboard.'
0:09:16 > 0:09:21Right by where all the tourists are sitting. That'll be nice.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Padstow gets over a million visitors a year.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29They come here for the glorious beaches and the delightful village.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33But today, the main attraction is two idiots in a barge.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36- Bloody hell! - That was a palaver, weren't it?
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Why is there always an audience?
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Is this called keeping a low profile?
0:09:45 > 0:09:47It's like being on the tourist trail.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52What a journey that was!
0:09:52 > 0:09:55It's 20... It's five to five.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00We didn't push it, but that's...
0:10:00 > 0:10:03that's nine hours.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Nine hours! We came round Land's End,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09which was three miles less, in four.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Jesus!
0:10:11 > 0:10:13And we've had a barney.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14And we've wrecked a boat.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Chin-chin.
0:10:19 > 0:10:20Do you still love me?
0:10:22 > 0:10:24I might do. Course I do!
0:10:25 > 0:10:29One relationship fixed. One barge broken.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34We can't go anywhere until we fix our anchor.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Still, there are worse places to be stuck.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Padstow is named after St Petroc,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53a Christian missionary who came here by accident.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Like us, his boat was caught in the tide of the Camel River
0:10:58 > 0:11:00and came to rest here.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I wonder if HE hit a sandbank.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07It's a bit chilly. Not bad for September.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Look at that. Ain't that lovely? Beautiful.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15St Petroc came from Wales.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18If we're to get there before winter,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21we'll have to pray that Matilda gets fixed soon.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25It's probably a very simple thing. It's probably a fuse
0:11:25 > 0:11:29or, you know, just something that a mechanic's going to look at and go,
0:11:29 > 0:11:30"There you go, mate."
0:11:30 > 0:11:33I do feel such a fool.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37I just don't know mechanically how it functions and I should, really.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40I really should, because it's probably a very simple thing.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56It took four days for someone to come and fix the anchor
0:11:56 > 0:12:01and another day to go a whopping 60 miles to Ilfracombe in Devon.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Ilfracombe is built on a series of cliffs.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15The most famous, Hillsborough Hill,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18is known locally as the sleeping elephant.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25He protects the small harbour from the storms of the Bristol Channel,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29but as he can't stop the tide, we're not sticking around.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Soon the harbour will be dry,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39so I'm going to try the old sailor's trick again.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- So they don't have...- Ah!- Oh, Timmy! For goodness' sake!- I enjoyed that(!)
0:12:46 > 0:12:50This is our first chance to test how well Matilda's been fixed.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Why is it every morning on this boat seems like three days?
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Is it working?
0:13:02 > 0:13:05- Tim? Have you got it?- I think so.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07- You think so?- I think so, yeah. - We're holding?
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Oh, hallelujah!
0:13:11 > 0:13:13For the time being.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16The great thing about making mistakes, or anything going wrong,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18is that's the only way I learn.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24The man who fixed our anchor said there was something missing
0:13:24 > 0:13:26from the end of the anchor chain -
0:13:26 > 0:13:29a short bit of rope called the bitter end.
0:13:29 > 0:13:35Say, for instance, you're in a boat, and your anchor gets caught
0:13:35 > 0:13:38and you can't move and the storm's coming, you need to get in.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41if you don't want to lose it, it's held on by a rope,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43but if you DO want to lose it, you cut the bitter end.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Hence, "to the bitter end"!
0:13:46 > 0:13:50When he gave me the rope and the chain, he measured it like this.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Do you know what that is? A man's arm's length?
0:13:57 > 0:14:00A fathom.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02I couldn't fathom what he was doing.
0:14:02 > 0:14:03Ho-ho-ho!
0:14:05 > 0:14:07We're in touching distance of Wales,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11but Penarth, our final destination, is just out of reach.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14So we're heading 30 miles along the coast
0:14:14 > 0:14:17to a port in Somerset called Watchet.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21Watchet. Never tire of saying it, do you? Watchet.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26I've heard that Watchet Harbour is notoriously difficult to get into.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30The tides could pull you onto rocks just outside its entrance.
0:14:30 > 0:14:31Get through that,
0:14:31 > 0:14:37and there's another even smaller gate into the marina.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41It's literally about 20 foot wide, and our boat's 15 foot wide,
0:14:41 > 0:14:42so that's...
0:14:42 > 0:14:44We've got to get in that little hole.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48We might be missing the opportunity if we don't get going,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51but I haven't done my calculations and I'm not going to rush.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56I've got to work out when the tide will turn before I leave.
0:14:56 > 0:15:01If I get it right, we'll be there in six hours, just before sunset.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Tide is a science.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12I hated science at school.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Got about another...
0:15:14 > 0:15:1745 minutes.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20And at the moment,
0:15:20 > 0:15:25this is telling us we're going to arrive at ten o'clock.
0:15:25 > 0:15:26I bloody hope not.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Because we've been in England all this time,
0:15:34 > 0:15:40Wales is almost like a tantalising, um, you know,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43it's almost like we have to reach it, but we...
0:15:43 > 0:15:44we're not doing it.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49We're, um, staying in England for no other reason than practicality.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52Give me a kiss, then.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54No, you give me a kiss.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56No, you give me a kiss.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59I'm concentrating. Kiss my little finger.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09I'm not a natural leader or a natural skipper.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13The sense of responsibility is enormous,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17but like anything that is, um, possibly life-threatening,
0:16:17 > 0:16:24fear tends to turn into adrenaline and concentration.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26My God, look at that. How beautiful is that?
0:16:28 > 0:16:30The sunset on your right.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Trying to get into a harbour that you know's difficult
0:16:35 > 0:16:37and not even getting there yet.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41And then the glory that is Barry Island and Wales behind you.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45- I'm going to make a cock-up, I know. - No, you won't. No, you won't.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52The sun is sinking fast, and if we hit the rocks by the harbour wall,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54we'll be sinking with it.
0:16:59 > 0:17:04This is the first time I've ever entered a sea port in the dark.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Come on, girl. Come on, girl.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Come on, girl.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Well done, Tim!
0:17:15 > 0:17:18You've done it.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Ho ho! Woo!
0:17:21 > 0:17:23SHE APPLAUDS
0:17:23 > 0:17:25God, that's one for the book, Timmy.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31Hang on a minute, love. We ain't out of the fire yet.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33I'm not going to start congratulating myself
0:17:33 > 0:17:35until we're in that harbour.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39'We can't go through the small gate into the marina.'
0:17:39 > 0:17:44Watchet harbour master, this is Princess Matilda. Over.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48- 'The lights are on, but no-one's home.'- They've gone out.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56We're just going to have to keep spinning around.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58I'm trembling.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00I need gin.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06'This is confusing. I can't even see if the gate is open.'
0:18:09 > 0:18:12- It actually could be automated, couldn't it?- I think it is.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17The light's so green, I can't bloody see the hole!
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Why's it gone all red again?
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Is something coming out?
0:18:27 > 0:18:30You can't go in when the lights are... Ah, there we go.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Right. Now, this is going to be the hard part
0:18:38 > 0:18:43because I've got no idea whether this boat's going to fit in that hole.
0:18:44 > 0:18:45- Argh!- BLEEP!
0:18:49 > 0:18:51We're allowed one of those.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54We're allowed one of those every now and again.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01I've done it - we're here!
0:19:01 > 0:19:03We're in Watchet Harbour!
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Talk about Watchet. Watch it!
0:19:10 > 0:19:15This is one of the hardest ports I've ever had to get in my life. It's tiny!
0:19:18 > 0:19:22We're both shattered after yet another full day at sea,
0:19:22 > 0:19:24but we've arrived in one piece,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26or at least I hope we have.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Where's that big torch?
0:19:29 > 0:19:32'The marks of nautical war.'
0:19:32 > 0:19:35There's a little bit of a dent in it, but Matilda's very forgiving.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Watchet Harbour used to be a major port for freight liners,
0:19:55 > 0:20:00exporting locally made paper and importing European wine.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Seems like a fair swap.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09Nowadays, the main trade is pleasure boats.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Watchet has the biggest repair yard in Somerset.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Crane, Timmy!
0:20:16 > 0:20:20This old crane is pivotal to the entire business,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23and the driver is keen to show it to us.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Do you want to have a go? You're welcome to.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Well, I think I know someone who might.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30He's just come out the shower.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36He said you can have a go.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Where is it?
0:20:41 > 0:20:43I wonder if he'd let me play with his crane
0:20:43 > 0:20:46if he knew what I'd done to his harbour wall.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49- He's very agile, my husband. - I am quite agile for a fat girl.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51- Right, in the seat, look.- All right.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56- 40-years-old?- Yeah. Older than you!
0:20:58 > 0:21:01I'm worried he'll put his foot on the wrong pedal.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02It's no problem.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06You've got to look relaxed. Right, foot on that pedal there, look.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11ENGINE REVS
0:21:12 > 0:21:16With a top speed of three miles an hour,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19this is even slower than Matilda.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24And he's not even looking where he's going!
0:21:24 > 0:21:27He don't have to at that speed.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31We may well bring Matilda back here over the winter to get some repairs,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34but it's safe to say I won't be driving the crane.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Jesus Christ!
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Oh, look at that. I love it.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45- Playing by wire.- It is, isn't it?
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Yeah, no, it is, you are, you're like a...octopus-cum-drummer.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53I bet you can pick up the drums in about five minutes.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56As soon as I retire from the acting profession, I'm up here.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58When do I start?
0:21:58 > 0:22:02I like this, because once you're up here, you get a real sense of what it was.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04- Oh, yeah.- This is proper hard here.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08- Is this an ancient port, then, as well?- Oh, aye, yeah. 1,000 years.
0:22:08 > 0:22:101,000 years?!
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Yeah. Used to have her own mint here and jails and stuff like that.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16It's absolutely beautiful, innit?
0:22:16 > 0:22:18This is a stunning coastline.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Samuel Taylor Coleridge came to Watchet in 1797.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27He wrote the Rime of the Ancient Mariner here.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32In the story, the ancient mariner ends up with an albatross around
0:22:32 > 0:22:37his neck, which is exactly how I feel about the Bristol Channel.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42But our final destination is in our sights.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45So that's Penarth there.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48He said head straight out to that.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50But I've actually charted a course to go...
0:22:54 > 0:22:55..around there and up there.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59Look at these rocks here, you get stuck on those, for God's sake!
0:23:00 > 0:23:03If you did come up here on high tide and got stuck up here,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07you'd probably have to wait another three months
0:23:07 > 0:23:08before you got off again!
0:23:32 > 0:23:37In the last nine days, Matilda's done 150 nautical miles.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Sometimes we don't even manage that in a year.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Lately, we've really put her through her paces.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46There's the paint where you hit it.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48That's where I hit.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55This is her final journey of the year to Penarth in Wales.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58We want to make this a celebration.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03I'll try and relax a bit now.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09We're joined by an old friend, Miriam,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12and Shane is giving Matilda a makeover.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Yeah! Matilda's dressed up.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Shane says she wants bunting.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28They're going to have bunting, because I might be the skipper
0:24:28 > 0:24:34and the admiral, but she's the purser and the ship's figurehead.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37She's the ship's magician.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Doesn't she look pretty?
0:24:39 > 0:24:44See, I think Matilda's got a heart, that's what I think.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47The way she got... I mean, Tim was amazing getting into that harbour
0:24:47 > 0:24:50the other night, but this boat was extraordinary.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53She was just really solid, really solid and safe.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56And she likes it.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58So she's got a present.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05'And the thing about boating is that because it's slow,
0:25:05 > 0:25:11'it makes your country feel as big as it actually is.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16'You know, speed, cars, airlines have shrunk the world.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21'We've grown to believe it's small.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24'It's not, it's still big.'
0:25:24 > 0:25:25Hello!
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Is this Wales? Are we in Wales?
0:25:30 > 0:25:33All that stands between us and the end of this adventure
0:25:33 > 0:25:37is the Cardiff Bay Barrage -
0:25:37 > 0:25:40a huge sea wall and a set of locks built ten years ago
0:25:40 > 0:25:43at a cost of £220 million.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Better make sure I don't bump THESE harbour walls.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53- Wait. - BEEPING
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Yes!
0:25:55 > 0:25:57We're here, we've done it. We've done it.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Oh, I feel like Mr and Mrs... I tell you who we are.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06We're Mr and Mrs Vasco de Gama Magellan Francis Drake Columbus,
0:26:06 > 0:26:08that's who we are.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23# Here we are
0:26:23 > 0:26:26# Just about to sail
0:26:26 > 0:26:31# Foggy little fella Drowsy little dame
0:26:31 > 0:26:36# Two sleepy people by dawn's early light
0:26:36 > 0:26:39# And too much in love to say goodnight... #
0:26:39 > 0:26:41One, two, three.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44ENGINE STOPS
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Come on, we've done it. We've arrived in another country.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Our journey's over,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59for this year at least.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04We'll have all winter to explore this old seaside town
0:27:04 > 0:27:06while Matilda hibernates.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19You know, I mean, I absolutely love...
0:27:19 > 0:27:23We've always loved seaside towns in the winter.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27I mean, there's nobody here, and there's a melancholy and a beauty.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32It's so unbelievably, quintessentially Britain, isn't it?
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Come next spring, we'll be off again.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37How far? Who knows?
0:27:39 > 0:27:43Like this pier, our journey's a bit rough round the edges.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48We're just taking it one port at a time.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51That on the right, if I'm right in thinking...
0:27:53 > 0:27:55..is the Gower Peninsula.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59And we've got to go down there, straight down there and turn right.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03I think I'm right, I think that is the Gower Peninsula.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Yeah, that is definitely the Gower Peninsula, I think,
0:28:06 > 0:28:11unless I'm getting it wrong, and that's Devon.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Trouble with the sea, plays tricks on your eyes.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Especially if you don't know what you're talking about.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25# Somewhere at sea
0:28:25 > 0:28:30# A liner is somewhere at sea
0:28:30 > 0:28:32# Bringing to me
0:28:32 > 0:28:36# A traveller who will build
0:28:36 > 0:28:40# My life anew
0:28:40 > 0:28:44# She's out on the sea
0:28:44 > 0:28:48# Somewhere at sea. #