On my recent trip to Cornwall I visited Charleston Harbour, home of Square Sail, a company specialising in providing ships and settings for marine filming. The company’s credits amount to dozens of films and TV series including Alice in Wonderland, Hornblower, 1492 Conquest of Paradise, Clash/Wrath of the Titans, Longitude and Shackleton. If you have seen any of those films/series you have seen ships provided by Square Sail, some times the boats having undergone remarkable transformations to be historically accurate. Last year the harbour and boats even featured on Dr Who.
Sadly the harbour’s future and the sailing boats moored there are in doubt as the company is for sale (see story). It is a fascinating place and if I should win the lottery this weekend I will be putting in an offer.
Sitting in front of my keyboard I am struggling to see how I can use the setting in a Charlotte Savage thriller. I might have to begin an historical novel just to get it in!
