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The Captain's guide to what the Beagle Editor calls "ship hooters"

The Captain's guide to what the Beagle Editor calls "ship hooters"

If you were around the Sound on Tuesday afternoon, you will have heard five short blasts from the Pont Aven. So what does this sound signal indicate? Well, first a few definitions. A ‘short’ blast is about one second, whereas a ‘prolonged’ blast is 4-6 seconds long. You may

HMS Queen Elizabeth visits Plymouth. HMS Bulwark departs for Brazil. "Slave trader" signs might return; And meeting Oshen - another of Plymouth's ocean innovators.

HMS Queen Elizabeth visits Plymouth. HMS Bulwark departs for Brazil. "Slave trader" signs might return; And meeting Oshen - another of Plymouth's ocean innovators.

It's The Beagle: Saturday September 12, 2026 Scene on the Sound, by The Captain A noticeably busy week on and around the Sound. Last Sunday, we had HMS Queen Elizabeth outside the breakwater – so about two miles away in the photo. She had left Portsmouth the day before

They managed to make the old Register Office site even worse!

They managed to make the old Register Office site even worse!

Plus: a submarine hunter off Plymouth's Coast; one week at sea for OldManSailing; a Fiesta full of seawater; The Captain's Scene on the Sound, and more. So what has happened to the former Register Office land in Citadel Road? Ringing the site with tatty fencing seems

In the shadow of Chichester - sailor sets off from The Sound, for circumnavigation attempt, on 60th anniversary of history

In the shadow of Chichester - sailor sets off from The Sound, for circumnavigation attempt, on 60th anniversary of history

Yesterday saw the 60th anniversary of the day yachtsman Francis Chichester left Plymouth to make history. On 27 August 1966 Chichester sailed his ketch Gipsy Moth IV from Plymouth - and returned there after 226 days of sailing, having circumnavigated the globe, with one stop (in Sydney). By doing so, he

Scene on the Sound: w/e Aug 28 2026

Scene on the Sound: w/e Aug 28 2026

By The Captain (Royal Navy retired) - the Beagle's maritime correspondent keeps his eye on the comings and goings in The Sound The change in the weather brought the Trinity House Vessel Patricia into anchor off Cawsand for a couple of days. Probably the sea was too rough for

Moulin Rouge: Red hot, ridiculously good and covered in glitter

Moulin Rouge: Red hot, ridiculously good and covered in glitter

Beagle Review Twenty-five years after Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! dazzled the cinema, its stage offspring has arrived in Plymouth — and, whisper it, this might actually be better than the real thing. This is Moulin Rouge! with the volume turned up, the glitter dial set to overdrive, and the

What should happen to Drake's Island? The Fastnet 500. Viva Aviva. And a new literary festival

What should happen to Drake's Island? The Fastnet 500. Viva Aviva. And a new literary festival

It's The Beagle: August 22 2026 The Fastnet 500 and the Aviva Scene on the Sound Beagle maritime correspondent The Captain keeps his eyes on the horizon The Fastnet 500 is now set to be a biennial race – slotting into the ocean sailing programme in the years between