Winter at the matthew
Since this year's sailing season came to an end in October, we've been pretty quiet on the news front. However, the Captain and our volunteer crew have been kept very busy with The Matthew's annual maintenance programme, and the office staff have been busy behind the scenes, keeping everything ticking over and planning our sailing schedule for next year.
Winter maintenance
You may have seen The Matthew on the patent slipway at Underfall Yard last month. We head down to Underfall Yard every year to carry out maintenance that can only be completed when the ship is out of the water. This year, we were lucky that our visit coincided with the Underfall Yard Christmas Market, giving the Yard a great backdrop for their market and our volunteers a great opportunity for some fundraising!
All funds raised at the market will contribute towards The Matthew's maintenance programme and Underfall Yard's Fire Recovery Fund.
Fundraising at the market was a huge success – as well as receiving donations and selling Matthew merchandise and books, our volunteers ran a tombola with two top prizes of an Avon Gorge Cruise for two and a Fish & Chips Trip for two – we had four very happy winners who we look forward to welcoming aboard for their trips next year!
The crew have now completed the out-of-water side of our maintenance programme; The Matthew is looking amazing and is now back at our Princes Wharf mooring where our hardy volunteers will be continuing to work on the ship throughout the winter months. Spare a thought for them out in all weathers, painting, varnishing and caulking!
Opening hours
The Matthew is open to visitors throughout the winter on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 3pm at our Princes Wharf mooring.
Over the Christmas break, the ship will be open on Sat 21st, Sat 28th and Sun 29th Dec from 11am to 3pm. Please note that the ship will be closed on Sunday 22nd December.
Free entry – you don’t need a ticket to come aboard, so pre-booking is not required. If you're looking for something to do over the holidays and fancy a bit of fresh air, come on down to the harbour for a visit! Our volunteers would love to see you.
Coming up in 2025...
Our 2025 sailing season will get underway in the spring – we’ll be publishing our first batch of trip dates early next year, so keep an eye out for your Matthew newsletters – sign up for yours here! – and announcements on our website and socials around February/March.
If you've made a provisional private hire booking for 2025, don't worry – we've not forgotten about you! The Matthew office will be in touch early next year to complete your booking.
In the meantime, if you’re looking for a unique present for the person who has everything, why not give them the gift of a trip to remember? Gift vouchers are on sale now and are available for immediate email and downloading.
Perfect for that last-minute present!
So, that's it for 2024 – we'll be back next year with all your Matthew news.
From all of us here at The Matthew, we would like to thank you for your continued support and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
We look forward to welcoming you aboard in 2025!
The Matthew Team
