Whale spotted in Carrick Roads by ex-army captain

Dave Williams was out sailing on Friday with new crew member Heather Anderson, who had never sailed before, when they saw the leviathan near St Mawes Castle.

He said: "It was totally unexpected. It was beautiful weather, we were just doing some basic skills and there was a lot of dolphin activity that day.

"Then we saw something much bigger in the water, did a double take at each other and said: 'is that a whale?'"

Dolphins were also spotted in Penryn River. Credit: Bisty Dann at Muddy Beach Cafe

Heather managed to capture video footage of the whale as it breached the surface and flapped its tail, which had been viewed around 40,000 times when the Packet went to print.

Commenters on social media were divided about whether it was a humpback or minke that had made its way into Carrick Roads.

Dave and Heather picking up some sailing skills in the sun

Dave started training with Turn to Starboard after being medically discharged from the army in September.

He said that, unsure about what direction to take in life after leaving the forces, he came across the Falmouth charity that teaches sailing skills to veterans.

Dave has "really enjoyed" his time with Turn to Starboard, who have so far helped him achieve a Day Skipper qualification.

He hopes to carry on his training all the way up to Yacht Master level and ultimately make a career out of sailing.