June 2015

Salcombe is a great destination for boats  (Salcombe Yacht Charter can be busy so try and book early), whether sail or motor. It is well sheltered from every direction except a strong southerly wind, and even then you can shelter in the “bag” and still get access to the town.

During the summer months, the town is positively buzzing with people of all ages. My husband and I used to regularly visit it as a couple before our little one came along: I love the fact that it offers an “exclusive” style feel with a fabulous range of independent and high street shops. We both love the wide selection of pubs and restaurants. We have stayed on one of Devon Sailing Experiences yachts in Salcombe with our 5 year old, too: there is a choice of pristine beaches to take him to that can be safely accessed with him in the tender, as well as a number of pubs with child-friendly beer gardens.

We first bare-boat chartered a yacht from Devon Sailing Experiences when we were on holiday in the South Hams. I would suggest to anyone, if you’re staying in the South Hams area then why not charter a yacht from or to Salcombe? Weekend packages and skippered day sails on board their 41′ yacht are available, or perhaps bare boat charter on one of their 36’s.

Yacht Charter in Salcombe offers access to bays and anchorages, including a steady day sail to Burgh Island where you can stop off at the ancient Pilchard Inn.

For more information about chartering a yacht in Salcombe or the surrounding area then please drop them an email or phone.  Contact details are at the bottom of the page.

Stag weekends on the water can be enormous fun. We’ve been successfully organising sailing events and stag weekend sailing for a number of years, and during this time we have come up with a number of tips to help you decide whether it’s for you and how to get the best out of it. Here are our main hints and tips on how to make the most of your stag weekend on the water.

It might sound obvious, but…

• If you want to balance a good time on shore with some sailing activity, it’s best not to over do the alcohol as it will spoil your enjoyment if you are feeling unwell for the entire event. If you are looking for just pub to pub drinking, then a land based stag weekend (rather than a sailing stag weekend) is definitely for you.
• Usually there are non-sailors or people that have never been on the water at all in your group. If it looks like the day might be a bit sporty weatherise, it might be an idea to split the group into people that have done it before and those that haven’t; it means that the skipper on the novices boat will take more time getting the chaps used to the sea and will adapt the experience.
• Save the pranks until you’re onshore.
• Respect the boats – they’re expensive.

Food and drink

• We provide water and lunch, you don’t need to provision the yachts with much food.
• Avoid food that will make a mess such a pastries or greasy food.
• The yachts have fridges, so you are welcome to bring beer and wine for the evening, however in our experience, you’ll be out and about in one of the harbours so you don’t need loads. The yachts may not be moored together.
• To prevent carrying lots of stuff on your trip to us in Plymouth, you can have the food and drink delivered direct to the boats using one of the many home delivery services.

What to bring

Depends on the time of year of course but the basics are as follows

• Non marking footwear for on the boats.
• Sleeping bag, pillow and towel.
• Sun screen and a hat.
• Water proof jacket.
• Long sleeve top as well as short sleeve.
• A full change of clothes.

Can you combine a relaxing break with a sailing holiday?

Yes, you can.

As much as I love being on the water, personally, after 6 hours of hoisting sails and grinding winches, I am ready for a relaxing shower, putting on a pair of heels and heading off into town for a drink and some good quality food. Thinking that I can’t be the only woman in the world to think this way, Devon Sailing decided to team up with Salcombe Harbour Hotel to offer luxury sailing alongside a luxury spa break.

Obviously, we had to test the package idea, so this is what we did.

We took one of the charter yachts from Plymouth and spent an action packed day on the water. One of the advantages of yacht charter from Plymouth is that King Point marina is easily accessible from the mainline railway station meaning we could leave the car at home. Plymouth also has the advantage of being within easy reach of such beautiful destinations. In this case, Salcombe was our final destination.

After mooring up alongside the beautiful and historic town centre, we took a short stroll to the luxurious Salcombe Harbour Hotel which boasts stunning views over the estuary. Obviously, I had to indulge in a spa treatment: a back, neck and shoulder massage (I didn’t have time for a facial), then we prepared for a stylish evening out. As fabulous as it normally is to stay on our brand new charter yacht overnight, the advantage of staying at the Salcombe Harbour Hotel meant I could use my hair straighters. Don’t laugh – this is a very important issue to me, personally.

After a cheeky gin and tonic in the Terrace Bar with river views, we made our way to the hotel’s stylish, new restaurant, The Jetty, for locally sourced, seasonal food. After rewarding ourselves with a high quality dinner following our adventure sail from Plymouth, we returned to our luxury room, simply slid open the wide glass doors, breathed in the fresh sea air and enjoyed the unrivalled views. I know it was early – but we had been out on the water all day, and it was supposed to be a relaxing break, after all!

When trying to choose a yacht charter in Devon, you can’t go far wrong with chartering a yacht from Plymouth which is an excellent area for charter. Not only do you have a number of locations within the protection of Plymouth Sound such as Cawsands, Kingsands and the Yealm, but many anchorages as well.

From Plymouth, you can sail East or West. Just a day sail away to the East is Salcombe and to the West is Fowey, meaning you can choose a destination that suits the weather. You are also in striking distance to Cornwall if you choose to venture that way.

Devon Sailing Experiences has yachts based in Plymouth for charter, both skippered and bare boat. So when deciding to charter a yacht from Plymouth, Devon Sailing Experiences can help you get on the the water at a sensible cost.

Yacht charter Plymouth also has the advantage of being close to the mainline station – just 5 minutes away from our moorings at King Point marina.

If you choose to charter a yacht from Plymouth, then our facilities at King Point marina are second to none. Being a new marina, it offers large walk in shower and toilet cubicles that are to such a high specification, they put any other marina to shame. There is plenty of space for you to manoeuvre the yacht, and friendly marina staff are always on hand if you need help.

For more information contact info@devonsailingexperiences.co.uk