Katie

Famous for its annual Royal Regatta and the Britannia Royal Naval College, a yacht charter from Plymouth wouldn’t be complete without a visit to historical Dartmouth.

Local area and Approaches – DSE recommends…

The approach and entrance to Dartmouth is straight forward as everything is clearly buoyed and the water is deep. Your main concerns are the traffic, in particular, the ferries (lower and higher). They, of course, have priority due to their restricted ability to maneuver. The lower ferries operate just after the first right hand bend: you’ll see the small trots that belong to the yacht club. Be aware that 2 ferries operate here and the one which maybe loading on the Kingswear side is difficult to spot.

There is a single higher ferry which is a chain ferry. It is easy to spot and should be given a wide clearance – always go behind of course.

Of course, as always, we recommend you check the Almanac for details.

Moorings – DSE recommends…

Town moorings are on the left side of the river as you approach – they are short and usually crowded. We would advise using the deep water moorings further up the river on the right and use the excellent water taxi services.

Eating and Drinking – DSE recommends…

The Floating Bridge is a 5 minute walk from the town centre positioned near the higher ferry. It is a traditional pub with a roof terrace overlooking the River Dart. A lovely spot to enjoy a pint and watch the world go by. I fully recommend the beer-battered fish and chips!

Travel further up the river to the Ferry Boat Inn, Dittisham. A great location any time of year but obviously gets busy during the summer months. It is so refreshing to sit outside along the jetty with a pint. I love the way this pub attracts a mixture of locals and holiday-makers.

Directly opposite is The Anchorstone Café with its delicious, locally sourced food which can be enjoyed on it riverside terrace overlooking the Dart. It closes for the season from November, so don’t get caught out (like we did!) if you are sailing during the off-peak season. Another fabulous location.

Things to do – DSE recommends…

Book a tour of the Britannia Royal Naval College. The iconic building standing above the River Dart is a sight to admire and steeped in history. We have only visited on open days, but I am told that the private and public tours are well worth booking up.

Amble around the patchwork of narrow lanes and admire the Medieval and Elizabethan historic, listed buildings. Dartmouth Castle is a short, scenic stroll from the town centre.

Take a ride on the Dartmouth Steam Railway from Kingsbridge to Paignton. I love sitting on the yacht moored on the River Dart watching the steam train travelling alongside the river. The route it takes has got to be the most beautiful one I know of.

Dartmouth Royal Regatta is an annual event held at the end of August. With live music, an air display by the Red Arrows and spectacular fireworks, it is definitely worth a visit. However, the river is hectic at this particular time of year, making it potentially dangerous for inexperienced sailors. If we sail here during the regatta, we just moor up in Dartmouth and stay put for a few days! Sometimes, there is no choice when you are rafted 5 to a can! There is a fabulous atmosphere, so we just stay and enjoy it.

Salcombe is the ‘must-sail-to’ destination when you yacht charter in Devon, and just a 4 to 5 hour sail from our base location at King Point Marina, Plymouth. We want to ensure our guests have a great experience of sailing in the west-country, so we’ve put together some personal recommendations about places to moor, places to visit, and places to eat and drink. What else do you need from a yacht charter holiday?

Local area and Approaches – DSE recommends…

Salcombe, in our experience, has helpful and welcoming harbour staff. It pays to call on the radio before you reach the first set of swing moorings to ask for directions.

With regards to approaching from the west, there isn’t much to concern you. There can be a significant swell just off Bolt Head particularly in a south westerly, but it can be avoided if you stay 2nm off shore. Most people just plough on through – but if you do, expect a bumpy ride.

From the East, the main issue is the Start Point race. If you’re staying in close, depending on wind strength, you’ll nearly always want to go with the strong tide or at slack. If you have a strong westerly then you may want to go at slack or a little tide against otherwise it will be a rough to very rough. Staying a few miles offshore makes life a lot easier… if adding an hour to your journey.

Much has been made of the Salcombe bar – in truth it’s fairly benign. Staying close to the western side clears the bar even at low spring tide. The bar becomes dangerous when you have a strong southerly wind and an ebbing tide. If you’re there in that situation you’ll see breaking lines of waves all through out the entrance.

As always, the best place to check the up to date detail is the Reeds Almanac.

Moorings – DSE recommends…

Depends on the time of year and how much peace and tranquility you want! The main swing moorings are all located off the town, which is a busy in the summer and is an interesting place to be. High season, you’ll raft 3 or so per can, you’ll also have plenty of wash from the various boats and water taxis until late.

The Bag is a quarter of a mile or so away from the town and is generally quieter with floating pontoons. You can’t walk ashore from these pontoons, but there is an efficient water taxi service.

Eating and Drinking – DSE recommends…

The Victoria is a fantastic, traditional pub on the main high street (and a personal favourite!) It offers spaces to sit and enjoy a pint and a packet of crisps as well as cosy areas to enjoy a wonderful meal and superb wines. With its large, sunny beer garden, it’s an ideal place to visit as an adult only group or with families. We have always enjoyed great service from the staff.

The Winking Prawn is a well-established restaurant that overlooks North Sands. With a relaxed atmosphere and casual service, you can enjoy a buffet breakfast or scrumptious baguettes for lunch. The seafood platter is one of our favourites. We would also recommend heading down in the evening on a tender for the barbecue feast with lots of fish, meat and veggie delights.

Dick and Wills offers refined food in its bistro overlooking Salcombe Estuary. With its upmarket feel, this is the one that we save for special occasions. Because we love eating alfresco when we can, it is an ideal place to go to as it still offers the option to dine inside if the weather isn’t as anticipated. We love the locally caught seafood, although there are plenty of meat and vegetarian options, too. Great service.

The Ferry Inn boasts great views from the edge of the estuary, making it an ideal spot for you to admire your yacht (which is likely to be moored close by) with a pint in your hand. We often pop in here for lunchtime cider in the sun – it can get busy on sunny days (peak and off-peak sailing season) because everyone else has seems to have the same idea.

The Forticue is a friendly ‘locals’ pub near the water. It’s the place to go for live music and sports TV. We have always found the food to be good value and plentiful.

Things to do – DSE recommends…

I love to amble along the Fore Street when I am child-free and visit the wide range of independent shops that are scattered amongst some of the more high profile stores. Because of the old, narrow streets, pedestrians have priority, enhancing the shopping experience.

Visit one of the many unspoilt beaches Salcombe has to offer. North Sands and South Sands are easily walkable from the town centre. Alternatively, we like to jump in the tender and cross the estuary to East Portlemouth.

Our friends at the spectacular Salcombe Harbour Hotel can offer you a spa treatment after a challenging day on the water. Booking is essential, so it is worth checking out what they can offer before you arrive in Salcombe.

Now that Spring is upon us and we have more hours of daylight, we wanted to update you with information about Devon Sailing Experiences and the yachts you can charter through us.

Our Yachts

We have a number of new additions that can be chartered through Devon Sailing Experiences. All of the yachts (as at April 2016) are listed here.

Jeanneau 409 (Bewitched): Ideal for families or larger groups, this spacious 41’ yacht offers 3 cabins, 2 heads, heating and entertainment systems. See http://www.devonsailingexperiences.co.uk/luxury-charter-boats/

Jeanneau 36i (Spellbound): A high performance hull, a powerful sail plan, and a deck designed for safety. This yacht offers a generous cockpit with oversized, leather-wrapped steering wheel. Our version has 3 double cabins. See http://www.devonsailingexperiences.co.uk/standard-charter-boats/ for details.

Dehler 34 (Troppo Bella): Moored on the River Dart, this performance cruiser is an excellent option for couples or a small group of friends. For more information, see http://www.devonsailingexperiences.co.uk/dehler-34-yacht-charter/

Stefini rpd66 (Disco Volante): This Italian 65′ fully crewed charter yacht has a huge cockpit for entertaining, a licensed bar and superb sail credentials. Down below there is a fantastic state room and accommodation for 8. Details: http://www.devonsailingexperiences.co.uk/20-metre-italian-charter-yacht/

Welcome to our newest Team Member

We are pleased to announce a new skipper on the DSE team – Gail Wright. Gail has been sailing for 15 years and is a Commercial Yachtmaster (offshore). She qualified in 2012 following a circum-navigation of the UK.  Since then, Gail has spent her time delivering yachts around the UK and Mediterranean. In 2015 she sailed from Barcelona to Mauritius, a journey of 10,000 miles which took 3 months with brief stops in Gibraltar, Las Palmas, Cape Verde and Cape Town. She is looking forward to running some of our skippered charter experience weekends.

Twitter and Facebook Accounts

We would love to see photos and video footage from your experiences with us, so please keep us updated with anything you would be happy for us to share via our blog posts (http://www.devonsailingexperiences.co.uk/category/devon-sailing-info/), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/devonsailingexperiences/) or Twitter account (@devonsailingexp). Follow us to keep up to date with our news and special offers.

Sailing Schedule

Don’t forget that our schedule for day sails and weekend sailing experiences is updated on a regular basis. Details can be found here: http://www.devonsailingexperiences.co.uk/devon-sailing-schedule/

Returning Customer Discount Scheme

Don’t forget – we offer a 5% discount to customers who re-book charters with us.

We hope to hear from you soon for your summer charter. Wishing you an exciting sailing season!

Nick and Katie Rich

At Devon Sailing Experiences, we are keen personal supporters of “Plymouth Gin” (www.plymouthgin.com), a super premium gin from Pernod Ricard UK (the parent company) distilled here in Plymouth at the Black Friars Distillery. So it is a great pleasure to have the opportunity to help promote a competition that they are currently running that gives people the chance  to win a fantastic prize that captures the spirit of the drink.
The lucky winners will enjoy a weekend of sailing on our modern yachts here in Plymouth with ‘victuals’ and transport provided. Following a successful day sailing, the lucky winners will have the opportunity to ‘debrief’ in the company of a few G&Ts on deck.
We will then whisk them off to be wined and dined in the company of one of our yacht masters – no doubt some tall tales of high seas and great deeds will be provided by the skipper.
Details can be found on promotional bottles or you can enter here:   www.winwithplymouth.co.uk
We pride ourselves on supplying high quality yachting experiences to corporates and individuals alike.  If you have a corporate sailing or individual requirement, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Please Enjoy Plymouth Gin Responsibly.

Sailing in Devon draws to a close for the end of the season as our Jeanneau 36i, Spellbound, is lifted out of the water. Giving her time to dry out and receive routine maintenance ensures that she is in tip-top condition for yacht charters in Devon from March 2016.

To ensure our guests receive the best, high quality experience whilst sailing in Devon, we ensure that all of our yachts receive thorough inspections, maintenance and cleaning. The yachts normally get lifted out of the water around the end of October (as this helps us make the most of any good weather the early Autumn months can offer us to allow our guests to sail as late into the year as safely possible). We often get requests to charter yachts from Plymouth in November, but unfortunately, as boat lifts need to be booked well in advance, we are unable to provide this service at the moment. However, if sailing in the later months become more popular, perhaps Devon Sailing Experiences need to rethink this issue…watch this space.

Next year, Spellbound will be sailing in Devon and Cornwall waters from King Point Marina, Plymouth. Yacht charters from Plymouth were the most popular option that we offered our customers last year, which is why we have chosen to relocate our yachts for the 2016 sailing season.

Our Plymouth-based yachts will be back in the water late February 2016, all serviced, fresh and ready for the next season. It is around February that we will start scheduling day sails around the pre-booked charters. Keep checking our sailing schedule page on our website and Facebook page for the latest information.