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Devon Sailing Experiences – Newsletter

In our final newsletter of 2020 we launch our new logo and gift vouchers (just in time for Christmas). Read on to enter our competition and to find out more about our website update as well as the progress of our yacht upgrades for 2021.

Sailing Gift Vouchers

Devon Sailing Experiences have a new, updated logo which can now be seen on our gift vouchers. Gift vouchers for sailing experiences make ideal presents for friends, family and loved ones – read the reason why in our blog post The perfect gift for the imperfect year and see if you agree. If you would like to receive your gift voucher in time for Christmas, please order by midnight on Sunday 20th December.

Gift vouchers for Day Sails and Weekend Sails can be purchased direct from our website. They are valid for 12 months so the recipient needs to book within 12 months of the purchase date. Our sailing season is from April – October. Dates for 2021 will be added to our website in January. If you can’t see a suitable date, do get in touch and we will do our best to help you. 

Christmas 2020 Competition

On Monday 14th December, we will be posting a photo on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Your challenge is to identify the location by commenting on the post. If you are correct, we will place your name in a hat and draw the names of 3 lucky winners at midday New Year’s Day 2021. Winners will be announced and notified on our social media pages on New Year’s Day. Your prize? One of our new, Devon Sailing Experiences limited edition mugs. Look out for that post.

Website

Our website is currently being updated with our new logo, text and photos. This will be launched in January 2021 (along with the updated sailing schedule). The current Devon Sailing Experiences website is still running so you can purchase your gift vouchers and book sailing experiences as usual as we continue with our upgrades. If in doubt, just call us on 01752 424514.

Looking forward to 2021

With our yacht upgrades underway (see below for details) we are looking forward to welcoming you aboard Bewitched for the sailing experiences listed below:

Day Sail
Weekend Sail
Exclusive Skippered Charters

RYA courses aboard Bewitched are listed below are scheduled on demand:

RYA Competent Crew
RYA Day Skipper (Practical)
RYA Day Skipper (Combined)

Our new RYA Powerboat Level 2 will take place onboard our Quicksilver 555. It is scheduled on demand and can be booked for exclusive training or group training (maximum of 3 students). 

Bareboat charters continue to be available aboard Barbarossa and Bewitched (subject to availability). Please email info@devonsailingexperiences.co.uk or call 01752 424514 to request a date.

Yacht Upgrades

Bewitched is currently out of the water for her annual yacht maintenance. Already, she has received a makeover in the saloon area with new, modern seat covers. Other upgrades due include new high performance sails, a graphite grey stack pack and spray hood, grey hull stripes and stylish-looking composite helming wheels. We will add photos to document her progress on our social media pages (see links below).

Covid-19 Update

We reviewed and updated our Covid-19 guidance for guests on 1st December 2020 – you can view it by following the link to our website. In the meantime, here are answers to our most frequently asked questions:

My booking was postponed due to Covid-19. What should I do?
Guests who had to postpone their sailing experience in 2020 have been offered 12 months to rebook. Please get in touch to discuss an alternative date and we will do our very best to help you.

What if I book and a lock-down means I can’t attend?
We will always try our very best to work with you to reschedule. We will continue to watch the news and following the latest guidelines, however, please give us as much notice as possible – this is vital for our small, family-run business.

Terms and Conditions

By booking with Devon Sailing Experiences, you are accepting our Terms and Conditions. Please ensure you have read these before booking. We politely draw your attention to the paragraph regarding cancellation and rescheduling. If you are unsure about any aspect, please feel free to ask.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Keep up to date with last-minute availability and stories from our skippers and guests by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to tag us in any of your own posts; we love to hear about your sailing adventures so if you have any photos you would like to share (or stories to tell) do get in touch.

We would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and look forward to welcoming you to Devon soon.

Nick, Katie and the Devon Sailing Experiences team

Christmas 2020 – much like all of 2020 – is going to be very different for most of us this year. With this in mind, we would like to remind you why our gift vouchers will make a perfect Christmas gift for the end of an imperfect year. 

Something to look forward to in the new year

We could all do with something to look forward to in 2021 after such a difficult year. With a sailing gift voucher, not only do you get the excitement of opening your Christmas gift on the day, but the added bonus of choosing a future date to join us on the water in the Spring/Summer of 2021. Dates will be added to our sailing schedule in January, but if you can’t see one that is suitable, just get in touch and we will do our best to help you.

Flexibility

Gift vouchers are available for a range of experiences including Day Sails, Weekend Sails and Exclusive Charters. They are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase (so you will need to get in touch to book your date within the timeframe before they become out of date). Our sailing schedule offers a huge choice of dates between April and October, and the schedule is continuously updated throughout the year. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to ensure you receive up-to-date notifications. If you can’t see a suitable date on our website, get in touch and we will do our very best to help you.

Relax and be active at the same time

Research has shown that both nature and exercise are good for our physical and mental health. (You can read NHS, BBC, RYA and Mind reports by following the links). Onboard a yacht, you may feel yourself relaxing as you breathe deeper with fresh air filling your lungs. Later that evening, you may feel tired from the sea air or a slight ache in your body where your core muscles have been working out without you even realising. (Personally, I find the lack of phone signal and internet access whilst out on the water the biggest benefit! KR)

Try something new or rediscover the love of a forgotten hobby

Whether the recipient of your gift voucher is new to sailing or they are experienced but haven’t sailed for a long time, we have something to suit everyone. Our highly experienced, commercially endorsed skippers will ensure everyone has as many (or as few!) hands-on opportunities as they choose.

Spend time, not money

“Time spent is priceless”. It’s not my quote, but I read it somewhere. Sharing a day or weekend out with a loved one aboard one of our yachts will create some wonderful memories. 

Now, we are not suggesting that you should do the same as the couple in this blog post, but you can read about the wonderful memories made with a marriage proposal aboard our yacht.

A high-quality and reputable company

Don’t just take our word for it – take a look at our Tripadvisor reviews.

Covid-19 Secure

After the March – July 2020 lockdown, we were able to safely start up our day sails and exclusive charters immediately. We’d had plenty of time to put Covid-19 policies and risk assessments into place. The good thing we found was that because of our high-standards of care and cleanliness aboard our yachts, and the fact that we limit our numbers for the comfort of our guests, we didn’t actually need to implement many changes to our procedures. We will continue to send out copies of our Covid-19 risk assessments to our guests and provide copies to potential future guests upon request. Our Coivid-19 updates are transparent on our website.

Easy to buy, new style sailing vouchers

Purchase our new, re-styled vouchers online by following the links below. If you would like to discuss options, just call Devon Sailing Experiences on 01752 424 514.

Day Sail Gift Vouchers
Weekend Sail Gift Vouchers

Well, what can we say about our 2020 sailing season? It certainly didn’t go as planned but I’m sure that was the case for almost everybody.

In our Autumn newsletter we take a quick look back at the sailing experiences we were able to run in 2020 and a look forward at what we anticipate being able to offer in 2021 (including a new RYA course and upgrades to our Jeanneau 409).

Thank you

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to you – our guests past and present – for your support during Covid-19.  Everyone was so understanding when sailing experiences, courses and bareboat charters had to be postponed due to the national lock-down. Your patience, flexibility and understanding was very much appreciated by our small, seasonal business.

And a huge thank you to our wonderful skippers who worked with us to ensure that the majority of our guests were able to get out on the water at some point this year.  They made themselves available for last-minute bookings, last-minute schedule changes and were understanding when we had last-minute cancellations due to regional lock-downs or shielding guests.

Finally, an additional thank you to all our NHS staff, carers and key workers from the Devon Sailing Experiences team.

2020 – a look back

As you are no doubt aware, the national lockdown started at the end of March – just as our sailing season was about to begin. By July, we were able to safely operate a small number of sailing experiences.  We worked hard to ensure that effective risk assessments were in place so we could welcome you back on the water as soon as possible.

Day Sails grew in popularity.  We had always limited the number of guests onboard our Day Sails to 5 (plus skipper) for comfort and to ensure everyone gets a full, hands-on experience. Because of this, we were able to continue to run this experience from July as normal (with a few extra precautions in place to ensure our guests and skippers were covid-safe).

Sadly, due to the nature of our Weekend Sails and RYA Courses we were only permitted to run them if 4 guests were booked onboard from the same household/family/support bubble. This resulted in many cancellations and postponements.

Exclusive Skippered Charters and Bareboat Charters were popular with families and those who were expecting to go sailing abroad this year (and found that due to Covid-19 related restrictions they were unable to go). 

2021 – a look forward

We are planning to continue to run our Day Sails from April 2021 and will be adding plenty of dates to our sailing schedule in November.

Exclusive Day Sails can be scheduled on demand subject to yacht and skipper availability.  

Exclusive Skippered Charters of more than 1 day can also be scheduled on demand. However, please bear in mind that you may need to postpone should Government restrictions regarding staying overnight with multiple households are put in place.

With this in mind, we will be limiting the dates we offer for our standard Weekend Sails in 2021 unless all 4 guests are from the same household/family/support bubble. 

RYA Courses will be offered in 2021, but if Government restrictions regarding staying overnight with multiple households are put in place, we may need to alter the course slightly. Normally, our courses would take students to a variety of fantastic overnight destinations such as Salcombe, Fowey, Dartmouth, Brixham or Falmouth. However, restrictions may require you to return to King Point Marina each evening so your instructor can leave the yacht overnight. This will not affect the course content (and you will still be able to achieve your night-sailing hours).

Bareboat Charters are starting to get booked for 2021. We anticipate being able to run them as usual (or at least for guests who are from the same household/family/support bubble). A 20% deposit will secure a date.

My booking was postponed due to Covid-19. What should I do?

Guests who had to postpone their sailing experience or course in 2020 have been offered 12 months to rebook. Please get in touch to discuss an alternative date and we will do our very best to help you. Also, keep an eye on our sailing schedule which will be updated in November.

What if I book and a lock-down means I can’t attend?

We will always try our very best to work with you to reschedule. Although we will continue to watch the news and follow the latest guidelines, please give us as much notice as possible – this is vital for our small, family-run business.

A new look for Bewitched

Our Jeanneau 409, Bewitched, is currently undergoing upgrades to keep her to the high standard you would expect. Upgrades include new high performance laminate sails, a graphite grey stack pack and spray hood, a matching graphite grey interior, composite helming wheels and grey hull stripes. The upgrades will result in a fresh, modern look for our flagship yacht as well as an enhanced sailing experience.

2021 Sailing Schedule for Experiences and Courses

Dates for 2021 will be added to our sailing schedule from November 2021. Many experiences and courses can be booked on demand (depending on yacht and skipper availability). If you can’t see what you are looking for, please get in touch and we will do our very best to help you.

Power Boat (Level 2) will be added to our list of courses in 2021. Details to follow at a later date.

Terms and Conditions

By booking with Devon Sailing Experiences, you are accepting our Terms and Conditions. Please ensure you have read these before booking. We politely draw your attention to the paragraph regarding cancellation and rescheduling. If you are unsure about any aspect, please feel free to ask.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Keep up to date with last-minute availability and stories from our skippers and guests by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to tag us in any of your own posts; we love to hear about your sailing adventures so if you have any photos you would like to share (or stories to tell) do get in touch.

We look forward to welcoming you to Devon soon.

Nick, Katie and the Devon Sailing Experiences team

The friendly face of Devon Sailing Experiences’ skipper and RYA instructor, Mick Chantler, will be gracing the walls of The Box in Plymouth where he will become part of a new exhibition honouring the maritime heritage of Plymouth.

Alice Cooper, Gallery Coordinator of The Box in Plymouth, contacted Devon Sailing Experiences asking for men and women with sea-faring backgrounds who would like to be part of the new display celebrating leisure craft and its importance to the city of Plymouth. 

On the day of the photoshoot, Alice was joined by the professional photographer, Dom Moore. 

Mick met Alice and Dom at Devil’s Point, close to the beautiful Royal William Yard and not far from Devon Sailing Experiences’ base location at King Point Marina. This stunning photo was taken by Dom at the tidal pool with Drakes Island and an Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel at anchor in the background.

Social distancing and common sense prevailed throughout the photoshoot which took place at one of the quiet locations and beautiful outdoor environments which Plymouth has to offer in this coolest little city by the sea (GQ Magazine, 2016).

When asked about his brief modelling experience, Mick said, “I can’t see any modelling contracts on the horizon, unless Saga start selling sailing attire!” We disagree, Mick.

The display will be open to the public as soon as current restrictions relating to Covid-19 are lifted and it is safe to visit Devon. We will keep you posted on the progress.

March 2020 Newsletter
With the 2020 sailing season about to start for Devon Sailing Experiences, we are excited to update you with our plans for the year. In addition to our current availability, read about how we have made a pledge to reduce single-use plastic in 2020 and how we are now an ICC assessment centre. 

Day and Weekend Sailing Experiences
Our day and weekend sailing experiences continue to top the popularity chart with a number of dates becoming fully booked already. Throughout the season, we are frequently adding additional dates to our sailing schedule to meet demand, so do remember to check back regularly.

If you were lucky enough to receive a voucher as a gift, don’t forget to book your date as soon as possible. Vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase; you must book a date before your voucher expires. Due to weather and sailing conditions, our normal sailing season is April – September (only extended each side if the weather permits). As always, if you cannot see a suitable date, do get in touch and we will do our very best to help you.

Bareboat Charters for 2020
Our Bavaria 38 is relocating to Queen Anne’s Battery from April 2020. With 3 double cabins and a spacious saloon area, she makes an excellent yacht for families and groups of friends looking to explore the southwest coast for a week or long weekend.

Limited availability remains for May, June and August, therefore we recommend getting in touch sooner rather than later to secure your chosen charter dates. A 20% deposit is required to secure a date for you, with the remaining payment due 4 weeks before you sail.
Don’t forget – we offer a 10% discount on bareboat charters for all returning customers.

If you would like to request a date, please get in touch.

International Certificate of Competence (ICC)
Devon Sailing Experiences is now a recognised RYA assessment centre for the International Certificate of Competence (ICC). 

If you are planning a sailing holiday charter abroad*, you will need an ICC. 

Before booking your ICC assessment  you will need to ensure your sailing and navigation knowledge is up to speed (to the level of Day Skipper practical and theory). We recommend looking at the RYA Day Skipper Handbook or attending our RYA Day Skipper (Practical) course. Further information can be found on our ICC assessment page.

* Please check specific requirements for the country you are visiting with your charter company.

RYA Courses
We currently have 2 double cabins available on our RYA Competent Crew and RYA Day Skipper (Practical) course from Monday 13th April – Friday 17th April 2020. You are welcome to join us aboard our Jeanneau 409 at King Point Marina the evening before you set sail. You will have your own double cabin (unless you choose to share) with no single traveller supplements.

For RYA Day Skipper, do check the pre-course requirements before booking your place. If you do not currently hold the prerequisites, you are welcome to join this course to log miles and gain experience before undertaking a course at a later date. 

There are no pre-course requirements for RYA Competent Crew. This particular course is not suitable for under 18s. 
If you would like any further information, do get in touch.

Plastic Free Plymouth
We are pleased to announce that we have signed a pledge with Plastic Free Plymouth – Surfers Against Sewage to help us to reduce our use of single-use plastics (SUPs) from March 2020. You can read more about it and what it means for Devon Sailing Experiences in our blog post Our Pledge to Plastic Free Plymouth.

Environment Plymouth explains that “It’s not about removing all plastic from our lives. It’s about kicking our addiction to avoidable single-use plastic.” 

You will notice some small changes when you join us for day and weekend experiences to enable us to initially target 3 areas. We look forward to welcoming your feedback and discussing any ideas that you could share to help us improve.

Terms and Conditions of Booking
By booking with Devon Sailing Experiences, you are accepting our Terms and Conditions. Please ensure you have read these before booking. We politely draw your attention to the paragraph regarding cancellation and rescheduling. If you are unsure about any aspect, please feel free to ask – we will always do our very best to help you.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Keep up to date with last-minute availability and stories from our skippers and guests by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  Don’t forget to tag us in any of your own posts; we love to hear about your sailing adventures so if you have any photos you would like to share (or stories to tell) do get in touch.

We look forward to welcoming you to Devon soon.

Welcome to our January 2020 Newsletter

Devon Sailing Experiences would like to wish you all a Happy New Year! 

In our first newsletter of the decade, you will find information about local events in the southwest to help you coordinate and plan your bareboat or skippered charter, creating a sailing holiday or short break to remember. 

Dates for your Diary

Want to tie-in your 2020 bareboat or skippered charter with a local event? We’ve listed some of the important ones (with links to the events) below:

Plymouth Flavour Fest Friday 29th May – Sunday 31st May
Plymouth Armed Forces Day Friday 8th May
Plymouth Regatta Friday 10th July – Sunday 12th July
Salcombe Town Regatta Saturday 1st Aug – Saturday 8th Aug
Falmouth Sailing Regatta Friday 7th Aug – Sunday 16th Aug
British Firework Championships Wednesday 12th Aug – Thursday 13th Aug
Fowey Regatta and Carnival Saturday 16th Aug – Saturday 22nd Aug
Torbay Regatta Friday 21st Aug – Monday 24th Aug
Dartmouth Royal Regatta Thursday 27th Aug – Saturday 29th Aug
Plymouth Seafood Festival Saturday 12th Sept – Sunday 13th Sept

Bareboat Charters for 2020

Our Bavaria 38 is available for bareboat charter from Mayflower Marina from April 2020. With 3 double cabins and a spacious saloon area, she makes an excellent yacht for families and groups of friends looking to explore the southwest coast for a week or long weekend.

There is limited availability remaining for bareboat charter of our Jeanneau 409 in 2020 due to her being booked for skippered charters. However, if you had a date in mind, do email us with your requirements and a brief overview of your charter experience and qualifications, and we will do our very best to accommodate you. She is currently berthed at King Point Marina.

Don’t forget – we offer a 10% discount on bareboat charters for all returning customers. A 20% deposit is required to secure a date for you, with the remaining payment being due 4 weeks before you sail. If you would like to request a date, do get in touch.

Skippered Charters

Our day sails and weekend sailing experiences continue to prove popular. Dates are listed on our sailing schedule and are continuously updated. Additional dates are added upon request (subject to yacht and skipper availability), so if you cannot see a suitable date, do get in touch and we will do our very best to help you.

Exclusive Day Sails are suitable for families with children, and offer a hands-on day out on the water, with the option to drop the anchor for lunch and travel at your own pace. To book a date and discuss your requirements, please get in touch.

Group sailing experiences are scheduled on-demand (subject to yacht and skipper availability). This type of experience is suitable for people with a little more sailing experience. Single travellers, friends, couples or groups are very welcome to join one of our highly qualified and commercially endorsed skippers aboard our 42’ yacht. If you would like any further information about this type of sailing experience, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

We continue to offer RYA Competent Crew and RYA Day Skipper (Practical) courses on demand (subject to yacht and instructor availability). 

All our skippered charters and RYA courses take place aboard our Jeanneau 409, Bewitched. 

Terms and Conditions

By booking with Devon Sailing Experiences, you are accepting our Terms and Conditions. Please ensure you have read these before booking. We politely draw your attention to the paragraph regarding cancellation and rescheduling. If you are unsure about any aspect, please feel free to ask.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Keep up to date with last-minute availability and stories from our skippers and guests by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to tag us in any of your own posts; we love to hear about your sailing adventures so if you have any photos you would like to share (or stories to tell) do get in touch.

We look forward to welcoming you to Devon soon.

Nick, Katie and the Devon Sailing Experiences team

Due to the unpredictable weather in September, a real change from the favourable conditions last year, our sailing season drew to an earlier end with our boats being lifted out of the water for annual yacht maintenance at the end of October.

Queen Anne’s Battery is hosting our boats for this year’s annual yacht maintenance. The overhauls will include rig checks, sail repairs, replacing anodes, engine servicing, gas checks, antifouling and polishing, as well as our usual interior deep cleaning and lifejacket and liferaft servicing. Brand new Almanacs for the new season will also be placed onboard.

Our yachts will be in tip-top condition and available to you for skippered and bareboat charters from April 2020. We are starting to receive enquiries already, so do get in touch to secure your preferred date with a 20% deposit.