Dartmouth - Water Activities
Dartmouth was always of strategic importance as a deep-water port for sailing vessels. The port was used
as the sailing point for the crusades of 1147 and 1190; it has been a home of the English navy since the reign of Edward III.
Today, the highlight of the boating year is
Dartmouth Royal Regatta, each August bank holiday week, with racing for all
kinds of craft, tours of navy ships, air displays and fireworks.
Sailing and boating
Today, Dartmouth is still all about boats and boasts not one, but two yacht clubs: the
Royal Dart Yacht Club and the
Dartmouth Yacht Club. You can learn to sail or power boat with
Dart Harbour Sea School. Apart from the slipway at
Warfleet creek itself, there is a larger slipway near the upper ferry in Dartmouth.
The River Dart is popular with canoeists, with many canoe-based wildlife tours available eg
CanoeAdventures. Dartmouth Yacht Club also has a
canoe section. With a sheltered launch point and a garage
for storage, the apartment is an ideal base from which to explore both the river and the coast. Don't forget to
check the tides.
Touring
If you prefer to let someone else do the driving,
River Link offer everything from a trip across to Kingswear, to cruises up the River Dart to
Totnes or out along the coast. You can hire the
Picnic Boat for a trip up the river or hire your own motor boat at
Dartmouth Boat Hire.
TOP TIP: sail or take a boat up river to Dittisham - have a beer on the foreshore at the Ferryboat Inn, or a meal at the
Anchorstone Café then walk it off at Greenway House.
Diving and Fishing
Scuba divers can use Castle cove, only 10 mins walk away, or launch your own boat from the creek to explore the wrecks along the coast.
Falcon of Dartmouth offers a fully equipped and guided dive service or contact
Totnes BSAC for further information. One point of interest is that the British Sub-Aqua Club was actually conceived at Warfleet creek in 1953.
The fishing is also good around the coast in the clean, calm water. Anglers use boats, the beaches and cliffs - see
Fishing Dartmouth for the latest tips and tales.
Here is our YouTube selection of activities on the water around Dartmouth :
