December 2020

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