Looking to take part in one of our group sailing opportunities during 2017? We have just scheduled a 5-day sailing holiday along the south west coast for 3rd – 8th September 2017.
With your own double cabin (one en-suite) on-board our 40’ yacht, our group sailing events offer an ideal solution for people who would like to sail, but don’t necessarily have the experience or inclination to head out on their own. They are also an ideal solution for those who find it difficult to coordinate sailing dates which are convenient for their own crew or groups of friends.
Here is a very brief guide to a typical 5-day group sailing holiday experience:
Arrive at King Point Marina on Sunday evening where your skipper will show you around our flagship yacht, Bewitched. You may choose to meet up with the rest of your group for drinks and dinner at The Dock, a wonderful restaurant overlooking the marina, or you may decide to head to the Barbican or Royal William Yard to choose from a selection of pubs and restaurants for your evening meal. After a good night’s sleep onboard the yacht, set sail for your first destination….
…and that is where the plan ends!
How your week continues depends on the wind, the tide, and how far you would like to go. There are plenty of destinations available on our 5-day sailing holidays to explore – you can read about them here. Wherever your sailing takes you, we will ensure you are back in Plymouth by 4pm on Friday, with plenty of time to catch your train home for the weekend.
No previous sailing experience is necessary, as your fully-qualified and experienced skipper will encourage you to take part in as much (or as little!) helming and yacht management as you choose.
The price at £795 per person includes the cost of a fully-qualified skipper, 5 nights accommodation onboard the yacht, your own double cabin, mooring fees, breakfast and lunch whilst underway. Evening meals and meals taken ashore are not included. If you are booking with a friend or partner and are happy to share a double cabin with them, the 2nd person travels at half price.
Please note that this sailing experience will only run with a minimum of 3 guests booked onboard (a maximum of 5 guests).
If you have any questions about this wonderful opportunity, or if you would like to book, please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.
As many of our guests are aware, Devon Sailing Experiences is a family run business based in Plymouth, Devon. We run our business in a boutique way, with high levels of service, finishing touches and most importantly – great yachts. Our aim for 2017 is to continue to offer high-quality bareboat charters alongside our increasingly popular ‘experience’ packages.
New season, new skippers
Due to popular demand for our day sails and weekend sailing experiences, we are pleased to announce that we have expanded our team of skippers. Here are some details about our highly experienced, commercially endorsed RYA Yachtmaster skippers:
Nick – The founding member and director of Devon Sailing Experiences.
Gail – Gail has been part of the Devon Sailing Experiences team since 2016. She has been sailing for over 15 years and is a Commercial Yachtmaster (offshore). She qualified in 2012 following a circumnavigation of the UK. Since then, Gail has spent her time delivering yachts around the UK and Mediterranean. We are delighted to welcome her back for a second season.
Mick – With just over 11,000 miles logged, Mick has been a commercially endorsed Yachtmaster since 2007. He has worked in the Royal Navy as well as a RYA instructor. His friendly manner and professionalism make him an ideal skipper for your charter.
Mike – It was during his 26-year career with the Royal Navy that Mike was introduced to sailing. Since becoming a civilian, he has volunteered for a range of boating charities as well as cruising and racing his own boat. Mike qualified as a RYA Yachtmaster in 2013. We are pleased to welcome him to our team.
What’s on in Devon?
We have already started our 2017 season with trips to Fowey and Salcombe. Along with light winds and good doses of sunshine, high pressure has been dominating the Devon and Cornwall coasts. Now seems like the ideal time to remind you of some of the major events happening in and around some of our popular sailing destinations.
Our weekend sails are proving to be very popular and are quickly getting booked up. Due to the demand for these sailing experiences, we are happy to offer a midweek alternative upon request. After all, there are only so many weekends available during our sailing season!
During the next few months, we will be continuously updating our weekend and day sailing schedule. As always, if you can’t see a suitable date, do get in touch – we will always do our best to accommodate your requirements.
Don’t forget, you can always follow us on Facebook and Twitter to receive notifications of updates to the schedule.
Keep in touch
Following us on Facebook orTwitter are ideal ways to keep up-to-date with our latest sailing schedules, offers, opportunities and last minute availability. If you have any photos you have taken during your sailing adventures, we would love to share them on our social media pages and in our blog posts, so please keep in touch and email any you are happy for us to use. (We never mention names or dates in our posts, but they are great for us to use alongside our narrative.)
Don’t forget to review your experience
At Devon Sailing Experiences we are constantly looking for ways to make your sailing experience with us the best it can possibly be. Your feedback is extremely important to us. We would really appreciate it if you can spend a few moments adding a short review on TripAdvisor or Facebook. Our future guests would love to hear how much you enjoyed your day sail, or about one of the amazing destinations you visited during your weekend sail. As always, our thanks go out to all of our guests who have reviewed us already.
Happy sailing in 2017. We are looking forward to seeing you soon!
With it being International Women’s Day today, it seems like an ideal opportunity to remind you about the wonderful women we have working as part of our small Devon Sailing Experiences team.
We are lucky enough to boast Gail Wright as one of our skippers. Gail has been sailing for over 15 years and is a Commercial Yachtmaster (offshore). She qualified in 2012 following a circumnavigation 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 has been part of Devon Sailing Experiences team in 2016.
She is keen to organise group sailing opportunities for everyone, male or female. However, it is worth noting that with Gail on board (pardon the pun!) it is possible for Devon Sailing Experiences to offer female-only sailing experiences. If you are interested in organising one for you and your friends, family or colleagues, do get in touch.
“Who should I contact?” I hear you ask.
Well, this is a job for our other super-woman. Katie Rich (katie@devonsailingexperiences.co.uk) organises the bookings, yacht schedules, skippers, provisions, social media, finances and cleaning – a very diverse range of tasks, as you can see. When she is not in the office, she can often be found on the pontoon early in the morning or late in the evening ensuring that the yachts are immaculately prepared and waiting for our guests to arrive.
Thank you, ladies. Your work and skills are always appreciated.
Described as “Britain’s coolest little city by the sea”, Plymouth is a vibrant, waterfront city offering fantastic sailing ground for your yacht charter. In our opinion, there is no better place in the UK to start your west country yacht charter – that is why we chose it as our base. With it being so easily accessible by train, car and sea, and with so much going on throughout the year, a yacht charter from Plymouth should be on everyone’s to-do list.
Local area and Approaches
Plymouth sound is under control of the Queen’s Harbour Master, callsign ‘Longroom’. It is important to keep a radio watch on 14 and keep up-to-date with military activity and other commercial activity. In addition to this, King Point Marina is affected by Brittany Ferries and the odd cruise ship, as the marina sits inside the commercial port. Yacht Haven and QAB are affected by the commercial traffic from Turnchapel.
The main feature of Plymouth Sound is the breakwater. If you want an easy life, use the eastern entrance as no commercial or military traffic will use this, but do watch out for dive boats that frequently visit the wreck off Shag Stone.
In general, Plymouth Sound is very well supported by navigational buoys. There is deep water everywhere, apart from the western side of Drakes Island. You do not need to keep to the main channel which is for the larger ships – in general, you are better to be outside of them.
Of course, as always, we recommend you check the Almanac for details.
Moorings – DSE recommends…
Within minutes of King Point Marina is Barnpool which is an excellent anchorage to explore Mount Edgecombe.
Just 30-45 minutes sail of King Point is Cawsands bay which is a popular lunchtime stop, with excellent shelter from south westerlies. You can also go ashore and explore Kingsands and Cawsands which have some great bars and food.
Cellar Bay, tucked just inside the mouth of the River Yealm, is a secluded spot perfect for swimming in settled weather. Deep keeled boats will need to check tide-tables and be aware of the sandbar in the river entrance, but this really is a beautiful place to visit for a picnic spot if you time it right.
Eating and Drinking – DSE recommends…
The Dock is based on the first floor of the £4m King Point Marina building in the coastal quarter. Overlooking the marina, it is a lovely relaxed restaurant serving delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners. (We go there quite often!)
A 12-minute stroll from King Point Marina will take you to the Royal William Yard. Within its beautiful, historic buildings, you will find a number of places to eat, including River Cottage,Seco Lounge, Wagamama and Le Bistrot Pierre. Personally, I love Le Vignoble for a pre-dinner drink. A wine bar with a difference! Here you can choose from over 200 wines from all over the world, sample tiny tasting glasses or sit and enjoy a large glass after a day out on the water. Also available is a great tapas menu and regular special events including wine tasting in a totally relaxed atmosphere – we like how they describe themselves as “not snobby or pretentious” on their website. (I’m sure our next visit is overdue!)
12 minutes in the opposite direction will take you to the Barbican – another historic waterfront location with plenty of bars and restaurants positioned around the dock. It is particularly buzzing during the summer months when the warmer weather sees plenty of visitors eating and drinking al fresco. A wonderful atmosphere which is typical of what Plymouth has to offer.
Things to do – DSE recommends…
No visit to Plymouth is complete without a visit to Plymouth Gin Distillery. Black Friars, the working home of Plymouth Gin since 1793, is the oldest working gin distillery in England. Why not book a tour or a tutored tasting session while you are staying in the area?
Climb the iconic Smeaton’s Tower lighthouse on the Hoe. The original tower was built on the Eddystone reef in 1759, but relocated stone by stone to its current position in the early 1800s. Beautiful views of Plymouth Sound. There is a fab clip of Passenger singing from the lantern room last year.
Take a plunge at the art-deco Tinside Lido, voted one of the top 10 best outdoor pools in Europe. Built in 1935, it is a piece of quintessential British seaside from a bygone era.
Plymouth’s National Marine Aquarium is the largest in the UK and can be found close to Sutton Harbour and Queen Anne’s Battery. Filled with local (and not so local) sea life, this wonderful, all-weather education centre is definitely worth a visit for adults and children alike.
The Plymouth Pavilions host a range of performances: John Bishop, Mickey Flanagan, Jimmy Carr, Ricky Gervais, Elbow, Passenger (see clip – I had to add it to this blog post twice because I think it’s fab!), Kaiser Chiefs, Craig David, Billy Ocean, Jools Holland, Professor Brian Cox (I tried and failed to get tickets earlier this year for Nick’s birthday)…I could go on. If you are chartering from Plymouth with us and staying in the area, it is always worth checking out who else is in town.
Happy New Year from Devon Sailing Experiences and welcome to our January 2017 newsletter!
Group Sailing Opportunities for 2017
We continue to receive more and more requests to join our Group Sailing database. The idea behind this database is to provide sailing opportunities to individuals or groups of friends who would like to try a longer sail (5-7 days), but are not able to get a crew together. We can help you by providing an experienced skipper and contacting other people who may be interested in joining you. This sailing opportunity is suitable for all levels of experience and is a great way to keep the costs down while experiencing the enjoyment of staying onboard a luxury 40’ yacht. For more information, click here.
Join us on a sail to the Isles of Scilly
Fancy joining us on a group skippered charter to the Isles of Scilly? Following a successful trip last year (see photo at the top of this newsletter) we are considering running one in June 2017. If you think it could be for you, please email katie@devonsailingexperiences.co.uk to register your interest. There is no obligation to book.
We are now on TripAdvisor
Had a particularly enjoyable day sail? Want to tell everyone about the amazing location you visited during your weekend sail? Then please share your experience with others on TripAdvisor. Not only do we appreciate your feedback to help us improve, it provides insightful information for our potential future guests who want to select the right experience for them. Our sincere thanks go out to those who have reviewed us already.
Did you know that we regularly add blog posts to our website?
Our latest posts include why we think sailing should be included in your list of New Year resolutions, recommendations about local sailing destinations, and commentary about current events (sailing related, of course!). To be notified of a new blog post, follow us on Facebook or @DevonSailingExp on Twitter. Following us on social media is an ideal way to find out about our latest sailing schedule updates, offers, opportunities and last minute availability.
Changes to our bareboat charter arrangements for 2017
From 2017, bareboat charters will continue to be provided with basic bedding (pillows, pillowcases, sheets, hand towel in the heads and tea towels) as well as cleaning equipment. We have found that this is suitable for most bareboat charters who often prefer to bring their own sleeping bags with them.
Extra bedding (duvets and duvet covers) and bath towels can be supplied at an extra cost of £50 per yacht. Please let us know in advance if you would like the additional bedding and towels, and we will ensure it is ready and all set up for your arrival.
Full bedding will continue to be provided for our weekend experiences and bespoke skippered charters.
Sailing Schedule
We have started adding dates for day and weekend sails to our 2017 Sailing Schedule. Don’t forget to take a look – especially if you received a Devon Sailing Experiences gift voucher for Christmas. From April, it will be constantly updates with new available dates. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to receive notifications of updates. If you can’t see a suitable date, do get in touch and we will do our best to accommodate your requirements.
Keep in Touch
We are looking forward to receiving more of your photos during the 2017 season. Please keep sending them because we genuinely love it when you do (especially when you don’t mind us using them on our blog posts including Facebook and Twitter). We never mention names or dates in our posts, but they are great for us to use alongside our narrative.
“I will make an effort to travel more sustainably”
You can’t get any more environmentally friendly than travelling under sail. And after a day on the water, what could be more rewarding than mooring up in the small Westcountry towns of Salcombe or Fowey to visit some of the quirky, independent restaurants and pubs? With locally sourced food and beverages on offer, sustainability is at the core of our offering (see our Responsible Travel policy.)
“I will see more than the big sights”
Being able to access the most beautiful coastline in the UK (in our biased opinion, of course!) is a definite advantage to travelling under sail. Our base location in Plymouth is a stone’s throw from the South West Coast Path, so combining a trek with a day or weekend sail is an option for the adventurous.
“I will be confident in travelling my own way”
Whether you are travelling solo, with friends, with a partner or family, we have an option for you. Never sailed before? Not a problem. From beginners to seasoned sailors, we have something to suit your needs. You can view your sailing options here(hover over ‘Adventure Sailing’ to see them), or get in touch to arrange a bespoke package.
“I will go on an unforgettable journey”
Whether you are new to sailing or have hundreds of nautical miles under your belt, you never forget taking the helm and sailing a yacht for the first time. Your skipper will encourage you to take part in as much (or as little!) helming and yacht management as you choose. He or she will also provide lunch whilst underway.
“I will visit at least one new city”
Our base location in the city of Plymouth remains under the radar for most people, but should it? Read this review in GQ magazine by Holly Bruce. Make Plymouth your new city for this year before too many people jump on the bandwagon.
“I will stay somewhere incredible”
Can you think of anything better than dropping anchor in a secluded cove and enjoying lunch on board a yacht? How about staying overnight onboard whilst listening to the waves gently lapping on the hull? Then, waking up to the beautiful surroundings of the River Yealm/River Fowey/Salcombe Estuary…wow!
“I will take time to appreciate nature”
With no mobile phone signal (hurray!) you will have nothing more to do than sail the yacht with the scenic west-country coastline constantly in your view. Perhaps a pod of dolphins or a seal will put in the odd appearance. We have photographic and video evidence – see the next point.
“I will improve my photography skills”
Taking photographs from the cockpit of a yacht is a skill in itself, but the results can be amazing and definitely worth the effort. See previous point.
“I will learn about the history of the places I visit”
Our base location in Plymouth has so many historic stories: Bronze Age beginnings, the Pilgrim Fathers, Sir Francis Drake, British Naval history, survivors of the Titanic, destruction during the Blitz…I could go on. Happy researching.
“I will have fun”
The most important 2017 New Year Resolution of all. Try sailing and you will have ticked all the boxes of the checklist in Eleanor Aldridge’s 10 New Year Resolutions to Make in 2017.
Why have Devon Sailing Experiences joined TripAdvisor? Well, we know the importance of booking the right type of adventure to suit your needs and the needs of those of who you are travelling with. We understand that you want to get the maximum enjoyment possible with your precious time off work. We know that TripAdvisor is the first port of call for many people looking to book a break, including ourselves. Therefore, joining made sense to us.
At Devon Sailing Experiences, we work hard to help individuals, groups and families to plan an adventure that is perfect for them – out of all the experiences we offer, our bespoke exclusive charter packages really took off during 2016. The great thing about being on TripAdvisor is that our potential guests can read about the range of experiences we offer and how that particular package worked for certain groups of people.
For example, a family group travelling with younger children may want to ‘give sailing a try’. In this case, forking out for a weekend charter would probably not be suitable, so we would advise them to exclusively charter the whole yacht for a day (with an experienced skipper) meaning that their children can be fully involved sailing the yacht until they have had enough (we know it happens – we have a 3-year-old). At this point, the flexibility offered with an exclusive charter means that they could anchor at a nearby beach where they could take the tender ashore for an ice-cream and return to the yacht when they are ready.
Another example could be a couple looking for time away together. A weekend sail to Salcombe would be ideal. After a full day on the water, they would have the chance to visit one of the fabulous restaurants in the beautiful town, giving them quality time together over a romantic evening meal.
Why do we love sailing from Plymouth? Plymouth is a wonderful base location for our sailing experience business, and it is rapidly being picked up on the radar by journalists as being a cool little city by the sea. Did you read Holly Bruce’s review in GQ magazine last month? It was an inspiring read – but we think we can add to it (from a sailing perspective and with our guests in mind, of course!)
When planning a bareboat charter or sailing experience, Plymouth is often overlooked as a possible sailing starting point because it is viewed as being too far away. However, it is more accessible than you think. Firstly, Plymouth has a mainline train station, making it just over 3 hours from London, 2 hours from Bristol and 3-and-a-half hours from Birmingham. Our yachts are based at the King Point and Mayflower Marinas – just a 5-minute (or a 6-minute at the very most) taxi ride from the station. In my opinion, you can’t get much more accessible than that!
For the same reason, bareboat charterers often request yachts on the River Dart thinking that Dartmouth is closer to their home than Plymouth. Mileage-wise, it probably is. However, have you tried driving through those narrow lanes…behind a tractor…then tried to find a parking space close enough to unload your provisions? (Forget it during regatta week!) It certainly adds to your journey time. Travelling to Plymouth is so straight forward: the M5 turns into A38, so at least 2 lanes most of the way giving you the opportunity to overtake all the way down! With a car park at the marina and the yachts being moored on pontoons (as opposed to trot moorings), everything is so much easier. (Incidentally, Dartmouth is easily accessible within a days sail, and in my opinion, it is so much more fun accessing it by water rather than road.)
As a starting location, sailing from Plymouth is ideal because it gives you so many destination choices regardless of the wind direction. Leave King Point Marina and head west for Fowey, Falmouth and the Isles of Scilly, or head east for Salcombe, Dartmouth, Brixham and Torquay. It is an ideal solution for those looking to bareboat charter or take part in one of our weekend sailing experiences package.
Plymouth itself has so much to offer our guests. Looking for restaurants within easy reach of the marina? The Dock is based at King Point Marina and offers a wonderful range of food in a lovely environment. A 15 minute walk in one direction will take you to the historic Royal William Yard which houses a number of restaurants, whereas 15 minutes in the opposite direction will take you to the buzzing Barbican area of the city, where you will find yourself walking past (or perhaps into) the famous Plymouth Gin distillery and a further selection of places to eat.
Plymouth is a vibrant waterfront city packed full of attractions, activities, shopping, entertainment and sightseeing. And as far as we are concerned, it is an ideal base location for the start of your sailing adventure.
Our 2016 season was the one for sailing adventures. We had lots of potential customers contacting us requesting to join 5 or 7 day skippered charters with the idea of booking a cabin for themselves and sailing with a group. However, it was often difficult to help people achieve their dream sailing adventures in a cost-effective way at the convenience of all our guests. Therefore, we have been working hard to find a way of making this type of sailing experience work for 2017.
We would like to create a database of individuals who would be interested in booking a cabin onboard our 40’ yacht, Bewitched, with the aim of meeting like-minded people and just setting sail with a skipper. We will use your contact details to email you to let you know when potential dates for such experiences are available, giving you the opportunity to make up a group and just go!
A typical 5 day sailing adventure would go something like this:
Arrive at King Point Marina on Sunday evening where your skipper will show you to your 41′ yacht, Bewitched. Join the rest of your group for drinks and dinner at The Dock, a wonderful restaurant which overlooks the marina. After a good night sleep on-board the yacht, set sail on Monday for your first destination – Salcombe. On Tuesday, head west to Fowey, followed by Falmouth on Wednesday. A long haul back to the beautiful River Yealm can be achieved on Thursday, followed by a sail around Plymouth Sound on Friday. Return to King Point Marina by 4pm on Friday, with plenty of time to catch your train home for the weekend.
Whether you are an experienced sailor looking to build some miles or just looking to have a fun week on the water – this group skippered-charter is an ideal opportunity. If you would like your details added to our database (no obligation to book), just let us know by emailing katie@devonsailingexperiences.co.uk. Your personal information will not be passed on to anyone else.
Held at Boringdon Park Golf Club, the evening began with a reception drink on arrival, a delicious 3 course meal, coffee and mints, entertainment, DJ and disco and the chance to enter a draw and win some amazing prizes.
This fabulous event was organized by a wonderful group of energetic people who are raising money in memory of a beautiful baby girl who sadly passed away aged just 16 weeks old. Their target is to raise £50,000 by July 2019 – and they are close to reaching it. Around £2,500 was raised by their raffle alone!
Donations received from the ball and prize draw are going to Little Bridge House, who cared for the whole family during the little girl’s short life, and a new hospice, Little Harbour in St Austell.
We were pleased to be able to offer a voucher for a day sail for them to put forward as a prize in their draw, and we look forward to meeting the lucky winner next season.
