What We Do
On the Water
Life at the Royal Dart Yacht Club revolves around getting out on the water. From racing and cruising to dinghy sailing, training and junior programmes, there are opportunities for sailors of all ages and experience levels to get involved throughout the season.
Whether you're looking to compete, explore new destinations, develop your skills or simply enjoy time afloat with fellow members, you'll find a welcoming community and an active sailing programme on the River Dart and beyond.
Racing Hub
Racing at the RDYC is not one thing. It is Wednesday evenings on the river when the tide is running and the fleet is close enough to make things interesting. It is Saturday pursuit racing in Start Bay with a proper horizon ahead and the kind of breeze that separates the optimists from the weather helm. It is the Dartmouth Royal Regatta, the Classic Channel Regatta, and the long offshore passages that give you something worth talking about for years.
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If you want to race, there is a fleet for you here. If you have never raced before, there is a way in. The club has been running racing programmes on the river for over 160 years. We know how to make it work for all levels.
The Racing Programme
The 2026 season runs from April through to September, with five Wednesday evening series totalling 24 races, and pursuit racing every Saturday for IRC and Corinthian classes. The full programme booklet, including the Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions and course plans, is available to download from the racing page.
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You do not need a racing certificate to enter club racing. You do need to complete an entry form. Unrated boats are allocated a club handicap based on performance, which means there is no excuse not to enter.
The Squib Fleet
If you have not been paying attention to the Squib fleet lately, now is the time to start. The fleet has been growing steadily and has a great deal to say for itself, both on the start line and off it. Competitive, sociable, and sailed by people who take their racing seriously without forgetting that it is supposed to be fun.
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The Squib is a two-person keelboat designed for inshore racing, quick enough to keep you honest and stable enough to forgive the occasional lapse in concentration. If you are looking for class racing with a proper fleet and a lively social scene attached to it, this is worth a serious look.
IRC and Corinthian Racing
Saturday racing in Start Bay runs under IRC and Corinthian class rules, with pursuit format giving the whole fleet a race worth having regardless of rating. The bay offers proper open water sailing with enough room to stretch out and enough wind to keep it interesting, and the view back to the Dart estuary on the return leg is one that does not get old.
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The Corinthian class is for amateur sailors only, which keeps the racing honest and the atmosphere convivial. If you are sailing your own boat and doing your own sailing, this is the fleet for you.
External Regattas
The club competes in and supports a number of external regattas throughout the season. Dartmouth Royal Regatta is the highlight of the sailing calendar for most members, a week of racing in the bay that has been running since 1822 and still draws serious fleets from across the country.
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The Classic Channel Regatta brings together traditional and classic yachts for racing on the Channel and is exactly as enjoyable to watch as it is to sail. The Week of Sail gives cruising members their own extended event, combining passages with social stops and the kind of informal racing that ends with everyone at a pub somewhere on the south coast comparing notes.
Crew Search
Looking for crew, or looking for a boat? The crew search board is the place to start. Whether you are an experienced hand after a regular berth or a keen beginner hoping to get some miles under your belt, post your details and see what comes back. There is no shortage of boats looking for good people.
Cruising
Not everyone at the RDYC is trying to win a race. A good number of the 240 cruising members are trying to find a good anchorage, a better bottle of wine, and somewhere worth telling people about when they get home.
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The group is run by Dick and Pam Morgan, who between them know the Devon and Cornwall coast as well as anyone, and have the contacts, the stories and the spreadsheets to prove it. Under their watch, the cruising programme runs all year, covering everything from local coastal hops to Channel crossings, extended stays in the Channel Islands and Northern France, Southern Brittany and Ireland, and for the more adventurous, Scotland, the Baltic, and the Mediterranean.
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Some members join the ARC rally and spend the winter in the Caribbean. We are not saying everyone ends up there, but it has been known to happen.
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The social side is taken just as seriously as the sailing. Friday night suppers at the club, rallies in popular harbours, events timed around the major sailing fixtures on the south coast, and a WhatsApp group that provides a constant and occasionally chaotic stream of cruising chat, weather updates and restaurant recommendations.
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New members are genuinely welcome. Whether you are an experienced offshore sailor or someone who has just bought their first boat and is quietly wondering what they have got themselves into, the cruising section is a good place to start. There is always someone who has done the passage you are planning, made the mistake you are about to make, and is very happy to save you the trouble.
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To join the cruising section mailing list or WhatsApp group, contact the office or email Dick and Pam directly at cruising@royaldart.co.uk
Dinghy Sailing
Friday evenings on the Dart belong to the dinghy sailors. It is relaxed, it is friendly, and it is one of the better ways to end a working week that we are aware of.
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The Friday evening dinghy programme is open to members at all levels and runs throughout the season. No pressure, no handicap committee, just good sailing on a beautiful stretch of river with the bar waiting for you afterwards.
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Junior sailing has its own programme running throughout the year, with a Saturday morning series and the famous Junior Sailing Week in the summer, which has been going since 1959 and shows absolutely no sign of slowing down. The standard of instruction is high, the enthusiasm of the sailors is higher, and the willingness to capsize in any weather is higher still.
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Training at all levels is available through the club, covering sail and power, RYA-accredited and open to members and non-members. Whether you are picking up the basics or working towards a specific qualification, speak to the office and we will point you in the right direction.