On the Water
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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.
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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.
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Sailing Activities
Racing at the RDYC offers something for everyone, from Wednesday evening racing in Start Bay to a light airs river race.
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With over 160 years of racing experience, the Club welcomes sailors of all abilities, including those new to racing.
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The season runs from April to September, with five Wednesday evening series comprising 24 races, alongside Saturday pursuit racing for IRC and Corinthian classes.
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No racing certificate is required for Club racing. Simply complete an entry form, and boats without an existing handicap can be allocated a Club handicap based on performance.
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See our current racing results here.
Download our sailing programme.
The Racing Fleet
Junior Sailing is a popular and vibrant part of the RDYC, welcoming children aged 9–16 and typically getting around 40 young sailors on the water on Saturday mornings.
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The programme runs from April to September, providing a pathway from RYA Stage 1 beginners through to Stage 4, developing skills, confidence and enjoyment on the water.
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RYA courses are open to non-members however members are given priority.
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The summer programme includes evening mini-racing, Junior Sailing Week in August, junior racing during Dartmouth Royal Regatta and the season-ending Falling Leaves Mini Regatta.
Safety is paramount, with all instructors holding relevant RYA qualifications and safety boat crews appropriately trained. As an RYA Recognised Training Centre, the Club follows RYA standards and benefits from its guidance and support.
Parents and guardians are required to volunteer at Junior Sailing sessions as part of the programme. This is an important contribution to its smooth running and provides a great opportunity to get involved, meet other families and make new friends.
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For more information email admin@royaldart.co.uk
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RDYC JS Operating Procedures Manual
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Junior Sailing
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.
The Squib Fleet
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.
IRC and Corinthian Racing
Our group regularly cruises the beautiful Devon and Cornwall coastline and longer trips to the Channel
Islands and Isles of Scilly, while others sail further afield to Brittany, Ireland, Scotland even Spain.
The group is very sociable, supportive and friendly, welcoming RDYC members with power boats, yachts both large and small, and non-boat owners who want to cruise. We provide the opportunity to
enjoy our local area in reassuring company.
Therefore, if you enjoy making friends, sociable sailing, pooling knowledge and experience with other
cruisers, then this is the group for you.
If you would like to receive timely postings from other Cruising members, with the occasional chat, do
join the RDYC Cruising WhatsApp Group.
To join the Group WhatsApp, e-mail cruising@royaldart.co.uk
New members receive a very warm welcome.
Cruising & Motorboat Group
Ladies Afloat thrives on the enthusiasm and commitment of its members.
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From complete beginners to experienced instructors, we all share a love of being on the water. Our varied programme includes overnight trips, full and half-day activities, with opportunities to:
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Dinghy sail
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Cruise in a variety of yachts and keelboats
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Gain experience in power and support boats
We normally meet on Thursdays but going forward we are hoping to include the occasional Saturday in order to welcome members who have weekday constraints.
The group starts each season with Skills Refresher Sessions in April, revisiting the basics and helping everyone build confidence for the season ahead. Members are also encouraged to take part in the Club’s RYA training courses to further develop their skills.
Everyone is encouraged to get involved in running Ladies Afloat, whether organising sailing activities or social events. It’s a great way to contribute, get to know other members and make new friends.
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Ladies Afloat uses WhatsApp Groups for organising events.
Ladies Afloat
We have no particular aim in mind other than to enjoy a day out on the water in as many different ways as possible.
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This may include a pleasant sail out to the Skerries, a trip to Brixham for fish and chips, dolphin spotting, a blast on a trimaran or finding our way round the rig of a gaffer, even a day trip to Salcombe on a Fastnet competitor. Off season, a walk, perhaps a bike ride or a Segway, and the ever popular Christmas lunch.
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You are welcome if you have a boat and would like an opportunity to sail it more often with reasonably competent (although perhaps less agile) crew. And just as welcome if you do not have a boat but would like the opportunity to sail more often.
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We meet on the terrace at 10am most Tuesday mornings from late April to mid October. Prior booking is not needed, except for occasional special events, which will be in the regular email, as will any cancellations due to weather.
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Please contact the office to join the Boys in Boats regular emails and be kept up to date with events.
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Telephone: 01803 752496
Email: office@royaldart.co.uk
Events: All year
Boys in Boats
Coming soon
Training
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.