Members can expect a warm and enthusiastic welcome from the staff and owners of Dartside Quay on Galmpton Creek. The site has potential for us to have greatly improved facilities with a better boating and sailing area.
We will have a new pontoon and personnel hoist for our exclusive use, which is being funded in part by a donation from Dartmouth Mayflower 400. Dart Sailability has never had a proper clubhouse. As we approach the 2021 season, volunteers are hard at work renovating a Portakabin and installing a ramp which will give easy access to all our members. Dart Sailability has always been very sociable, but this new accommodation will make it even more so.
Boating at Galmpton
The River Dart at Galmpton is wide. In fact it is sometimes referred to as “Dittisham Lake”. This is very apt because at high tide there is a square mile of open water with gentle currents and little “traffic”. This is a huge improvement over the busy and narrow stretch of water we have been used to at Noss Marina.
From Galmpton we will be able to explore upriver towards Stoke Gabriel and Totnes while Dartmouth and the estuary will still be reachable down river. We will be limited to boating on the higher tides, so expect our activities to take place on different days and at varying times. When low tides make boating at Galmpton impracticable, it will still be possible for groups to depart on Farries Flyer (our landing craft) from nearby Greenway Quay.
The Dream
After months of pandemic lockdown, every sailor dreams of sailing away on a sunny day with a steady breeze to freedom. That dream is getting closer with the freedom to socialise in small groups in May.
Keep an eye out for our new programme which is being prepared now.
Visit Galmpton
From April we are able to meet outside in groups of up to 6. We will be hosting tours of our new site and facilities between the 2nd and the 8th April. Pre-booking will be essential. Watch out for Emails inviting members.
A great deal of hard work is going into this. More power to the team's collective elbows