Weekend trips
Salcombe and Yealm River
  
 
Salcombe is the most popular destination for a weekend trip from Dartmouth, taking you past a particularly splendid stretch of coastline. After passing the Homestone Buoy, if under power and in light wind conditions, you will probably wish to follow the coast round Start Bay to Start Point. The wind direction will determine your course under sail, when you may pass close to the Skerries Bank bell buoy marking the NE end of the Skerries shingle bank. There is at least 2 metres of


Tides
  At Start Point, the tide runs NE from about 3¼ hrs before HW Dartmouth until 2¾ hrs after, and SW from 3¼hrs before LW Dartmouth until 2¾ hrs after LW. HW springs is in the morning and evening with HW neaps in the middle of the day.  
 
 
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Yawl racing in Salcombe
water over the shallowest part of the Skerries (towards the SW end), so most yachts can sail over most of the bank in settled conditions.

In strong winds, the race round Start Point can be unpleasant, especially with a weather-going tide creating significant overfalls. However, in moderate weather, it is usually quite placid, especially around slack water. In these conditions you can round the headland about ½ mile off, staying at least ¼ mile S of the Black Stone to avoid Cherrick Rocks. In other than gentle conditions it is more comfortable to pass 3 or more miles S and also E of Start Point.
 
 
After Start Point, it is usually a pleasant sail to Prawle Point (round at least a mile off in strong wind-over-tide conditions) and then into Salcombe. Entering Salcombe is straightforward except in strong onshore winds when the sea breaks over the bar, especially on the ebb. The deepest water over the bar is a little to the W of the leading mark line. This can be just 2 metres at LW springs, so it is wise to wait (Starehole Bay is convenient in westerlies) until an hour’s rise of tide if you arrive near LW.

A slightly more ambitious weekend’s cruise is to the Yealm River, 31 miles from Dartmouth. After Prawle Point, you pass the spectacular Bolt Head and then Bolt Tail – across Bigbury Bay towards the Great Mew Stone and Wembury Bay. Enter Wembury Bay about half way between Yealm Head and the Great Mew Stone, keeping at least ½ mile off Yealm Head to avoid
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At anchor in Starehole Bay		  
  the Ebb Rocks. Follow the leading marks in, but then deviate to the S to round the port hand buoys marking the sand bar. When abeam the beacon on the S shore (G cone on W square) turn NE towards the beacon (W square, R stripe) on the N shore; then follow the line of moorings. There is only 1 metre of water through the entrance at LW springs; ideally you would enter at mid-tide on a rising tide.