Moorings in River Dart

The River Dart meets the sea at Dartmouth, where the narrow entrance runs between Dartmouth Castle on the west bank and Kingswear Castle on the east. From there the tidal river winds about eight miles inland to Totnes. Between the two lie the villages of Dittisham, Stoke Gabriel and Galmpton, and side creeks such as Bow Creek, which leads up to Tuckenhay.

The river from the entrance to Totnes is controlled by the Dart Harbour and Navigation Authority. Its annual moorings are spread along the river and include pontoons with water and electricity, trots, swinging moorings, running moorings and dinghy pontoons, in water that ranges from mud to deep. Demand varies a great deal: the authority quotes waits of eight to ten years for the Kingswear pontoons and the small-boat walk-ashore pontoons at Dartmouth, while the shallower swinging moorings at Cornworthy and Galmpton can come up sooner.

The lower harbour is a harbour of refuge that can be entered day or night at any state of the tide and in nearly any weather, with a six-knot speed limit inside. Marina berths on the Dart are found at Darthaven Marina in Kingswear, at Noss on Dart Marina further up the east bank, owned by Premier Marinas, and at Dart Marina on the west bank.

Shallow-draught boats can carry on to Totnes, where boats can dry out alongside the quay. Galmpton has boatyards, including Dolphin Haven and MDL's Dartside Quay. River Dart moorings therefore suit anything from a yacht on a deep-water pontoon at Dartmouth to a small boat on a drying berth upriver.