Dart Harbour & Navigation Authority

14/06/2026

Final destination in our 'One River Eight Destinations' campaign is the home of the Harbour Office ..... Dartmouth!

We've travelled down river from Totnes via the pretty, relaxing and intriguing villages including Galmpton, Greenway and Bow Creek to complete the journey in the bustling harbour port of Dartmouth.

Dartmouth is significant in so many ways - home to Britannia Royal Naval College (where Queen Elizabeth II famously met Prince Philip), its local ships helped defeat the Spanish Armada and allied ships left the Dart to join the D-Day invasion.

The harbour also provided a safe haven for the Mayflower Pilgrims in August 1620 whilst repairs were made to the Speedwell for the pioneering voyage to the New World.

Being a vital harbour since the 12th century, the natural deep water port welcomes vessels of every size, from kayaks and fishing fleets to superyachts and cruise ships.

Coming in past both Dartmouth and Kingswear Castles at the mouth of the harbour, the view opens up into the vibrant waterway, with easy access to the town with its bespoke shops and many eateries.

Don't hesitate - visit Dartmouth today!

You can book visitor moorings up to 14 days prior to arrival via the Visitor section on our website.

13/06/2026

It's always great when the media gets behind a good news story and we had a brilliant turn out by our local TV and radio crews to the official opening of the new pontoon we supplied to the Britannia Royal Naval College.

Watch our TV coverage below - our Harbour Master Paul was a natural in front of the cameras!

13/06/2026

We were so proud to be able to provide a new pontoon for Britannia Royal Naval College, to support their Naval Officer Cadet training, both now and in the future.

Harbour Master Paul was joined by Captain Andrew Bray to officially open the new facility, which will give cadets easy access to their Vahana training boats at the College's Sandquay training base.

Read the full story here:

Dart Harbour & Navigation Authority has proudly unveiled its latest development – a new pontoon at Britannia Royal Naval College’s […]

12/06/2026

If you have caught a glimpse of a traditional schooner in the harbour over the last few days, that is the beautiful 'Johanna Lucretia'.

She is the largest vessel of The Island Trust and is currently the only UK flagged topsail schooner in sail training.

Traditionally rigged, with two pine masts, it is arguably one of the most versatile of all rig types, being able to sail quickly close to the wind with the fore-and-aft sails.

'Johanna Lucretia' was built in 1945 at the Rhoose shipyard in Ghent, Belgium, and was sold to The Island Trust in 2018.

The Island Trust was founded in 1973 by Frank Collier, Hubert Monroe QC, and Dick Lloyd MBE and has subsequently spent over 50 years empowering deserving young people through sailing.

She has made a few film and television appearances in her time, so you may see her on the silver screen at some point! In the meantime, have a look at her in all her splendour in Dartmouth!

The Island Trust

11/06/2026

Skjold and Storm from the Royal Norwegian Navy showing off their impressive skills in the harbour!

11/06/2026

We said both 'hei' and 'ha det' to our Royal Norwegian Navy friends and their incredible vessels 'Skjold' and 'Storm', when they moored up on Town Jetty overnight to take part in NATO exercises. They caused quite the stir and piqued a lot of community interest!

'Skjold' is a coastal Corvette equipped with a catamaran hull and an air cushion for reduced drag and wave slamming.

Introduced in 1999, the 47.5m vessel has a maximum speed of 60 knots using its four gas turbine engines plus Rolls-Royce Kamewa waterjets, and is equipped with an impressive array of armaments, including Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile SSMs, an Otobreda Super Rapid multi-role cannon and Browning M2HB HMGs.

'Storm' is a 36.5m patrol boat with 19 crew and is propelled by two Maybach diesel engines. Its armament includes Penguin anti-ship missiles and a Bofors 76mm TAK 76 cannon.

Such magnificent and imposing vessels!

They were such a unique sight in the harbour and it was an absolute pleasure to welcome them!

10/06/2026

Our crane barge Hercules was on a mission yesterday, working alongside Gilpin Demolition Group to recycle the scrap metal collected from our mooring maintenance.

Out with the old and in with the new to keep everything up-to-date and ship shape!

We have guesses going in the team on the weight of scrap collected - what do you think?

10/06/2026

If you train your eyes on the horizon, you can see the impressive tall structures of 'Seaway Eagle'.

It is a semi-submersible heavy lift carrier built in 1981 and sailing under the flag of Norway.

It is 42m in length and routinely transports jack-up units, dredgers, barges and other harbour equipment by means of float on/off, skid on/off, roll on/off and lift on/off operations.

An impressive bit of kit - see if you can spot her before she heads off on her travels.

Seaway7

09/06/2026

Elegance, poise, sophistication and grace - what else would you expect from a Lady?!

We welcomed superyacht 'Lady B' over the weekend and she certainly added some glamour to the harbour!

The 52m Benetti was expertly guided in by our river team and took her sheltered mainstream buoys mooring during some quite blustery "this cannot be June!" conditions!

She accommodates up to 11 guests in six cabins, including a full-beam Owner’s Suite on the main deck with private balconies, a VIP suite on the bridge deck, and additional double and twin cabins below deck. There are 13 crew on board to ensure the guests have a relaxing and luxurious trip.

And, to quote some lovely feedback from the Chief Officer - "it's been great visiting Dartmouth!"

We look forward to welcoming you again soon!

07/06/2026

The penultimate stop in our 'One River Eight Destinations' campaign is Kingswear.

On the opposite bank of the River Dart from Dartmouth, Kingswear is a vibrant small community, known for its colourful houses nestled on the hillside and its steam train, which departs from Kingswear station to Paignton, its nostalgic whistle reverberating across the water.

With shops, pubs, regular passenger and car ferries, plus a chandlery at Darthaven Marina on the Kingswear side, there is something for all our leisure visitors.

For visiting vessels there are visitor moorings on Deep Water Pontoon at Kingswear, with a yacht taxi to the shore.

Dinghies can land at Kingswear Dinghy Rack or Darthaven and small boats can launch from Waterhead Creek or Collin's Quay slipway.

Come on over and kick back in Kingswear!