ON THE WATER
It isn’t just about the rowing and sailing, there’s loads happening on the water during regatta week, that you can take part in or enjoy watching!
ROYAL REGATTA RIVER PARADE
SATURDAY 30th AUGUST
Following a new tradition of Parades started by the Dartmouth Mayflower River Parade and followed by the Jubilee & Coronation River Parade's please register for this years ROYAL REGATTA RIVER PARADE and enjoy the spectacle of old, new and classic craft parading up the river.
STEAM BOAT RALLY
SATURDAY 30th AUGUST
A Regatta classic. New and restored steam-powered vessels will be on show down by the Dartmouth Yacht Club.
The Steam Boat Rally forms part of the River Parade
best dressed vessel
SATURDAY 30th AUGUST
Get your Vessels’ glad rags on for the Best Dressed Vessel on the River Dart. Our secret judge will be afloat… So make sure you both are ship-shape! ….. Judging Saturday 30th August
Contact Ed through the Information hut. Or drop us a message through the website enquiry form.
This popular competition is kindly sponsored by Dartmouth Boating & Angling Company.
KONTIKI RAFT RACE
SATURDAY 30th AUGUST
This is an event everyone can join in with. From the local pubs to families. Build it, sail it, watch it! The best fun in the world…well in Dartmouth at least!
Please register for this years KONTIKI RAFT RACE and have fun!
Children’s Scavenger Hunt
SATURDAY 30th AUGUST
A firm favourite with families, the Children’s Scavenger Hunt promises hours of fun and adventure! Young explorers will enjoy searching high and low around town to collect all the items on the list.
But beware – no cheating allowed! Nothing can be bought; everything must be found or scavenged. Some items can be tricky, so only the sharpest eyes will succeed.
To keep things exciting, one item will also feature a special tiebreaker challenge – so stay alert!
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Registration: Dartmouth Yacht Club from 09:00
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Important: Children must be accompanied by an adult at sign-in
Back for 2025: DHNA Waterborne Treasure Hunt
The Treasure Hunt can be collected from the Harbour Office from 09:00 on Wednesday 27th August 2025, for a donation of £2 to the Regatta.
Entries must be returned to the harbour office by 15:30 on the same day, in order to be marked.
The highest scoring entry will win a prize of £200, donated by Heather Robinson, along with a trophy named after Heather’s Father Reginald Walter Merrick. In the event of a tie, the entry submitted earliest will win.
There will also be prizes sponsored by Dart Harbour for the most imaginative team name and the most imaginative wrong answer!
The clues roughly follow a route from the Harbour Office downstream to the castles, then up to Dittisham, returning to the Harbour Office, always keeping to the starboard side of the river. Answers may be found afloat or on the public quaysides.
There is no need to go out to sea, or to land anywhere other than official Dart Harbour short-stay visitor pontoons, or to enter any private property or to board any vessel in order to complete this treasure hunt.
All questions can be answered using information found on the river or quays. Internet searches should not be used – their answers may differ from those found on the ground!
The Harbour master’s decision is final!
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
- Each skipper is responsible for safety of themselves, their crew, their boat and their other property whether afloat or ashore. The skipper will accept responsibility for any injury, damage or loss caused by their own actions or omissions
- The skipper will brief crew appropriately.
- All entrants must wear lifejacket / buoyancy aids when afloat.
- Boats must be appropriately designed, maintained, equipped and insured. A means of communication must be carried.
- Some of the clues may take you into shallow water at low tide. Take care to avoid grounding, especially on an ebb tide
- All normal colregs and byelaws apply, including the 6 knot speed limit
All incidents should be reported to Dart Harbour on VHF Ch 11 or 01803 832337
For major incidents, call the coastguard on VHF Ch 16 or 999.
Waterborne Tug of War
Sponsored by: ECO LAUNDRY, Dartmouth
Each event will be confirmed in our Regatta Souvenir Programme. You can buy this from the Regatta Information Hut during the week from Saturday 23rd August 2025, online or from LOCAL outlets.
- Dartmouth Visitor Centre
- Kingswear Post Office
- BP Garage Townstal
It’s a great read and full of interesting articles as well as all the detail.
We, all of us volunteers, receive no funding at all, and it costs in the region of £150,000 to stage the event. We need to ensure we can keep Dartmouth Regatta going for years! Thank you!
180th Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta Programme .
Artwork by James Stewart & Scarlet Graphics Ltd