SYC Cruisers Dittisham Dartmouth Rally 5- 7 June

Published 15:45 on 9 Jun 2026

Following a very well attended Fowey Rally the Cruiser group were looking forward to the two centre Dittisham Dartmouth Rally, and with 13 boats signed up to go all were looking forward to a weekend of sailing and dining.  Unfortunately, however, the weather gods were not sympathetic and with a forecast of high winds and challenging seas the majority of participants understandably decided not to risk the passage to the river Dart.  However, in typical SYC spirit the SYC Car club once again mobilised and 27 members attended the dinner at the FBI in Dittisham on the Friday evening, and 38 joined the dinner at the Royal Dart Yacht Club on the Saturday night.  After a weekend involving two long car journeys, and two late nights in a row, most felt they had indeed been on a rally weekend!

One yacht, China Blue, having checked the actual conditions on the morning of departure, rather than relying on the range of often contradictory weather app forecasts, did brave the elements, and sailed to both the Dittisham and Dartmouth in fine style,  Skipper Charles Cameron and crew Lorna, Rob and Sue all reported an enjoyable, if at times challenging, passage, the weather being at the more benign end of the range of forecasts.  China Blue becoming the most followed yacht on the Marine Traffic tracker app for at least a morning!

On Saturday afternoon Robert Smith led a visit to the newly opened Dartmouth Lifeboat Station. Chris Lee (ILB Helm) provided a very interesting and comprehensive tour of the station and their two lifeboats; a D Class inshore boat and an Atlantic 85 RIB (the same boat as Salcombe). The  group were very impressed with the capabilities that the new venue offered.

The next Cruiser group venture is the Channel Islands and Northern Brittanny rolling rally in June/July.  Contact Rear Commodore Cruising James Calvert for more details and a link to join the Whatsapp group set up for the event.