The Salcombe Harbour Launches patrol the estuary throughout the year. They are easily recognisable, white with blue fendering and marked ‘Harbourmaster’. During the busy season (May – September) there is a launch on the water from 07:30 to 23:00. A listening watch is maintained on VHF Channel 14. The boatmen are responsible for managing waterborne activities, enforcing harbour byelaws and the berthing of visiting boats. They will provide any assistance and advice they can to ensure that residents and visitors alike enjoy trouble free use of the estuary. The Harbour also has a night security patrol operated by a private company. One of the most beautiful sailing and fishing centres in the world, Salcombe Harbour offers a safe haven to visiting yachts. Apart from the sizeable local shellfishing fleet, there is no commercial traffic. Yacht and small craft moorings are concentrated into certain dedicated areas, leaving a large proportion of the many creeks unspoilt as a natural habitat for an abundance of wildlife. There is no river flowing into the "estuary" from Kingsbridge and so the Harbour is, in fact, a salt water sea inlet. A number of superb, clean and sandy beaches are situated towards the Harbour entrance. A wide selection of outdoor pursuits, including cliff walks, golf, tennis, horse riding, swimming and virtually all water sports are available in the area. With its location at the very southern tip of Devon, Salcombe’s climate is very favourable which all adds to its popularity as a stopover for boats cruising the West Country and as a venue for a variety of sailing regattas in the summer months. The following pilot information has been kindly provided by South Hams District Council.If you require any further information please visit their website www.southhams.gov.uk/index
Sailing Directions
For entrance to the port, visiting yachtsmen are expected to obtain navigational information available from official publications such as
Admiralty Pilot and Charts Shell Pilot and / or one of the many yachtsmen's pilots available together with a similarly reputable Nautical Almanac.
Relevant Admiralty Charts
Numbers: 28, 1634, 1613 Stanford 13 Imray C6 Y48 OS 202
The harbour lies between Bolt Head to the west and Prawle Point to the east. Salcombe's Bar, made famous in Tennyson's "Crossing of the Bar", stretches south westerly across the entrance from Limebury Point on the east side. This sand bar has a least depth of 0.7 metres LAT and should not be negotiated on an ebb tide with strong onshore winds or swell. The entrance leading line (000°T) is marked by a red and white striped pole with red topmark on the Poundstone Rock, with a second beacon behind it on Sandhill Point, which is white with a horizontally striped red and white diamond topmark. The rear beacon displays a Directional Flashing light WRG 2sec., of which the white sector 357° - 002°T shows the leading line. Once Blackstone Rock is abeam to starboard, the main fairway course of 042°T can be set, again marked by leading lights near to Scoble Point. It is important to note that Blackstone Rock now displays Group Flashing 2 Green (8 seconds) and Wolf Rock Buoy displays Quick Flashing Green (3 seconds)
Last Updated: February 17, 2012
