THE VIEW FROM THE DARTMOUTH OFFICE

Every picture on this website, with no exception, is taken from one place - our Dartmouth office garden

For those of you that don’t already know..........every single snap on this website is taken from one place -

our garden in Above Town, Dartmouth, Devon, England

Sunday September 15th 2024 4.30pm

Post Regatta Dartmouth settles into to its end-of-season calm.

Still lots to see. Remember, there's albums galore on this website. Click any pic on this page to start.

Plenty more to see from earlier in the month, and check out the entire August album.

Do also look inside the January, February, March, April, May, June and July albums.

TVFTDO is a unique record of life in, on, around and above the wonderful river Dart.

See all of last years albums here.

You can also take a look at The Pick of TVFTDO.

05 August 2024 - 09:05:30

How do you park a superyacht ? Much the same way you park a car that doesn't have sensors. You get a mate (okay, the ship's mate) to guide you in.

And blame them if there is so much as a scratch.

06 August 2024 - 21:26:21

Over the years I have snapped a fair few large boats with their underwater lighting displays. So was somewhat disappointed photographically speaking when Aviva failed to light up on it's first overnight. But then on Tuesday, just at dusk on came the lights.

Five minutes later they went off. No more money for the meter ?

07 August 2024 - 21:38:19

Even without their underwater lights, three superyachts in Dartmouth, Devon were always going to stand out - and particularly so at night.

Left to right: Elysian, Constance and Aviva. Elysian returned this afternoon from a two day trip down the coast.

16 August 2024 - 21:49:34

BRNC Summer Ball Fireworks.

There were high (not many) fireworks and low (loads) fireworks.

Difficult to be ready to snap high and low. So here's my best low display.

16 August 2024 - 21:53:54

This was one explosion that didn't fit the bill. Could it have been a high burst that exploded on the ground?

An astonishing effect.

16 August 2024 - 15:51:28

Ludicrously expensive superyacht Aviva departed after a ten day stay. Welcome anytime, but perhaps could have done with a visit to the car wash.

Yep, that's bird shit. All over the front of the boat.

16 August 2024 - 15:51:24

Any car owner in Dartmouth would have sympathy.

Except that, in this case, it's unlikely that any of them do.

More pix of Aviva down below.

13 August 2024 - 12:32:46

Dart Harbour has prepared a special area for swimmers and divers and jumpers alongside the Embankment.

Complete with a floating platform.

I bet you can't guess what it gets used for?

13 August 2024 - 12:32:50

Of course you can guess.

As a quiz question, it was a pushoveer.

12 August 2024 - 14:27:46

An RAF Airbus 400M, better known as an Atlas.

On a flight over Cornwall and then heading west, ZM402 turned over Gallants Bower and heading upstream at a stately pace.

12 August 2024 - 14:27:54

Only on checking the photos later, did I realise that the rear gate was open and a couple of loadmasters were ready to wave.

14 August 2024 - 11:03:39

HMS Medway is a 90m river class offshore patrol vessel. Seen here rounding the headland at Froward Point it seemed obvious it woiuld be coming into harbour. But no, the ship anchored outside the rivermouth, most likely in sight of BRNC.

26 August 2024 - 17:19:29

Extraordinary touching scenes in the river on Monday evening as friends and family of Dartmouth rowing stalwart Lynne Leader said goodbye to her and scatteedg her ashes on the Dart. The Regatta Committee fired cannons in her honour and the church bells rang throughtout the ceremony.

And on the water there was lots of singing, cheering and probably a bit of crying. A firework too.

More photos inside the August album, just click the pic.

26 August 2024 - 17:19:50

A wider view of the scene showing the many, many friends of Lynne who went out to celebrate her memory in style.

25 August 2024 - 10:15:58

And this is exactly what Lynne and so many others volunteer to support.

At the end of one of the Sunday heats things got a bit close.....and exciting. There's a whole sequence of this moment inside, just click the pic.

PREVIOUSLY ON www.TVFTDO.com

28 August 2024 - 08:22:39

Regatta sailing is now underway - looks like the Navy decided to save on ferry costs for its sailing club crew on their way across the river to compete.

There's 22 folk aboard this rib.

30 August 2024 - 05:44:26

As dawn broke there was activity on board superyacht Aviva, which has been staying ion the harbour for over three weeks.

Just before six am there were clues the ship might be leaving.

30 August 2024 - 20:54:23

James Prestwood's evening flyboard display was stunning. Shooting it from half a mile away was a challenge.

Not a challenge I won, so this snap will have to do. Plenty more of his show can be found inside. Just click the pic.

31 August 2024 - 08:33:58

These autonomous buoys fascinate me although they do have to be helped out to sea.

This is Alfie leading the procession out.

31 August 2024 - 16:26:15

The ocean going paddle steamer Waverley arrived from Plymouth - jam packed ith passengers.

Dozens of craft went out to meet it including 'our' own paddle steamer Kingswear Castle.

There are dozens more photos of the Waverley's arrival inside the August album. Just click any pic.

31 August 2024 - 16:33:22

Wverley had to go all the way upstream to Maypool to be able to turn around. Escorted much of the way by dozens of craft.

31 August 2024 - 16:35:30

Paddle steamer Waverley is 73meters long and dwarfs the Kingswear Castle as this pic demonstrates.

31 August 2024 - 16:35:30

The passengers had all boared in Plymouth and the boat was jampacked.

This is just a small section of the deck space.

31 August 2024 - 16:30:18

And in a small section of a small section were this couple.

31 August 2024 - 16:30:18

And here's a fella many will recognise !

Stacks more pix inside (nearly forty) click any pic.

01 September 2024 - 10:36:42

Question: How do you turn a seagoing paddlesteamer like Waverley around ?

Answer: You give it a tug. And tell it not to tug, but push.

Loads more pix inside, click the pic and see inside the September album

01 September 2024 - 10:37:00

Tug Mariana K proved her worth with a 180 degree push on the bow of the Waverley and around it went.

01 September 2025 - 11:09:33

After another about turn up at Maypool, the PS Waverley headed out of the river for a day trip to Plymouth and the Eddystone lighthouse.

Mallard, Dartmouth's Harbour Master and Pilot boat had some difficulty keeping up with the steamer. The ship has to keep up a speed to have decent manouvrability and as it came back through the town was doing about 12 knots according to MarineTraffic.com.

31 August 2024 - 23:17:43

After an eventful day, the PS Waverley sat serene on the town jetty overnight.

31 August 2024 - 21:06:00

Theend of Regatta firwork display was one of the best.

Very popular too.

More fireworks pix in the August album. Just click the pic.

31 August 2024 - 19:25:18

The PS Waverley's evening cruise on Regatta Saturday was cut short due to a medical issue on board. The steamer returned to the river and whilst still urgently heading for the town jetty two RNLI crew went aboard to render assistance.

More details on Dart RNLI Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dartrnlilifeboat Plus more pictures inside the August album here. Click the pic.

02 September 2024 - 10:51:25

And today, Monday, the Waverley set off for its next destination, Swanage, visiting the Needles.

Although one has to hope visibilty was better down the coast than it was in Dart harbour.

That's low cloud obliterating Kingswear.

02 September 2024 - 10:51:18

But there was adequate visibility at sea level.

02 September 2024 - 08:24:15

Earlier our excellent Regatta guardship HMS Cattistock departed.

Lots more pix of this inside too. Just click that pic!

02 September 2024 - 08:22:37

HopefullyOUR Dartmouth pilot didn't really have a gun to his head.

02 September 2024 - 13:10:17

Another lifeboat shout: this rib was 10 metres off the rocks near the Mewstone when the ILB reached it.

Towed back in to the safety of the river where a Dart Harbour patrol took over the tow.

This pic has been edited so that the two craft are more visible. Head inside the September album and see just how murky it really was.

04 September 2024 - 14:13:12

The Dartmouth Office is just under a mile and a half from Noss. And on a sunny day like this, heat haze is an issue.

Had I been on that crane though, height haze might have been the problem.

Inside the September album are loads more pix showing all stages of progress - a bit like a set of IKEA assembly instructions.

Only clearer.

04 September 2024 - 14:13:51

Way up high over Noss on Dart, two workers nonchantly assemble a second tower crane at the site of the new hotel.

Not quite as tall as the first tower. But tall enough. See pic below for scale.

And click the pic if you want to see how they built it from scratch.

06 September 2024 - 08:39:09

Mist at sunrise always produces some sort of pic.

And this day was one of the best.

10 September 2024 - 11:52:46

Down at Noss on Dart (or upriver at Noss on Dart if you prefer) the concrete pump has been doing overtime to get the new hotel out of the ground.

14 September 2024 - 00:03:24

At night, the sight of Noss on Dart is all a little bit spooky.

14 September 2024 - 19:01:29

He's over two kilometres from the camera, so don't expect to recognise him.

Strange spot to see a fisherman though. Go inside the September album if you want to know exactly where he is.

06 September 2024 - 07:31:53

An hour earlier though, it didn't look too promising.

In fact it was had to look at anything at all.

11 September 2024 - 17:04:43

TS Royalist came in for an overnight visit. The first for quite a while (that I know of).

That's a proud crew on the foredeck.

11 September 2024 - 22:19:40

Did I mention that the TS Royalist overnighted.

12 September 2024 - 22:37:53

Not many 'ordinary' yachts have underatwer lights.

This craft, likely called Curious Journey was moored way up by the Higher Ferry.

Not the best spot from which to shout "Look at me"!

15 September 2024 - 14:36:16

St Thomas's church at Kingswear was having three new bells delivered by steam loco. In my innocence I assumed they would be on display on the back of an open top wagon. No such luck, they arrived in an ordinary passenger carriage. My only shot was this group of people gathered on the platform to welcome their arrival.