History of Regatta
The first regatta took place in 1856. The annual regattas were popular with locals and visitors alike particularly on the day of the rowing and swimming races. Contemporary photographs show large crowds of people lining the quays or perching precariously on rowing boats rafted together in the harbour to watch the races.
A local resident Beatrice Pelman recalls the ‘proud ocean-going yachts’ with large crews and luxurious cabins, that arrived for the regattas in the 1920s. At night the harbour was like fairyland. Every yacht would be dressed overall with coloured lights.
An extract from ‘A History of Salcombe and its surroundings’ by Roger Barrett.
Jane Fice
Mark Long
Pamela Bennett
JJ Quest
Penny Reed
Regatta Royalty
Please meet the Salcombe Town Regatta royalty for 2026:
Ada Milton – Princess
Lucas Cater – Attendant
Joseph Bothwick – Attendant
With our Chairperson, Debbie Hainey.
Charitable status
Salcombe Town Regatta is still exploring the possibility of becoming a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), recognised by the Charity Commission. We feel charitable status is right for us since part of our aim is to give money to local causes. Being a charity will help with sponsorship and fundraising, and brings other benefits such as tax relief on donations. Charities are run by trustees and our CIO will have nine trustees initially.
Members are also an important part of a CIO: they appoint trustees and can influence how the CIO is run. We will provide more information about the CIO and how you can become a member once our charity has been approved.
Donation
To most people, the Salcombe Town Regatta is all about what happens during Regatta Week. The other side to the Regatta is helping out local organisations through making donations.
In the past few years we have made donations to the Salcombe PTA, Salcombe Minibus, Salcombe Christmas Lights, Salcombe Swimming Pool, Redfern Health Centre, Salcombe Library, Salcombe Pre-School. Please help our charitable cause now by making a donation.
FAQ
The dates for the 2026 Regatta are 25th July–1st August.
It costs over £25,000 each year to run the Regatta. The money we raise from the events we hold goes on fireworks, entertainment, and programmes. This doesn’t pay for Regatta alone and so we rely on the generosity of others through fundraising and donations. The money left over goes to organisations in Salcombe and to paying for next year’s Regatta.
The traditional paper programmes can be purchased from Bojangles, Bonningtons, Cater Cove, Cranch’s, Salcombe Information Centre, Spar Shop, Kingsbridge Information Centre, Regatta Stall, Salcombe Yacht Club, and the Village Shop in East Portlemouth.
If you would like to become a volunteer or contribute to the work of the committee, please contact the secretary via secretary@salcombetownregatta.org.
If you would like to take part in sailing events, then please register via the Yacht Club STR page.