The Regatta guide is out now, pop into the Tourist Information Centre to get yours?

Regatta is much more than just a fun fair, burger vans and cheap jacks along the embankment.  Out on the river you will see the real event.  Hire a boat for a couple of hours and have a look?

Dartmouth dot TV owners Dave & Jill Cawley sponsor one of the local rowing events and are acknowledged on the inside back cover.  You will find us out on the river most days, pottering about or sometimes just moored to a buoy watching the world go by.

The Red Arrows are on Friday and the simply huge firework displays are Thursday and Saturday evening.

2.   Overlord visits Dartmouth

Lizzie Helyer sent us this interesting picture of picture of S/Y "Overlord", which was anchored in Dartmouth on Monday night. Overlord is one of many hundred square metre yachts which were taken by the British at the end of the second world war as "windfalls" from the Germans. They were built in the 30's and used in the Baltic Sea to train the German Airforce (Luftwaffe) to navigate.

The "Windfalls" were kept in Dartmouth at Britannia Naval Base pontoons until the 70's and used for sail training by the young officers of the time. They were then replaced by the present day Contessas. "Overlord" and her sister ship "Marabu" were set up into syndicates in Southampton and Brighton respectively.

Lizzie crewed on Overlord, from Madeira to the Azores in 1995 and very much enjoyed meeting the current Overlord crew, here in Dartmouth. She also used to skipper "Marabu" and from 1990 to 1998 sailed to Norway, Spain, Scotland and the west coast of Ireland in her. In 1998, she skippered her in the Tall Ships Race from Falmouth to Lisbon. Marabu was the only one converted into a ketch and her tiller replaced by wheel steering. The yachts are approximately 58 feet long and were built of mahogany on alternate oak and iron frames by Aberking and Rasmussen at Lemverder, Germany. There were also smaller and larger versions of the same design. In a few weeks time "S/Y Seascamp" a 41 foot "windfall" will sail into the harbour.

3.   Sergeant Pepper's signed album cover?

Mark Riley reports: I have been really fortunate to secure these artists for our exhibition this weekend and next week. All work is limited edition and signed. We may, I stress may, also be having a Sergeant Pepper's signed album cover screenprint by Sir Peter Blake and a Damien Hirst LSD screenprint. I am awaiting availability and will know by the end of next week which is why I haven't advertised them yet, but could be a scoop!  Will definitely get all the naysayers going!

At Coombe Gallery in Foss Street we have brought together an impressive collection of highly collected and much loved British artists: Sir Peter Blake R.A., Sandra Blow R.A., Beryl Cook R.A., Sir Terry Frost R.A. & Donald Hamilton Fraser R.A.

We will be exhibiting a rich selection of signed limited edition silkscreen prints by these artists which are highly sought after by both investors and fans alike and we will be exhibiting some very rare images alongside brand new work in this must see exhibition.

4.   Sauce and Seascapes Featuring Rosa Sepple RI and Colin Kent RI

Paul Reach reports:  An exhibition which features two of our newest gallery artists starts this Saturday. Both are RI's and both have a very keen following so we are particularly pleased to be able to show their work in the West Country. As the title suggests The work of Rosa Sepple RI is a little saucy, but is set in the tradition of artists such as Lowry and Lautrec with its emphasis on social commentary. Colin Kent RI however is captivated by the coastal districts of East Anglia capturing the sometimes isolated locations with a haunting light which hints at the past but also captures the atmosphere of the present.

As you can see Dartmouth has some really top class galleries, look at some more by clicking here.

5.   A week in Dartmouth

Andy Kyle has sent these photos in, those of us who know him often wonder how he ever gets any work done, he tells us he is very busy!!

6.   Small News

• Friday the 20th about 8:00 in the evening will see the highest tide this year, not huge and unless we get some really low pressure, it won't flood Bayards Cove, or will it?
   

• Some are still convinced that our picture was of a model train, here is the director's un-cut version!
   

• Royal Avenue Gardens, 3.00pm this Sunday, come and join in Regatta Praise.  All welcome.

Why not come and visit Dartmouth?

• Self catering accommodation click here
   
• Dartmouth B and B  click here
   
• Dartmouth Hotels click here
   
• A Tourist Guide to Dartmouth click here

Images copyright Dave Cawley, Tony Pike , Andy Kyle & others.