Q & A with Stones Boatyard Owner Tristan Stone

Away from the clinking of champagne flutes and the cracking of crab shells, across the glittering water from Salcombe town and tucked amongst the beech lined estuary banks of East Portlemouth you’ll find Stones Boatyard.

Home to the latest generation of Stones, the family have been living and working on Salcombe waters since the 1800s, with few locals able to claim more intricate knowledge of the estuary and surrounding coastline. From crab pots and fishermen to legendary boatbuilders and marine timber suppliers, the Stone family are synonymous with fine craftsmanship.

The boatyard itself was established in 1938 by James Stone, having completed his Shipwrights’ apprenticeship with the legendary Edgar Cove. James and other members of the Stone family began building the now iconic Salcombe Yawls, earning a reputation for both sailing and
constructing fast, high-quality vessels.

Fast forward to today and the latest generation of Stones continue to maintain and restore Salcombe’s wooden launches and yawls. As Salcombe has grown in popularity, the yard has evolved as well, now providing a modern secure home for these historic boats. And, in 2020, as life in Salcombe came to a standstill, the impact of Covid-19 left Tristan and Lizzie, the current boatyard custodians, exploring new ways to diversify the business.

We caught up with Tristan after a busy 2021 summer to find out more about his experience of a life spent over the water from one of the UK’s most popular holiday destinations.

What are your earliest memories of being on the water in Salcombe?

My earliest memories of being out on the water in Salcombe are fishing off Limebury Point with my grandad. We used to go out on Shirley Tyler’s 20-foot clinker launch, Smuggler. It was built by our family and Shirley was pivotal in helping young people learn to sail in the estuary from Smalls beach.

I used to love going out over the Salcombe Bar to catch bass and mackerel. My grandad taught me everything there was to know about the estuary and nature. He’d take me foraging for scallops, razor clams and lugworms, and we’d dig bait on the beach for our fishing trips. He had a saying for everything… “wind’s in the east, fish bite least”, and now I find myself repeating the same phrases to my children.

Can you share any of your favourite spots to explore by boat?

Having a boat is the best way to escape the crowds in the summer. We load ours up with our canoe and head past the bar, east towards East Prawle and Lannacombe in search of little coves and rock pools at low water. If we’re lucky we sometimes come across dolphins out at sea which is truly magical. It’s definitely one of the perks of living and working on the water.

Did you always plan to take over the business then?

Not at all! I studied Marine Aquaculture at college, but when my dad left for Canada 20 years ago I saw the opportunity to set up a boatyard that would allow me to live and work in the place I love. I was also passionate about bringing some of the traditional boats back onto the estuary. In 2004, I managed to get planning permission for the yard and I was lucky to have lots of local support. The business has grown from there, bit by bit, and we’re really proud to keep a small part of the Salcombe tradition alive.

Speaking of Salcombe traditions, can you tell us a bit more about the Salcombe yawls?

Yawls go back around 200 years and were originally built for fishing the coast around Salcombe. We can often get particularly strong currents and rough seas around this part of the channel, so yawls were designed for strength, with a traditional clinker construction that allowed them to sail windward against strong harbour tides to the mouth of the estuary where fishermen could work their crab and lobster pots. Over the years, yawls evolved into the formidable racing boats that we still see on the estuary today.

It’s not just the boats that have evolved, has Salcombe’s growth in popularity had a big impact on how you operate?

It’s lovely that Salcombe has continued to be such a popular holiday destination, but it has changed. Island Street used to be a hive of boating activity with boatbuilding, maintenance and crab pot making whereas now it’s mostly retail. That makes it even more important for us to keep some of the town’s heritage alive by encouraging people to sail, row and enjoy the estuary on traditional wooden boats.

We try to find the right balance between the past and present, maintaining and restoring Salcombe yawls and launches, whilst also looking at opportunities to reduce estuary pollution and be more sustainable.

Following the first lockdown, when restrictions were lifted and we were able to get back on the water, we noticed that there was much more wildlife about, from kingfishers to large shoals of fish. The estuary had been so peaceful during the lockdown and we realised how much the sound of outboard engines and the pollution they omit impacts life in the estuary. We contacted Torqeedo, who are leading the way when it comes to electric marine propulsion, and decided it was the perfect time to start supplying electric engines from the boatyard. Many of our customers have now made the switch to electric and are enjoying cleaner, quieter motoring on the estuary which is brilliant. Of course, nothing quite beats the simple sound of wind in your sails!

That’s amazing! Those early lockdowns must have really affected your business…

It was eerily quiet and magical in many ways. The estuary completely shut down during the height of the pandemic with only fisherman and commercial operators permitted to use their boats and, with the boatyard so quiet, we decided to look at ways to diversify the business.

We’d been long term admirers of the American brand YETI, who make really high-quality cool boxes and outdoor drinkware. We felt they’d be a great fit for the yard and would offer our customers some fantastic kit for their boats and beach trips so took the plunge and approached them to ask if we could be one of their UK stockists. What started as a small lockdown idea quickly grew into us becoming one of their biggest online retailers. We’re so chuffed with how well it took off!

That’s quite a change, what made YETI the perfect fit?

Over the years we’ve seen countless boats coming into the yard with broken cool boxes… handles hanging off, lid latches snapped and even those that weren’t broken never seemed to keep things very cold for long. We knew people, ourselves included, were desperate for some decent quality gear that would last.

Salcombe has bred many a good sailor, some of whom are now friends of ours who captain sailing yachts and motor yachts. They’ve always championed YETI products on their boats so we knew we could vouch for their quality. We had plenty of room at the boatyard for stock and because their products are built properly, it seemed like the perfect fit for our customers.

Do you use the products yourself then?

Absolutely! Like most of our customers, when we’re not working, we’re out fishing or sailing and the YETI gear has proven invaluable for making those days extra special. It’s brilliant to know you’ve got chilled water (or wine!), a flask of hot tea and bags that we can chuck around knowing they’ll keep our stuff dry without falling apart.

There’s something about being in nature that makes you all the more appreciative of life’s little luxuries and there’s nothing better than enjoying an ice-cold beer or wine on a secret beach while the waves crash and the sun goes down.

That sounds good to me! Before we leave you, do you have any top tips for Salcombe visitors
looking to get out and explore the area?

Get up early before the crowds and get out on the water to watch the sun come up over Prawle Point. If you’re lucky you’ll see the sun coming up as the moon is going down and the light at that time of day is incredible. Catch a few mackerel for lunch or dinner and cook them up on a BBQ on the beach.

If boats are off-limits, take the coastal path from East Portlemouth towards Gara for sunrise and you’ll be blown away by the views.

Thanks, Tristan!

Find out more about the services offered at Stones Boatyard, the historic Salcombe Yawls and shop YETI products online.