Meet the Fleet
As part of the Waterdance family we have a direct line to the dock and priority landing by our family-owned vessels. We provide the full bounty of the Western Channel with 100% transparency.
Winter of Ladram
E24
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The Winter of Ladram represents a new generation of fishing vessel with a unique design on the traditional south-west crabber focusing on safety and comfort for the crew. She was built at Parkol’s Whitby yard for Waterdance. Her exceptional stability allows the Winter’s skipper to safely navigate the often wild weather in the Western Approaches to the UK and around the Isles of Scilly.
Overall Length: 21m
Breadth: 7.7m
Year of Build: 2022
Country of Build: United Kingdom -
Pots have been used throughout the world for thousands of years to catch a wide variety of fish and shellfish. In UK waters crab and lobster fishing is regulated with minimum landing sizes to ensure a healthy population and larger vessels are limited in the number of days they can fish. A unique feature of Winter of Ladram is that she has been designed with over 3 metres of headroom under the shelter deck to ensure plenty of stowage space for pots when shifting grounds.
Area Fished: English Channel / SW Approaches
Fish Caught: Crab, Lobster and Octopus -
The experienced crew aboard select high quality shellfish and octopus, with capacity for up to 25 tonnes of shellfish within the aerated seawater ‘vivier’ tank in the core of the vessel. Vitality of the catch is maintained with regular landings, primarily targeted at the premium live export market. Built for crab and lobster fishing, the Winter has proved adaptable to harvest octopus in times of peak abundance.
Nichola of Ladram
E1
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The Nichola of Ladram is a potting vessel built to our design with a broad beam (width) to accommodate the 45,000 litre seawater tank for live storage of the shellfish catch.
Overall Length: 15m
Breadth: 7m
Year of Build: 2019
Country of Build: Netherlands -
Hauling and shooting baited pots in strings of one hundred, the crew are highly skilled at handling the fishing gear and catch to ensure safe and efficient working.
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The Nichola has proved effective at catching both octopus during the recent population explosion and the traditional shellfish caught in the mid-English Channel South of Salcombe.
Jane of Ladram
SE101
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The Jane of Ladram has a rich heritage as a successful potting vessel operating from Salcombe for the Favis family. Waterdance acquired the vessel in 2025, investing in improvements to make life easier and safer for the crew.
Overall Length: 18m
Breadth: 6m
Year of Build: 1989
Country of Build: Netherlands -
Fishing with baited pots primarily in the mid-English Channel, the Jane of Ladram is a proven vessel and part of the spectacular scenery of the historic fishing port of Salcombe.
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Primarily targeting crab and lobster, the Jane is also capable of catching octopus for storage in its onboard fridges.
Ted of Ladram
E7
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The Ted of Ladram is our newest potting vessel, delivered in 2025 from Parkol in Whitby, North Yorkshire. Purpose-built as a modern whelker, she measures just under 15 metres in length with a 7.5-metre beam. This compact yet robust design is well suited to the demands of year-round shellfish fishing.
Overall Length: 15m
Breadth: 7.5m
Year of Build: 2025
Country of Build: UK -
Whelk or crab pots are hauled along the starboard side of the vessel and shot away again on fresh grounds once the catch is sorted and bait added. Careful sorting ensure small catches are returned alive to the sea to grow on and keep stocks sustainable.
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Whilst built as a whelk vessel, the Ted of Ladram is also ideally suited to harvesting octopus, with a large refrigerated fish hold and ice producing machine aboard. Whelk supply is greatest between April and August each year.
Becci of Ladram
E508
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We custom-built the Becci of Ladram to our own specifications, because we wanted a utility vessel based at Exmouth marina. As well as stainless steel ironwork and heavy iroko gunwales, the Becci is fitted with a pot hauler on her starboard side and a net hauler on her port side, so that she can undertake potting and netting.
Overall Length: 10m
Breadth: 4m
Year of Build: 2001
Country of Build: UK -
From nets for fish to whelk pots, crab and lobster pots and cuttlefish traps, the Becci is versatile with multiple static fishing gears for the seasonal fisheries at different times of year. She fishes day trips, returning to Exmouth to land fresh catches. The pots are selective, as they all have escape hatches fitted to them to allow the smaller shellfish to escape.
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Smaller volumes of fresh daily catches are the speciality for the Becci with key products of lobster, octopus, cuttlefish and shrimp.
Salcombe Inshore Fleet
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From small punts of 6 metres to 12 metres traditional, this fleet fishes single day trip in and out of the steep-sided estuary with stunning blue waters in Summer.
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With a limited daily range, the adaptable fleet can switch rapidly to make the most of what is abundant locally. Primarily pot fishing, there are centuries of fishing history in this popular South Devon port.
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Salcombe is synonymous with crab and lobster of exceptional quality. The recent octopus ‘bloom’ has seen the fleet adapt and land significant quantities seasonally since 2025.
