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Torquay pub dedicated to dad who died in Gulf of Mexico tragedy
It is not often you hear that an entire business is dedicated to the memory of somebody. This is the case at Babbacombe pub The Divers Arms run by Hannah Bovey, her aunt, three sisters and her mother.
Three years ago on Father’s Day, 21 June 2020, the family received the news that Andy Pybus, Hannah’s father, had died in the Gulf of Mexico while he was on the job as a deep sea diver the day before. The family’s world crumbled and quickly fell into turmoil but the arrival of the new pub that October gave them a positive venture to focus on, Hannah said.
Mr Pybus, a 59-year-old who lived in Torquay and worked all over the world, tragically died of a heart attack while embarking on a dive from an oil rig, an inquest heard.
“That is why I will work and work and work with everything I have here because it’s in honour of him. If I could do one thing it’s to make a success out of it,” Hannah said.
The family changed the name of the pub from Route 16 to The Divers Arms to honour Andy and his way of life and with the beautiful sea view stretching out across the Bay from the pub garden it really fits, Hannah said. As the manager of the pub, Hannah lives in the flat above and in July she said she will be taking full command of it.
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She said she is excited and nervous about stepping out from under her aunt’s wing who has industry experience through owning a pub in Totnes and Plymouth and who originally took The Divers Arms on.
“I eat, breathe and sleep The Divers Arms,” Hannah said. She added: “My auntie’s given me the stepping stone and now pushed me.”
Following on from the unique meaning behind the founding of The Divers Arms is a rather special way of life in the pub, carefully created by Hannah and her family. She does not class the pub as a local’s pub, though there are regulars she wanted to make sure that it was an ‘everybody’s pub’ with a particular focus on women’s safety in the establishment.
Hannah explained: “If you’re a single female on your own, I want you to walk in and feel comfortable enough to come to the bar and order a drink. Being a woman myself, there are certain pubs that I would never dream of going in – just because you walk in and everybody knows everybody and it’s quite daunting and I didn’t want that for this place.
“I wanted that if you were on you’re on and you fancy a drink that you feel confident enough to come in and have a chat with the bar staff. And I do get that. I do get women who come in on their own just for a drink and I really like that they can feel safe enough to be able to do that.”
The pub being run by a family full of women, not often seen in the industry, helped push them to want something different for the place, Hannah said. She added: “When you take over a pub you think ‘What is it you want to achieve here?’ And I thought about all the times I’d been out and all the pubs that I had been to and I thought there are so many places I would not go in on my own. I would always meet my friends outside and I didn’t want that for this place.
“So I thought ‘No, we’re going to flip this and make this somewhere anybody can come.'”
And it being somewhere anybody can go means that it has to cater for every type of pubgoer, which it does. On top of the drinks and lightly lit interior it offers food from local butchers LG Paulk and other local companies, live music every weekend, quiz nights and other events to entertain every week and also a pool table.
The best roast dinner in Torquay is available at The Divers Arms on Sundays, according to Hannah and Ita, a member of staff. Familiar pub grub is also on offer at the pub with steaks, burgers and traditional pub dishes all being popular. On Thursdays, there is a Grill Night at the pub where steaks are discounted too at a tasty two for £18.
Though Hannah is looking to switch things up a bit on the menu when she takes over in July. A pasta section, a seafood section, and a wider variety of steaks and ribs are all in the works. Hannah said: “It’s just to be a little bit different because we do have a lot of competitors here.”
The pub runs regular events too with live music playing at least one night every weekend. There is karaoke every other Friday too as well as a weekly quiz night on Wednesdays.
When bands come to play they often perform outside in the pub garden during the day over the beautiful sea views, weather permitting of course. Otherwise, in the evenings, they come inside and a dance floor is set up sometimes.
Hannah spoke about what it was like on live music nights. She said: “You’ve got some people who get up and dance. But it depends on what type of this it is really – on a Sunday we try to keep it a more chilled atmosphere unless it’s a bank holiday, then it goes to a different level!
“But nine times out of 10 with the evening bands you’ll have people up and dancing. It’s just a good atmosphere. You enjoy working when it’s like that – everyone’s in good spirits.”
DJs also have been known to play at the pub in the back room with a big dance floor too and during last bank holiday Sunday, Hannah said a BBQ was laid on by Plymouth’s Grillin’ like a Villain with a band playing outside. “It was just amazing to see,” Hannah said.
The pub also has a pool table for people to play on and once had a pool team, though this is not being run at the moment. Hannah hopes it will take off again next year with the help of her partner. She is also looking to get Sky Sports to be played at the pub too.
She said: “Then we will genuinely offer everything – from live music to sports. But equally with the sports, it’s a place you can bring your kids. It’s a place you can actually let them watch the football or whatever they want to watch and have a meal. It’s the best of both worlds.”
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