Qualifications & Safety
Safety at sea overrides everything we do.
Our fishing boat has a category 4 certificate issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). This enables it to be taken up to 20 miles from a safe-haven (Eastbourne in East Sussex) in daylight and in favourable weather conditions. The certificate allows parties of up to 3 persons to be carried. Subject to the experience of the skipper and crew along with an assessment of weather conditions, it may be necessary to limit the range the boat can be taken to a distance of less than 20 miles. As a requirement of the certificate, the boat has a full range of range of safety equipment including comfortable life-jackets, flares, lifebuoys and a life-raft. She is easy to operate and has an extremely reliable engine.
What qualifications do I need?
Formal qualifications are not essential to charter, however to satisfy insurance requirements at least one member of your party should have a minimum 2 years, sea-going, boat-handling experience and be able to demonstrate this experience practically.
It takes time for even the most experienced skippers to learn how a new boat handles. Prior to your first charter (or on the day if you prefer) we will conduct an extensive familiarisation briefing. Depending on your experience this may be relatively brief or take a little longer however as a guide you should allow four hours. This will allow sufficient time to learn about the boat's equipment and handling characteristics, familiarise yourself with anchoring and be shown local hazards.
We fully understand your desire to get to sea however we believe time spent with this process prevents avoidable problems later. It is only necessary to complete this process once. For all subsequent charters you can simply arrive and go. Please call if you would like more information or to discuss your boating experience.
If you are interested in completing an RYA powerboat course, our partners Sea Training Sussex can help. An RYA level 2 training course is well-worth completing and allows you to obtain an international certificate of competence which you can use abroad to charter. The training course lasts for 2 days and costs £250.