A Day in the Life of the Day Boat Team

Our Day boat team are really busy all summer making sure our customers have a fab time exploring the Broads on our Day Boats, Picnic Boats & Kayaks. It’s a hectic pace and they work hard to make sure customers head out on time; confident they have all the knowledge they require to handle the craft safety.

A Day Boat team member’s day starts before the first customers have even go to the marina as the team checks each of the boats. They make sure the water & oil levels are topped up, engines checked over and the gas canisters on the Picnic Boats are full so customers can make a hot cup of tea as they travel down the waterways. Some of our Housekeeping team will be working alongside the Day Boat team to make sure the interior of the boats are spotless. When each day boat returns the Day Boat team hop on board clean, brush and spray the interior with anti bacterial spray ready for the next customers to go out and enjoy their day.

The Day Boat team then greet the Reception staff and discuss how many Picnic Boats & Kayaks we have booked for the day. With a list of pre-booked boats, they then make note of which boats & kayaks they need to hold back, and which can be sent out to ‘walk-in’ customers on the day.

Pre-booking the Picnic Boats and Kayaks makes it a little easier to keep track, but Day Boats are a free for all! People can pop in and hire them out from 1hour to 8 hours, so the team need to make sure they communicate with Reception throughout the day to make sure we don’t have any double bookings.

Last job before the customers arrive is to head over to the Life Jacket Room where they check they have a great selection of all sizes ready for the customers. With sizes ranging from baby to adult we have a size for everyone – so no excuses for not wearing one!

When customers have registered at Reception the team are ready to fit them with lifejackets; they explain how to handle the boat and the do’s and don’ts of boating on the Broads. As out team are avid sailors themselves, they have great advice on where to go to spot wildlife & local landmarks and which pubs to stop off at!

After making sure the customers are confident, and confirming the return time with the  Day Boat team wave off the boat and move onto the next! It can get a bit confusing as we have a lot of boats coming in and out at different times, so the team have a large chart in their room which keeps track of all the boats coming and going that day.

The team will be ready on the quayside to help returning customers moor up. They will then check over the boat, making sure it is still in a great condition and securely tied up.

At the end of a busy day the team make sure all the boats are back in place, safely moored and covered up. A check of the Life Jacket room ensures all the jackets are logged back in and checked before being locked away.

Then the team are finished for the day – ready to come back in the morning and do it all over again!