The WiSe Scheme

We are very pleased to announce that we are now members of the Wildlife Safe Scheme (WiSe). The scheme promotes sustainable and safe wildlife watching practices for boat operators, with the aim of minimising disturbance to the abundant wildlife around our coast.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

As we approach the end of 2025, we look back on a very busy year!

Our heartfelt thanks go out to all our commercial clients, pleasure trippers and RYA course attendees in 2025. Your support means everything, thank you!!

The biggest change this year has been the addition of R/V Fortuna to our fleet. This represents a big step forward in terms of our capabilities, and we anticipate a busy year for her in 2026.

We will start our regular RYA Powerboat courses running again in March, but we are always open to running ad-hoc courses, subject to demand.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Dolphin Monitoring Surveys – Summer 2025

We have just started our second summer survey season with the Sea Mammal Research Unit at the University of St Andrews, using our RIB ‘MARY OLWEN’.

Researchers will be on board, studying the bottlenose dolphin population along the Yorkshire and Durham coastline until mid-to-late August.

The research is non-invasive, and involves photographing the dorsal fin of the animal, which is the easiest means of identification. Using this information, researchers can build a picture of local abundance, and both the individual and group habits of these fascinating creatures, which will inform future conservation management.

Permission for us to approach the dolphins has been granted under an MMO licence, and we operate under strict ethical protocols to ensure that no harm or distress is caused.

Thanks to the Wildlife Trusts and DEFRA for funding this work. If you’re interested to know more about the project please contact Grant at ge27@st-andrews.ac.uk

Charter trips – Easter Monday

If you’re looking for something exiting and different to do this weekend, we have availability for some private charter trips on Easter Monday (21st April). (Say it quietly, but the weather forecast is looking dry at the moment!)

Trips are available for up to 4 passengers, and prices start from £150 (1hr charter for 4 people).

Further information can be found on our Private Charters page.

Bottle Nose Dolphin surveys

We’re incredibly fortunate to have been chartered by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (University of St Andrews) to assist them with their ongoing study of bottlenose dolphins along the coast of Yorkshire, County Durham and Tyne and Wear.

This project focuses on individual bottlenose dolphins and is an extension of a project that has been running in Scotland since the 1980s. There are currently over 200 different individuals in their database, some of which we are now seeing along the north England coastline!


Throughout July, August and September, we’re using our RIB ‘Mary Olwen’ to search for, and photograph, these magnificent animals. By identifying individuals, their locations and behavioural patterns, the research team are building a fascinating picture of how they live, which in turn will feed into conservation efforts and ensure that they are protected. It’s extremely rare to have an opportunity like this as, under normal circumstances, boats are not allowed to approach within 100m of marine wildlife. The research team are operating under an MMO Wildlife licence, which allows us to approach the animals in a safe and responsible manner for the purposes of research.

Powerboat ‘Taster’ sessions – Good Friday

Do you fancy doing something a bit different this Easter? We are running a day of Powerboat ‘Taster’ sessions on Good Friday (29th March).

You’ll get to experience helming a powerboat for yourself, under the instruction of an RYA instructor.

These are 30 minutes in duration, and you will be at the controls for almost all of that time.

We can take up to 4 people out per session, so it makes a great family activity!

See our Powerboat Training page for available slots.