From little things, big things grow
We get a wide range of inquiries at Skipper for Hire; everything from technical questions about rare old diesel engines to people requesting quotes to deliver yachts to the other side of the world. Occasionally we talk to people who just want to know when it will be warm enough for them to take their family out on the boat without having to pack their jackets. One of our favourite types of call comes from people who don't even have a boat yet. They are entrepreneurs that want to get into the charter industry and are looking for people with the experience and qualifications to make their business work. Often we end up building a relationship with the client that goes on for months and we get to see their business turn from an idea into a profitable operation.
William has been lucky enough to act as vessel master for two such vessels over the past few months: the floating waterpark 'Jungle Float’ and the one of a kind golden jet boat 'Shuki'. You couldn't find two more different boats if you tried. Each one presents challenges and problems to be solved that simply wouldn't be encountered on a regular vessel. At Skipper for Hire we relish these challenges. We've found that the confidence that comes from years of experience paired with a positive 'can do' attitude means that no challenge is too great.
On Friday William met with the owner of ‘Jungle Float’ and drove the boat around to Clontarf Beach. They dropped anchor and William supervised the passengers and the vessel for its first day of work. The passengers (mostly kids) had a terrific time and said they would recommend it to their friends who had upcoming birthdays.
The next day William was driving the golden jetboat and the owner got a call from a member of the public who had seen the boat driving around earlier in the day and wanted to charter it for a quick run around the Harbour. William, Mitch (another skipper) and the owner drove the vessel to Chowder Bay and picked up the passengers from their anchored 50 foot Riviera cruiser.
William took the two families for a tour and did some spins and tricks for them much to their delight. In fact the whole trip was accompanied by screams of laughter, mostly from the children. The youngest child was very little but William says he took that into account when performing high speed maneuvers and made sure she was safe and not scared during the charter.
After her first charter, jet boat ‘Shuki’ was placed back in her marina and William rushed off to drive MV Kondor for a four hour bucks party.The next day he was on The Island for 12 hours ferrying passengers back and forth to Double Bay. A busy, challenging weekend spent on three very different boats, just the kind we like here at Skipper for Hire.
