After a slow start to the year, due to COVID restrictions being rolled back in stages, the summer season took off in spectacular fashion with hundreds of clients booking charter days out on our Ribs! In this month’s blog, our in-house skipper and latest addition to the sales team, Sam Roberts looks back on some of his favourite charters from this year.
As a skipper, what makes the day stand out for me is when the clients are enjoying themselves, interacting with us by asking lots of questions and just generally having a laugh! With this covered it doesn’t matter what the weather is like on the day, however I must admit to preferring a calm sunny day on the water.
The first charter that stands out for me was a 3-boat stag party at the start of Cowes Week. We embarked Portsmouth with our guests and departed for a ‘tour of The Solent’, starting off with the famous Needles landmark. Following this we visited Newtown Creek to see the local seals and stopped off in Yarmouth for a quick break. For lunch we headed to The Folly Inn, down the Medina River, spectating the Cowes Week action as we passed. The group were great fun, and we had a fantastic time chatting about the sights and different boats we passed during the day.
Another favourite charter of mine was a 6 boat Solent Rib Treasure Hunt in August. The day was competitive, exciting, and faced passed creating a brilliant atmosphere on and off the water. The group really got stuck into it and got all of us skippers involved… it really doesn’t feel like work when you have a group that interacts with you. Quite a few of the group had also never been on a Rib before which made the day even more special and exciting for them. It was a pleasure to see people get so much joy from the event.
This has been my first season at Solent Rib Charter and I’ve loved every moment of it, already looking forward to the summer of 2022!
Sam is now off for a ski season in Canada for 6 months but will be returning as part of our office team in 2022 for the start of the next season.
