Chesterboat's Women Sail through Boatmaster's Test!

10 Jul 2019 08:56
Published by: Kian French

ChesterBoat is celebrating the success of two of its crew as they achieved their Skippers' Licence this week.

Following three months of training Jenny Taylor and Lisa Gostelow have passed their (Maritime Coastguard Agency) MCA Boatmaster test and obtained their skipper's licence. The test included a practical and oral examination. They had to demonstrate their boat handling skills and mechanical knowledge of the boat, and their understanding of international and local rules for vessels. Prior to taking the test, they earned certificates in first aid, firefighting and personal survival skills. They also underwent a seafarers medical.

Jenny and Lisa have both worked as crewmembers since early 2017. They are delighted to have had the chance to learn the ropes and complete their training to become fully-fledged skippers.

Jenny said: "I love working on the water, and I feel really lucky having a job where I get to spend my day on a beautiful river. We have a great team here, who have helped us through our training with lots of advice and experience. I'm looking forward to taking passengers up the river as a skipper."

Lisa agreed and added: "There's no better place than on the river, meeting people from around the world and having the opportunity to share with them a relaxing cruise. I really enjoy our party nights and I look forward to taking the helm as our guests dance the night away" she added.

Brian Clarke, Managing Director at ChesterBoat said: "I am delighted that Lisa and Jenny have now joined the crew as skippers. It has been a long time since we had women at the helm and it's great to see their enthusiasm and commitment to ChesterBoat. It reinforces the health and wellbeing benefits of being on the open water."

He went on to say, "We are very proud of the crew at ChesterBoat and our congratulations goes to both Jenny and Lisa as they embark on their role as skippers with us. They have worked hard to achieve this with the support of Paul, our manager, the experienced skippers that trained them, and our external trainer, Captain Dave Evans."

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