Considering buying or hiring a narrowboat, for pleasure, leisure, or for a home afloat, or even for that ‘staycation’ but not having experience of boating it’s a bit of a gamble… “Will we enjoy it; can I cope with living in a ‘corridor’? What if I can’t steer?”

It’s a common conundrum, and one Birmingham and Midland Marine Services Ltd set out to sort out for you; painlessly!

How about, a combined holiday or short break, and a 2-day, Royal Yachting Association ‘Inland Waterways Helmsman Certificate’ training course for up to three of your crew over the first two days of your experience.

The ‘holiday boat’ element of the course starts in the afternoon of day-1, that morning is spent on a commercial narrow beam work boat, cutting your teeth on a much more robust vessel with less crockery to dislodge!Training and the beginning of your holiday or short break begins at Gailey Wharf, ST19 5PR, on the scenic Staffs and Worcester Canal in Staffordshire.

Conveniently located just 500m from junction 12 of the M6 motorway, on Watling Street, A5. The pace of life on the canals and the river is nice and easy and we try to reflect this in our instruction style. If you would like something showing to you again then ask! If you are not sure of something, then again, just ask!

Each of the Hire boats are a different specification; length, berths, layout, et cetera and the pricing structure is quite complicated. From our wharf at Gailey, vessels range from basic, smaller craft at 42 feet in length, to high end craft, sleeping capacity from X2 to x8 on a the more luxurious 70-foot vessel. With twelve boats in the fleet, we are sure to have a configuration that works for your group.

Being both Family and pet friendly you are welcome to holiday with a wide range of ages, bring the whole Family, even the dog! The training element is only open to adults, however.

Following the first day’s multi-boat training, covering the essentials such as safety, handling, emergency stops, and a couple of lock descents, the trainer (Lady and Gent instructors available) leaves for the evening and rejoins the following morning.

Once two locks have been accomplished going uphill and the syllabus has been completed, candidates signed off, clients can either retain the instructor as competent crew for the remainder of the day or say goodbye and put their newly found skills to the test!

Prices for the hire element are variable depending upon time of year and level of vessel.

If you’d like to hear more then drop us a line at office@midlandmarine.co.uk and we can fill you in on the details.

One to think about hey?