What you need to know when booking a trip:

• All trips, regardless of length, must be booked and paid for in advance to secure your trip.

• The departure point is at the end of the Town Jetty, Copperas Road, Brightlingsea, Essex, CO7 0AP, this is a public jetty which requires harbour permission to pick up and drop off passengers so please text me when you have arrived and are on the jetty ready to go and I will gain permission to access the jetty at this point. Obviously if you arrive earlier than your departure time, I am likely to be on another trip prior to your trip so will get you onboard as soon as my prior trip has finished.

• There is free parking on the roads in the winter, or in the surrounding residential roads all year round if you don't mind a short walk in the summer. Alternatively, there is a pay and display carpark near the pontoon. Remember to bring change for the car park or a card to pay over the phone. Please allow plenty of time to get parked up and meet me at the end of the jetty.
• Please allow suitable time to park and arrive promptly at the time of your booking as this is the departure time and your trip cannot be extended on the day due to late arrival and no refund will be due if you are unable to make your trip at the time and date agreed. 
• Lady Grace Boat Trips was set up by the skipper, Stacey Belbin, in 2011 and is intended to be a family run business that will pass down the generations for years to come. Therefore, I would like to make you aware that Lady Grace Boat Trips has two young crew onboard, Stanley, born in July 2021, and Douglas, born March 2024, that are usually onboard with us. Every effort has been taken with your booking to ensure your trip is booked at the most convenient time with the tides and at a time that Stanley and Douglas should be at their most settled during the day to create the least disruption on the boat as possible to ensure your full enjoyment of your trip booked but we all know children can be unpredictable at times so please be aware there will be two young children onboard with you.
• Dogs are only permitted onboard if they are kept on a lead and most importantly must be kept on the floor not on the seats. Please respect these requests are in place for health and safety, hygiene and consideration of other passengers travelling onboard Lady Grace later in the day.
• I appreciate when booking a trip onboard the boat, you may wish to spend the day in Brightlingsea and may end up with children and adults playing in the mud and sand. Prior to your trip, please can you ensure all muddy, sandy boots and clothes are washed off before attempting to board my vessel. There is a tap at the top of the Town Jetty. Lady Grace is a highly prestigious vessel and I am proud to maintain high cleaning standards therefore I ask that you respect my boat and leave the boat in the same condition as you found it.
• Lady Grace is not a floating rubbish bin, therefore any rubbish must be contained in your clothes pockets or bags. Rubbish must not be left on seats on put on the floor to blow around in the wind and potentially blow overboard polluting the sea. Please take all your rubbish home with you and dispose of it responsibly.
• I do not offer a running commentary as I feel you get a more personalised trip by being given the opportunity to ask me questions if you wish or to enjoy the trip in silence enjoying the peace and serenity of being on the water without me mumbling on in the background.
• Please ensure you dress accordingly for the weather, i.e. if it’s hot and sunny make sure you wear sun cream, and if it looks uncertain please bring a jacket and warm layers. Sunhats and caps are not advisable on the boat as they often get caught by the wind and will blow off into the water and due to the shallow waters, we are not always able to recover lost items.
• Please note: when booking the boat trip, you are paying for hire of the boat, you are not paying to hire the perfect weather for your trip or guaranteed the perfect sunset. It is an open boat to enjoy whatever nature throws at us, whether that be a glorious sunny day or a breezy drizzly evening – it is all part of the experience of being outdoors so please ensure you dress appropriately and that you are prepared for the experience. No refunds will be given unless the weather is too windy to operate the trip. The weather and sea state decision lies with your qualified skipper.
• When booking a wildlife trip, please remember it is 'wild' life, which means the marine mammals we see during these trips are not contained in cages, they are flying or swimming amongst the creeks freely amongst nature. With this in mind; there are no guarantees with what wildlife we will see, that is the beauty of wildlife. If you want to be guaranteed to see a particular species of wildlife then I suggest you visit a place where animals are kept in captivity to avoid disappointment.
• Cameras and binoculars are recommended for those who are keen photographers and bird watchers. Lady Grace Boat Trips accepts no liability for any damaged or lost equipment onboard the board. You bring equipment at your own risk, therefore please ensure you bring adequate waterproof protection in the event of wet weather to protect your equipment as it is your own responsibility.
• Trips booked and paid for are not refundable or transferable to an alternative date should you be unable to make your planned trip on the date arranged at the time of booking.
• Rude and abusive language or behaviour onboard will not be tolerated and may result in early return to port, if this is the case no refund will be given.
• For safety reasons, please ensure all passengers remain seated for the duration of the trip, once the boat is underway passengers are not permitted to change places on the boat, it is both dangerous; altering the balance of the boat, and a distraction to the skipper, you must remain seated until the boat is moored back up at the jetty.
• All the relevant safety equipment is carried onboard under the local council guidelines should an emergency arise. Please note, all passengers regardless of age must remain seated for the duration of the trip. Lifejackets are only carried for emergency purposes and are not offered for use as a fail-safe for parents that wish to ignore their children's behaviour onboard. It is your duty as a parent to ensure your child remains seated for the duration of the trip. If you wish to put your child in a lifejacket for the trip I suggest you bring your own specifically designed and suited for the size of your children rather than rely on the vessel's 'one-size fits all' emergency equipment. If you are going to put children in your self supplied life saving equipment; please ensure they are fitted correctly and that they are a lifejacket and not just a buoyancy aid, as if there was an emergency onboard, your incorrectly fitted lifejacket or inadeqate buoyancy aid would need to be removed and refitted with the correct safety equipment and therefore this would delay the safety of your child in an emergency situation. Buoyancy aids do not replace lifejackets.
• If you have any questions about my trips please call me on 07791 859624. Please bear in mind that due to the nature of my business I may not be able to answer your call immediately if I have passengers onboard at the time of your call. However, leave me a voice message or drop me a text and I will return your call or reply by text at my earliest convenience.
• Please see full terms and conditions for more information regarding your booking.

Terms and Conditions