The Bishop family can trace
its ancestry in this area back as far as the 1760's and naturally
many have had connections with the sea. Colin Bishop established
the business in 1965 and at that time ran only from Blakeney Quay
to Blakeney Point, not the seals. Over time, demand and the siltation
of the harbour has meant a gradual migration to Morston quay and
many more seal trips.
All trips now go to the seals
and some also land on Blakeney Point. Occasional trips still depart
from Blakeney Quay, but this is very dependent on the tides and
weather conditions, (the much larger tides we now require are always
early in the mornings.) we have however, still managed to maintain
the tradition and a few trips leave from Blakeney each year.
All of our skippers are fully
licensed by the Maritime and Coastguard agency and are First Aid
Trained, most have been with us for over twenty years. Each skipper
carries a VHF marine radio and mobile phone and is in constant contact
with the office. The boats are also fully licensed by the Maritime
& Coastguard agency with an annual hull and safety equipment check
with random inspections to ensure all is in order. On board we have
the necessary equipment to ensure your safety, such as life jackets,
life rafts and fire extinguishers. We also have buoyancy tanks fitted
to all our boats. This is only for precaution and we have never
needed to use such items in the past.
Colin Bishop retired in 2002
and his oldest son Paul now runs the business with his wife Elspeth.
Gary Bishop (brother and graphic designer) does all of the design
work including the web-site, so it is still very much a family business.
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