Booking was done by email and confirmed with friendly professionalism.
You do need a skipper license for this type of boat and they can issue you a temporary Skippers license for a nominal fee: this takes approximately 40 minutes, but you must notify them prior to arrival.
Our arrival and checkin was smooth. We were given a boat called Arc Royale. It was clean, well outfitted and well maintained. We went through the checklist, including the propeller and onboard water capacity - quick & efficient. The boat was relatively easy to handle considering it’s size and with the 40hp motor, was manoeuvre-able and comfortable for two people to cope with.
The Kowie river is beautiful - it remains clean & one of the best navigable rivers we have been on. Wildlife is seen around the banks by the Mansfield Reserve, and the birdlife is absolutely stunning. We witnessed an endless variety of birds from fishers to raptors, on the river banks. We also had the awesome surprise of having a seal breach right next to our open bedroom window, whilst enjoying an early morning coffee.
Fishing is also good - rods & tackle can be hired from reception for a reasonable fee… fishing was best done at the turn of the tide… we hooked a number of exciting fish & crab, which never made it onto the boat, but provided much entertainment.
The boat had a couple of board games onboard which came in handy during the second day when the weather turned extremely poor; gale force winds, rains and a Spring tide meant that the river was restless and turbulent in some places, however the onboard navigation map was accurate and provided us with plenty of calm and protected areas to moor in. Being warm & safe in your boat whilst the elements of Nature throw a tantrum around you, is truly satisfying.
The only minor negative was the gas shower did not stay hot; it would shut off after 30 seconds and the water went cold in a hurry. This did not impact our overall experience which more than made up for this inconvenience.
As it was Winter, we took our own hot water bottles with, which proved invaluable - it was decidedly chilly at night, and together with the extra bedding available onboard, made the nights warm & comfortable despite the frosty evenings.
Returning to harbour was just as easy and we left the boat with excellent memories and a great experience to repeat again in the future.
Highly recommended and would return again.