Two new faces take the helm at Windermere Lake Cruises

Two new ‘Boatmasters’ have officially taken the helm on some of the Lake District’s most iconic vessels, making them part of a select group who help oversee thousands of sailings up and down England’s longest lake every year.

After months of intensive training, Kirsten Goodyer and Dan Barlow have passed their official Boatmasters Test with the Liverpool-based Maritime Coastguard Agency. As well as mastering all the essentials of fire-fighting, first aid and sea survival techniques, they have successfully navigated on the job training on Windermere Lake Cruises’ historic wooden launches. This includes honing local knowledge of speed limits and byelaws unique to Windermere.

After starting off as crew members with Windermere Lake Cruises, both Dan and Kirsten got a taste for life on the water and decided to forge ahead with longer-term roles ‘on the boats’.

Dan says, “I’m happy and proud to become a Boatmaster on Windermere. Travelling by boat is an intrinsic part of so many people’s visits to the Lake District, and I really can’t think of a job with better views!”

Ian Wilkinson, HR Manager at Windermere Lake Cruises, adds, “We operate more than 1.6 million annual passenger journeys every year, so ensuring they run smoothly, safely and on time is a complex task. Our Boatmasters are a vital part of this jigsaw and our congratulations go to Kirsten and Dan who are continuing a great tradition of guiding visitors through the Lakeland landscape from the unique perspective of some of the country’s most historic vessels .”