Matthew Spencer-Smith
Matt has worked in the harbour for over 16 years, starting out as a ‘Skiffer boy’ then working on the self drive hire boats and at 18 moving on to driving the rib ride for several years.
Also a commercial fisherman Matt has been working in st Ives bay and the surrounding areas for many years and is one of the most experienced boatmen in st Ives, so rest assured you’ll be in safe hands when booking a trip aboard the Four Sisters.
Dan
Dan, our skipper, has been on the water since he was 12, racing sailing boats in the school nationals for the Worcestershire team, including competing on the 2012 Olympic courses in Weymouth. After leaving school, he began working on the water, starting out building narrowboats in the Midlands before moving into marine engineering in Stourport-on-Severn. He moved to Cornwall in 2017 and has been part of the harbour ever since, progressing from running the transfer vessel to qualifying as an experienced skipper running a seal island boat then onto the four sisters after passing his Boatmaster’s qualification in 2025. During this time, he also served two and a half years with the RNLI in St Ives.
“We went on the Isla Bea boat trip on Thursday 28th July 2016. The skipper said the weather was a bit rough for going to Seal Island so took us round the lighthouse and we saw some seals. He got the boat really close to the rocks and told us lots of information about the seals and sea birds. Although the weather wasn't great we had an excellent trip and would certainly recommend.”
“We had a lovely trip to Seal Island which indeed delivered with a group of about 15 seals enjoying the sun and a pleasant trip along the coast. Very friendly and knowledgeable skipper. A real highlight of our visit to Cornwall.”
“Excellent value for money (for the three of us - 2 x adults and 1 x 7 year old and we paid £32.00) and really enjoyable. We loved it. A great trip and highly recommended if you've not done it before. Thanks to all involved.”
“A fabulous session out in the boat to see the seals with Isla Bea. David the skipper was fantastic - well informed, polite and knowledgeable.”
“We had a superb trip aboard the Isla Bea, saw seals a plenty and even dolphins. Kids were ecstatic. The perfect way to spend an hour, I would whole heartedly recommend this trip. The skipper was super friendly and really knew his stuff.”
Kids go free!! (off peak, 2 max, Ts & Cs apply)
Family friendly boat trips
Largest passenger vessel in St Ives
Dogs welcome
Relaxed & Traditional cruising
Experienced & knowledgable local skipper
St Ives Boat Trips | A boat trip you will never forget
