In the summer, I visited Kent as I usually do every year. This year, I went on a boat trip with Wet Wheels. It is a charity that offers disabled people accessible boat trips on the sea.
About Wet Wheels
Wet Wheels operates from various locations around the UK, and I chose Wet Wheels Southeast, which is based in Dover. Apart from Dover, they are also based in Whitby, Edinburgh, Falmouth, Torquay, and Jersey.
Various nautical experiences are available on their accessible power boats, depending on location and the time of year.
I booked a seal-watching trip along the Kent coast for myself and two others, which cost £50 per person.
Seal watching off the Kent coast
On the day of departure, we arrived at the Dover Sea Sports Centre for a safety briefing before embarking. After we were suitably briefed on how to wear life jackets correctly we headed to the boat.
The boat is fully accessible to wheelchairs. They had a portable ramp so I could drive onto the boat without a problem, and once in position, my chair was clamped down. There was even a ramp up to the steering wheel, so wheelchair users could steer the boat if they wanted.
The boat can accommodate up to 12 people, including 3 wheelchairs. Once everyone was aboard, the boat set off from Dover port and whizzed past the White Cliffs of Dover on its way to the seals.
They drove the boat at full power to get there, and it went very fast. Spray flew up as it cut through the water, and the wind whipped through my hair.
After about half an hour of speeding through the waves, we arrived at where the seals were lounging in the water. They were mostly resting in a kind of estuary, and I could see their heads bobbing about on the surface. We didn’t get too close because we didn’t want to disturb them.
After seeing the seals, we headed back into the open water, and some people got to steer the vessel and do water doughnuts. This included myself, although I found it difficult to turn the steering wheel. So I wasn’t actually steering the boat, but I got a good view out of the front windows as we returned to the port of Dover, which was busy with cruise ships.
Conclusion
Wet Wheels was an enjoyable trip out on a boat on a warm and sunny day. The only downside was that I couldn’t turn around once on the boat because I was clamped in, so I just had to face the same way all the time. It’s a fully accessible boat, and the staff were very professional and friendly, so I think it’s well worth doing if you ever find yourself near one of the Wet Wheels centres.
