The Boat | Sussex Boat Trips

Our Rigid Inflatable Boat (RHIB) - Illuminate

RIBs are highly regarded as one of the safest ways of going to sea, even in the most challenging of conditions.

Our RIB was a bespoke build for us and was completed in May 2021. The 10m Humber has a proven pedigree when it comes to carrying out Sea Safari trips around the coast of the UK and beyond.

Illuminate as she is more affectionately known, was fitted out by Quinquari Marine in South Wales after the hull and tubes were manufactured in Hull. She’s powered by twin Suzuki 250Hp outboards and is capable of carrying 12 passengers at cruising speeds of approximately 25 to 30 Knots.

Quinquari Marine established Voyages of Discovery offering similar boat trips to ours nearly 25 years ago. Their invaluable experience has enabled us to fulfil our operational requirements perfectly from Day One.

The following footage is from one of their incredible trips off the coast of St Davids, Wales.

Humber RIBs are renowned for their unique high performance deep v hull designs which have an enviable reputation for their outstanding sea keeping capabilities, excelling in adverse sea states.

Your safety is our priority. The sea can be an unforgiving place so every precaution is taken to keep you free from harm.

Illuminate has been certified by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), to operate within Category 4 waters. This allows us to take you up to 20 miles from a safe haven, in favourable weather during daylight hours.

Strict criteria govern the vessel’s operating procedures and the regular maintenance and inspections required by the MCA are surpassed with our daily routine of thorough checks. The MCA also dictates the required safety equipment we need to carry in order to allow for the many eventualities that could occur whilst we’re at sea.

We can carry up to 12 passengers and two crew on each voyage. Lifejackets are provided for every passenger and are to be worn at all times. The boat also carries two life rafts so that we have a Plan B should we need to leave the RIB for whatever reason.

A full safety briefing is given before we head out to sea so that everyone feels extremely safe and confident that they’re going to be well looked after. Each trip is closely monitored by the National Coastwatch Institution who keep a close eye on vessel movements within the area. We often update their lookout tower with our intended movements when we leave the Newhaven Harbour, letting them know when we’re safely back in the marina.

The majority of our crew and all of our qualified skippers are volunteers with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). We, like everyone else on the water, have the knowledge and security that further assistance is close at hand should it be needed.

Our crew are first aid trained.