About the Poole Charter Boats Association (PCBA)
Poole Charter Boats Association (PCBA) is an association of commercially endorsed skippers as defined by the MCA, MECAL and the RYA that operate coded boats from Poole Harbour for charter.
The primary objectives of the PCBA association are to promote and maintain best practice across all aspects of operating charter boats from Poole and to promote the port as a centre of excellence for anglers and divers alike.
The purpose of this site is to enable and support anglers and divers to find, contact and hire coded boats with commercially endorsed skippers from Poole Harbour. It also enables anglers, divers and skippers alike to record dives, catches and any items of news which they believe to be of interest to others.
Additionally, the PCBA uses this site to hold copies of official and formal records relating to the running of the PCBA, therefore access to this skipper's forum is restricted to members only.
The PCBA works in close co-operation with the following organizations to promote protect and conserve the environment within and around Poole Harbour:
- Poole Harbour Commissioner
- Poole Harbour Master
- Poole Council
- Poole Tourism
- Poole Bay Small Boats Angling Club
- RNLI
- The Coastguard
Commercially endorsed skippers must successfully complete the following training with an appproved training organisation:
- Short range ship to radio messaging and protocol
- First aid course covering at least resuscitation, unconsciousness, hypothermia and control of bleeding (repeated every 3 years)
- A practical sea survival course, use of flares, lifejackets and liferaft
- A technical course that demonstrates the skipper's theoretical knowledge
- A practical skipper's course that is appropriate to his license
- An independent practical examination by an approved examiner for the skipper to gain his endorsement, without which he can not operate commercially.
- Commercially endorsed skippers are also subject to fitness checks (every five years).
Coded boats have approved independent surveyor inspections alternate years.
- Year 1 Full out of water survey by approved surveyor
- Year 2 Compliance inspection by owner
- Year 3 Survey by approved surveyor - in or out of water
- Year 4 Compliance inspection by owner
- Year 5 Full out of water survey by approved surveyor.
If you are a commercially endorsed skipper and or the owner of a commercially coded vessel, interested in finding more out about the PCBA or would like to join the PCBA, go to the contacts page on this website and write a short note to the PCBA Chairman.
Fisherman's Quay, Poole, Dorset
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Photography courtesty of i3ry