FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Long distance weather forecasts are far from reliable and naturally the skipper wants to have the most up-to-date and potentially accurate forecast for you. If you are taking a day trip with us (10 or 12 hours), please phone the skipper at 7.30pm on the night before your trip for a weather check. For 18 and 24 hour trips departing at 11.30 pm, please phone at 7.30 pm on the evening of your trip departure.

If you are taking an extended trip please phone at 8am on the morning of your trip departure for your weather check.The phone number to call for your weather checks are 01642 273 822 (Des King at home) or 07778 737 435 (Des on his mobile). There is also a satellite phone on board the boat (see below).

You can take a look at our weather page, but please use this only as a guide for the upcoming weather and all sailings are at the discretion of the skipper.

That depends on the length of the trip but  on a the longer trips we have sailed over 120 miles offshore taking us to fishing off the Dogger bank and closer to Europe than Whitby.The long trips were created to get you better fishing.

In the summer of of 2004 we had some fabulous fishing east of the Dogger Bank. We had a few 60-hour trips there with regulars who wanted to give that area a go, even though it meant a late start on the first day, and an early finish on the second day. The fish caught were plentiful - and there were many in the 20lbs-plus category. Because of the success of those trips, the 46-, 70- and 94-hour trip options were created. And they've proven so popular that we had twice as many bookings for them in 2005 and 2006 as we had for the standard 36- and 60-hour trips. They've really taken off, much to our surprise - we didn't think anglers would want to spend an extra three to five hours steaming each way, but an amazing number of anglers don't mind at all - if it means they get a shot at the Big Ones.

Of these new-length 'far-reaching' trips, George comments: "Over the last few years, from late May to September, as we’ve pushed increasingly further into the eastern part of the North Sea, we’ve noticed that our anglers have caught a much better class of fish. The pattern is emerging that this region provides better catches of bigger fish at this time of year. Many of the wrecks in this area are, to date, un-fished (‘virgin wrecks’), so we hope we will run across even more productive wrecks, with even bigger fish on them. I believe that if there is going to be a new British cod record, this is the area it will come from.
To properly develop these far-off fishing grounds, we need to adjust the trip timing to give maximum productive fishing time. Consequently, we created the 46-, 70- and 94-hour trips to give one, two and three (respectively) long and full fishing days."

George Metcalfe, Skipper/Owner of the 'CHIEFTAIN', writes:

OK. Why the 'OFFSHORE OPTION'? What is ‘offshore’? And why have we arrived at this place?

I can remember when ‘offshore’ was only five miles from land. But as fish have become generally scarce all around the country, boats have had to venture further afield in order to maintain good catches.        

A fishing trip is generally made up of twelve anglers. As a skipper, I like to see everyone on every trip have a good and productive day’s fishing. And as an angler, it's no good to you when you're asked, “How did you do on your fishing trip?” to have to say, “Well, a man three down from me caught a good fish.”

Cod fishing used to be abundant in our area. But for various reasons, as most of you seasoned anglers will have experienced, that is no longer the case. In the past, boats have been able to return to the same spot trip after trip and get good fishing, but now we are finding that you can only get good fishing in an area once and then the wreck or ground you have worked needs a good recuperation period to attract more fish. Consequently, when the inshore areas are constantly fished by many charter and private boats, expectations of catches have to become more realistic.

There are approximately a hundred wrecks within a sixty mile radius of Whitby, although local boats rarely venture beyond thirty miles from land. They would have you believe that the fishing outside their area is no better than it is inshore. (But then, as businessmen taking into consideration the high cost of fuel, what else would they say?)Yes, in the past, many good fish have been caught relatively close to the land. And many good photographs have been taken of them. But that was then, this is now. Past glory and old photographs are no good to us - and no good to you, either. We should only be interested in obtaining the maximum potential from fishing in today's environment. Logically, the only way to optimise your chances of catching large and plentiful cod is to venture into un-fished territory. Which takes us to the 'Offshore Option'.

The North Sea, after two world wars with submarine activity and minefields, is a veritable graveyard of wrecks. I have in excess of 5000 wreck positions, very few of which have been fished by anglers before (other than by those with me); and some which have never been fished... and we are still finding new ones. Consequently, there is no need for any offshore wreck to be frequently visited.  So it stands to reason that we have a much greater chance of finding good and plentiful cod fishing for all our anglers when we take you offshore.

Remember: we are the only ones with the right boat, certification and commitment to take you...

The 80 foot ‘Chieftain’ is the only vessel on the east coast licensed to carry you safely and in comfort outside 60 miles to the offshore fishing grounds. Actually, to say that we are a Whitby charter boat is a bit misleading. We pick you up and drop you off in Whitby, but where we fish may be closer to Holland, Germany, Denmark or Norway!

 From March to November each year we can fish wrecks and ground that have not been fished by other anglers in the past.

 Don't just take our word for it “As long as I live, I doubt I will ever see cod fishing the likes of this again… unless I book another charter aboard Chieftain out of Whitby.” - Sea Angler Magazine

The Chieftain usually fishes beyond the range of a mobile phone. If you are unable to contact George on his mobile (07875 029 360) he may be contacted via satellite phone when he is at sea. Please note: it costs you almost £4.00 per minute to call a satellite phone, so we recommend it be used only in special circumstances. Our satellite phone number is 00881 621465036. Your call will be routed via cable to the USA, and then to the boat via a roaming satellite – so it can take a while to connect. If asked to re-enter the phone number, just enter the number without the ‘00’ code.Should you need to call George on the satellite phone for a weather check, please be assured that he will be bluntly brief in his reply, in order to minimise your call costs!

We all love sea angling and want for it to continue long into the future, the amount of fish caught on our trips are a drop in the ocean (pun intended) compared to commercial trawling but it is still important to play our part by respecting the size limits of the fish that we catch. These size limits are enforceable by law and could land you with a hefty fine we hope that the fishing is so good you won't even think of the size limits being a problem.

NSFA size chart

We really do want you to catch as many fish as possible, take them home for your friends and family to enjoy, it is your paid for fishing so please enjoy. If you have caught enough then catch and release or change your target species.

The Chieftain has a large deck chiller to keep your catch fresh until you get back to shore however, here are a few tips to keep your fish perfect. Bring with you cool boxes with pre-frozen blue blocks (or use frozen water bottles). Mark or label your blue blocks. Put your blocks in the deep freeze on board the "Chieftain" and use them when journeying home, to keep your fish catch chilled. Also, please bring with you plenty of old towels for covering up your fish catch between filleting sessions and to use when filleting, to minimize slippage. (N.B. Any donations of old towels or sheets for use on the boat are greatly appreciated!) You’ll also need lots of large plastic freezer bags for your fish fillets. (Fillets should be packed absolutely flat, skin to skin, flesh to flesh.) Don’t forget to pack good quality filleting knives if you are doing your own filleting. And do keep them sharpened! On an extended trip, filleting services are usually available. When fishing, gut your fish as soon as possible to minimise decomposition. Cover your fish with your old towels. Keep your coverings continuously wet with seawater. Fillet your fish during the day, whenever you get time. The ideal time to do this is when changing fishing locations. Wash your fish fillets, place them in a fish box, then store them in the boat’s large on-deck chiller. When departing the vessel for home, put your fillets in your cool box with your frozen blue blocks.

please note: It is now illegal to sell your catch. All fish caught should be for your own consumption, or given away to family and friends. If you have caught enough for your own needs, please 'catch and release'.

Even in the height of summer the North Sea can be very cold and wet. Always bring with you oilskins, Wellington boots (minus the garden, please!) and several changes of warm clothing, including a good supply of clean fresh socks. However, at times you can get badly sun and wind burnt, even on an overcast day, so do pack your sun-block and a hat.  You might also want to bring a torch for getting about the boat on a dark night without disturbing your sleeping companions. Each bunk is made up with sheets, blankets and quilts. Spare quilts and blankets are available for those who need them. However, if you are very sensitive to cold temperatures, in the more wintery months you might want to take the added precaution of bringing along a sleeping bag.

Boats and the sea are dangerous places, George is always mindful of the weather forecast and the tide but here are a few tips to ensure your safety when on the Chieftain. If it is your first time on the boat it is worth spending some time looking around getting to know the layout of the boat. Life jackets are located under the bunks and there is a 16 person life raft in case of emergencies and perry bouys on deck fitted with EPIRBS. There is an emergency plan located in the forward anglers cabin detailing what to do in an emergency, we would ask that on your first vist to the boat at least you read this plan, if you have any questions then please just ask.

You can park in the town for free, if you can find a place.  A special arrangement has been made for parking in the MARINA CAR PARK and is at the discretion of the Marina management. The cost to park there is £6.00 per day. If the Marina Office is unattended when you park your vehicle in the Marina Car Park, please place your money in an envelope with your vehicle’s registration number and "Chiftain" clearly marked on the outside. Place the envelope in the Marina Office letterbox. The Marina Office is located near the public amenities block.

 Visit here for directions to the Marina car park and Whitby.

On the shorter day trips 10 & 12 Hours Tea and coffee are provided free of charge however please bring along your own sandwiches, on the longer trips food is included and a sample menu can be seen below. If you have any special dietary requirements and wold like to order food, please contact us.

A SAMPLE OF A TYPICAL DAY’S MENU FOR EXTENDED TRIPS

 Please note: If you have any special dietary requirements (for example, you are a vegetarian or have diabetes), please contact Chieftain Charters before your trip to enable us to provision meals to accommodate your particular needs.

 CHIEFTAIN MENU

 BREAKFAST

 Cereal or Porridge

 followed by:

 A TRADITIONAL ENGLISH BREAKFAST:

Bacon, fried eggs, pork sausages, fresh mushrooms, baked beans, black pudding and grilled tomatoes served on large platters so you can help yourself to whatever you desire. Omelettes, scrambled or poached eggs available on request - feel free to ask! Bread, bread rolls and hot toast are always available, with a wide assortment of jams and other spreads to choose from.

LUNCH

  Home-made daily specials which may be a hot meal or in the warmer summer days a salad.

DINNER

 Roast of the Day Beef, Pork, Lamb,Chicken, served with roast potatoes, Yorshire Pudding and a variety of roast or steamed vegetables, gravy and traditional sauces.

DESSERT

 Your choice of peaches or fruit salad with Icecream. Other desserts or cakes often available.

 TEA, COFFEE, FRUIT DRINKS AND BISCUITS ARE CONSTANTLY AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND EVENING, AS REQUIRED

 Please note:

The galley has a boiler with hot water and there is a constant supply of 

WARNING: ALCOHOL AND SEA-TRAVEL DO NOT MIX!

Please be aware that a boat is an unfamiliar (and potentially dangerous) environment. It is the responsibility of each angler to exercise due care and caution to ensure his or her own safety on board.As an additional safety measure, it is strongly recommended that consumption of alcohol before and during a trip should be kept to a minimum. Anglers should also be made aware that alcohol is a major contributing factor towards seasickness. The skipper reserves the right to refuse to take to sea any angler who turns up drunk at the start of a fishing trip, and is deemed to be a danger to himself and/or others. In such a case, we will still expect payment-in-full from him.

 We recommend an early night, plenty of sleep, a successful day’s fishing… and then a celebration when back on land!

We have just upgraded our hire tackle and we have a selection of equipment available for hire including rods and reels, let us know via the contact page if you would like to hire them before your trip. We have enough equipment for a full boat so if your reel fails or rods snaps (hopefully because of a 40lb cod) then your trip will not be ruined.Tackle hire is £5 per day and there is a fully refundable deposit of £20.

We regret that we are unable to rent terminal tackle, however there is a full tackle shop on board selling a selection of lures, weights and rigs, alternatively contact Bojorigs who can supply a rig and lure kit tailored to your trip on a sale or return basis.

We try to take as many photo's as possible of the trips, especially of specimen fish and PB's. As soon as is possible (sailing schedule permitting) we will  get all of the pictures taken up onto the Captain's blog in a slideshow. On the bottom left of the slideshow there is a link back to our online gallery, please feel free to download the images that you would like for your own use. If you have any photo's you would like to add then please visit the contacts page.

Never been fishing before or just never been out on a boat? No problem, the Chieftain is the ideal vessel for your first taste of sea fishing. We have a full range of tackle for hire and a full range of terminal tackle for sale on the boat. There is no need to scour the web for wreck fishing advice we can make sure that you have all you need to enjoy your trip. Contact us to discuss your requirements and we can do all we can to help. The main thing to bring is yourself, some warm and waterproof clothes and if you are on a short trip some food, longer trips are catered.

Unlike most other charter boats we have an onboard toilet (several infact), a heated anglers cabin, boiling water on tap so if the weather is not great you don't need to worry and all our angling is seated. This makes us perfect for beginner anglers, corporate days and anything else where you may not want to stand on a cold deck all day and wee off the side.

No need to worry if you suffer from mal de mer or worry that you might, there are a few tips and tricks that can help you have sickness free trip.

• Eat light and avoid alcohol before your trip- 15 pints of Guiness, a triple xxx chicken phal and builders breakfast is asking for trouble.
• Sea Sickness treatments- Table, Patches and bands, we quite like these but any will do, there is a boots pharmacy in town that has a range of travel sickness cures.
• Go out in the open air and try not to hide in the anglers cabin. When you are on deck try and focus on a fiixed point like the horizon.
• Chew gum.
• Drink ginger beer, ale or tea or eat ginger sweets, we don't know why but this seems to work.
• Try and get some food down you, it will help evenif you do feel bad.
• Listen to Eddie, he knows his onions!