Water Taxi Operative - Cowes Harbour Commission
Job Posted: 20 April 2026
- Contract Term: Casual
- Location: Cowes, Isle of Wight
- Contract Type: Full time
- Salary: £14.00ph
- Industries: Marine
Job Start Date: 11 May 2024
Job Purpose
Operate the CHC Water Taxi service in accordance with CHC guidelines.
Engage with all stakeholders to educate and ensure enforcement of the Harbour’s General Directions and other Regulations
Provide assistance and advice to vessels for any navigation/safety issues and any available moorings
Respond to emergency situations within Cowes Harbour
Ensure the timely and accurate collection of mooring fees from vessels using any of Cowes Harbour moorings or anchorages.
Shared Organisational Responsibilities
· Promote and ensure a high standard of customer service culture across all CHC sites, putting the customer at the heart of all actions and decisions.
· Promote and role model the organisation’s values at all times.
· Promote and deliver a safety-first culture ensuring the highest standards in health and safety for CHC colleagues and harbour users
· Take responsibility for personal development and delivery of agreed objectives responding positively to feedback and coaching to improve performance
· Act as an ambassador and represent CHC on all appropriate local, regional and national events and forums relevant to the post
Functional Responsibilities
Water Taxi service
· Carry out Water Taxi service throughout the Cowes Harbour area
· Ensure that all journeys are conducted in a safe manner, with observance of the General Directions and good seamanship
· Ensure that all passengers pay for their respective journeys
· Ensure that CHC customers receive a high level of good customer service
· Ensure that all journeys are recorded in the taxi log
· Log maintenance of all harbour taxi vessels
· Assist with the enforcement of the Cowes Harbour General Directions along with any other directions issued by the Harbour Master.
· Wear the CHC-provided uniform and safety clothing at all times whilst on duty.
Harbour Inspection and Maintenance
· Report any identified issues with the following:
o All CHC residential and visitor pontoons and piles
o All CHC residential and event swinging moorings
o All Aids to Navigation
o CHC river signage
· Assist with undertaking regular inspection and cleaning of all CHC tidal gauges to ensure safe navigation of vessels
· Assist with undertaking and logging regular checks on all river pontoons, checking the condition of customers boats and lines, as required. Log findings, inform line manager and boat owners of any issues and escalate significant issues as appropriate
· Assist with undertaking non-emergency tows of vessels within the Harbour, as required
· Assist with berthing within the Harbour including Shepards Marina, as required
· Provide assistance to CHC Patrol team as and when required.
Customer Contact
· Assist with collecting mooring fees from visitors and account for monies taken on Harbour Assist
Incident Management
· Respond to any incident within the Harbour including the investigation of pollution reports, as required
· Log and collate information on any CHA incidents and report findings through appropriate channels
Cowes Harbour Commission
Cowes is one of the most visited ports on the south coast of England and provides excellent boating facilities and services in the harbour and on the River Medina through the many boatyards, marinas, and marine services operators. Home to Red Funnel's regular vehicle ferry and freight ferry services operating between East Cowes and Southampton, as well as their high-speed passenger ferries. It is also the major port of entry for commercial shipping trading to the Isle of Wight and one of the busiest leisure ports in the UK -a foremost centre for yacht racing, a popular cruising destination, easily accessible for all types of vessel, and therefore a magnet for visiting tall ships and private yachts. Cowes Harbour is a Trust Port, which means it has no shareholders or other owners, but is managed for the benefit of its users, or ‘stakeholders’ and is run by a Commission of 10 Harbour Commissioners who give their time on a voluntary basis. Cowes Harbour Commission’s main function is to be the Statutory Harbour Authority for Cowes and to undertake commercial activities, so that it can be self-financing. A publicly accountable body, the Commission strives to ensure that it maintains proper standards of safety, transparency, accountability, integrity and honesty and to support and encourage the local economy.
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