A day in the life of a Falkirk Wheel Boat Master

I absolutely adore my job at The Falkirk Wheel writes Jane McGuire! I often get asked by customers why I, a young female, wanted to be in the job that I am. When I was 12, I had to find somewhere to volunteer for my Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award. I joined The Seagull Trust, a charity that takes those in care homes and people with needs, on a canal cruise to The Falkirk Wheel. I had volunteered there until I was 20 and over the space of those eight years, I got to see what Scottish Canals employees got to do as a job. I knew then I wanted to change my career path from journalism to becoming a Boat Master. I started with Scottish Canals in 2021 as a Holiday Hire Boat Assistant, helping holiday makers kick start their holiday by giving them an introduction to their boat. 

Before our 2023 season started, I was offered a job with the trip boats, and I knew that this was my chance to start my career to be a Boat Master. I was only in the job for a month or so when one of the skippers handed me all the paperwork and training logs I needed to start working towards my exam. I was so excited to start this journey! What made it even more special was seeing my mum coming up to The Falkirk Wheel and seeing what I would be doing as a career. Seeing my mum as proud as she was, made everything worth it. She was always my personal cheerleader when it came to anything I did in life. Before the beginning of our 2024 season, I applied for a permanent Boat Master position and to my surprise, after being called for an interview, I was offered the job on the condition that I passed my exam. The pressure was on! On the 15th May 2024, I sat my MCA Boat Master exam which was a very nerve-wracking time. 

The exam involved travelling down to the Forth & Clyde canal to Lock 16, Falkirk, turning around to head back to The Falkirk Wheel and then from there, doing a full wheel trip, all while my examiner was asking me questions about safety, emergency situations and more. The whole exam took around two and a half hours so by the time we got back to the boardwalk outside the visitor centre, I was relieved to find out I had passed. After a year of hard work, I was so glad it had paid off. It was a bittersweet moment as my mum wasn’t able to be there in person to share the moment just like we had spoken about for the duration of my training, but I knew she would still be cheering me on from up above, just like she had promised me! However, on the day, I still had the best support from my best friend Natalie, who works in The Falkirk Wheel Cafe, with her mum and dad and my partner, Graeme, who all celebrated in style once I told them my result. I couldn’t have passed if it wasn’t for our team leader, Gill putting up with me constantly asking her a million questions every shift and one of our other skippers, Colin who was my amazing crew during the exam, our boss, Ross, who put up with me stressing every day and not to forget Graeme, who gave me numerous pep talks in the morning to calm me down! 

My duties and responsibilities as a Boat Master started straight away the next day which was quite a shock to the system. I was so used to asking what to do throughout the day, whereas now, crew members are asking me. My day as a Boat Master includes setting up the boat in the morning, making sure the boat is safe and ensuring I have a toolbox talk with my crew before setting off. This allows us both to have a chat about how we’re both feeling about the day ahead and if there are any issues, we have time to correct them before starting our day. During the day, I must ensure that all passengers are boarded safely, enjoy their trip, disembark safely and of course, I oversee the boat while it is underway. If an emergency arises, whether that be with a passenger or the boat itself, I’m the one in charge to ensure the safety of all passengers as well as my crew and myself. 

What I really love about my job is that no two trips are the same! I get to meet so many lovely people from all over the world and hear so many stories. When they ask about The Falkirk Wheel, I don’t give any normal answer, I love to tell some jokes as well as all the facts and figures that they’d like to know. My favourite jokes that I love to tell during my commentary are when I inform them about life jackets. I ask them all to look under their seats, give it a moment until I see their confusion and then tell them that they don’t have any. That one tends to be a great ice breaker and set the mood for the trip. Another is when our safety audio is playing. I love to walk down to the middle of the boat and channel my inner air hostess by pointing out all our emergency exits. I may look slightly crazy while doing so but it’s so worth it when I see our passengers laugh and help to make the trip a little more memorable for them. 

In our boat team, we all say we’re like a family and that is true. Last year, after losing my mum, everyone was there for support, a chat or just a shoulder to cry on. We are all there to support one another, if something’s wrong, someone is always there to support you. We also all love to have a little banter while we work which keeps our spirits high, especially on the days when we get soaked by the typical Scottish weather! I always say that the team I work in has to be one of the best teams. My job truly is the best!