Meet our Team

We’re showing you just a few of our team here (the ones you are most likely to meet)
Behind the scenes, we have around 100 team members. Including Engineers, Boat Builders & Cleaners. The team pull together to build and maintain our boats and holiday homes ready for you to use. Just ask and we’ll do our best to help

Daniel Thwaites

Director

Daniel keeps an eye on the pennies. Managing the financial and administrative side of the business.           

He should know the business well by now, his first day in the office, was in a cot, whilst Jill was dealing with customers on a turnaround day

  • Joined the team in: 1998
  • Favourite spot on the broads: Thurn
  • Favourite boat: Brinks Encore

Matthew Thwaites

Director

Matthew oversees all the work going on in the boatyard. Inc design, build and maintenance.
His party trick, amongst others we won’t mention, is identifying a boat by the window shape or bathing platform.
His encyclopaedic knowledge of all things boats is incredible
  • Joined the team in: 1998
  • Favourite spot on the broads: S Walsham
  • Favourite boat: Brinks Tempo

Sian Pearce

Administrator & Bookings Clerk

Sian is our amazing office manager. Keeping us all on our toes

Don’t worry about asking her about the Norfolk Broads though, she’s a fully-fledged boat owner with loads of local knowledge

  • Joined the team in: 2021
  • Favourite spot on the broads: Horning
  • Favourite boat: Brinks Sonnet

Tom Lawn

Yard Manager

Tom’s the guy who’s responsible for the day to day running of the boatyard. Making sure each boat is “turned around” ready for your arrival
On a busy day in summer, Tom tells us he records over 30k steps a day! He reminds us of this quite often
  • Joined the team in: 2006
  • Favourite spot on the broads: Coltishall
  • Favourite boat: Brinks Melody

Philip Baker

Head Engineer

Philip co-ordinates our team of electrical and mechanical engineers. He started his first stint working for Barnes Brinkcraft as an apprentice. Something obviously stuck, Philip was the brains behind our hybrid boat Brinks Rhapsody.

  • Joined the team in: 2009
  • Favourite spot on the broads: Ranworth
  • Favourite boat: Brinks Rhapsody

Sara Thwaites

Marketing & Customer Services Manager

Sara looks after our social media accounts, keeps the website up to date, places our advertising and organises any events or festivals that we attend. Sara also takes a keen interest in customers holiday experiences and is your point of contact if you have any suggestions on how we can improve your Norfolk Broads holiday.

If you meet her in a sailing boat steer clear, she’s only just learning to helm!

  • Joined the team in: 2018
  • Favourite spot on the broads: Black Horse Broad
  • Favourite boat: Brinks Encore Plus

Sheila V

Head Housekeeper

Sheila stepped up to head housekeeper very recently and manages her team of nearly 50 with ease.
Her sharp eye keeps everyone on their toes -including the Engineers. Who wouldn’t dare leave any mucky hand prints behind them
  • Joined the team in: 2015
  • Favourite spot on the broads: Hickling
  • Favourite boat: The smallest one

Latest News & Information

How Hill to Ludham Bridge

How Hill is a great place to start a walk, there is a car park and plenty of mooring for boats, making it an ideal starting point however you arrive. Walkers should walk out to How Hill Staithe, a public mooring place for boats and from here, head south along ...

Learn more

Latest News & Information

How Hill to Ludham Bridge

How Hill is a great place to start a walk, there is a car park and plenty of mooring for boats, making it an ideal starting point however you arrive. Walkers should walk out to How Hill Staithe, a...

Learn more

Last minute availability and offers!

"Fantastic holiday, and the staff at Brinkcraft were superb! I would highly recommend Brinkcraft, they even organised fantastic weather for us 😎"
- Alan Gordon-freeman
"Fantastic Holiday on Brinks Rhapsody 3 – Would Absolutely Book Again! We’ve just returned from a brilliant week on the Norfolk Broads, having hired a boat through Barnes Brinkcraft. From start to finish, the experience was excellent. Check-in was smooth and stress-free. The staff were friendly, efficient, and helpful. We had a minor issue where we needed to take our car to do a food shop before setting off, but the office would be closed by the time we returned. The team provided a simple and flexible solution without any fuss; a great start to our trip. The boat handover was also excellent. As we’ve been on boats before, the staff member tailored the handover to focus on the areas we wanted a refresher on but still checked our understanding of the key elements. Brinks Rhapsody 3 itself was lovely. It was very clean, and while there was some general wear and tear, it was nothing unexpected for a boat that’s clearly been well-used and well-loved over the years. The bathroom with the shower cubicle was outstanding, plenty of water pressure and lovely hot water. Just be sure to run the generator for a while beforehand or shower after your first stop of the day. The kitchen was a good size and had everything you could need, though a cover for the shallow sink would have added a bit of extra surface space. The hob worked well once we got used to the heat settings, and the oven was spotless. That said, we had to keep an eye on things as the thermostat may have been a bit off; not a major issue unless cooking something for a long time. A big highlight was the Wi-Fi – it worked flawlessly the entire holiday. We brought our Firestick along and had a solid connection throughout. On our last trip with a different boat, we had no usable Wi-Fi at all, so this was a very welcome upgrade. The bedrooms were all spacious with plenty of storage. The beds were a little on the firmer side, but I slept better than I have in a long time, every night was a great night’s sleep. Operating the boat was very easy, and the bow thrusters made mooring much less stressful. The hybrid engine was a fantastic feature; it made cruising the Broads peaceful and relaxing, and we’d definitely seek out another hybrid boat in the future. Would we stay on Brinks Rhapsody 3 again? Absolutely. We loved every second of it and are already thinking about our next trip!"
- Stevan MacKinnon
"Spent a week on Prelude 4 in beautiful weather. Nice boat with plenty of space. Fantastic sun deck. Everything you need. Boatyard staff helpful and always smiling!"
- Jo-Anne Elizabeth
"Really friendly staff, great advice and really great boat Would highly recommend to anyone"
- Chloeann Baker
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    Barnes Marine Units Ltd, Riverside Road, Wroxham, Norwich NR12 8UD. Registered in England & Wales Reg 1321482
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