El Padre

El Padre is a Butt Cat 930XL: 9.3 metres on twin 300hp Yamaha F300s, and one of the serious fishing platforms in the fleet. She works out of Simon's Town, and she is the boat for the days when you want range, deck space and power in the same hull.

What she carries

Ten guests plus crew. The deck is built for working water: rod holders where you need them, a tackle station, clear space to fight a fish, and cold storage for a full day's catch. Ten anglers on 9.3 metres works because the layout was planned for exactly that.

Where she is allowed to go

Category B, registration DTC 15973. Up to 40 nautical miles offshore, day and night, with a qualified skipper aboard. The certificate is current, like every certificate in the fleet, and it is the reason she can run an overnight charter as legally as a morning inside the bay.

Forty miles covers everything we fish: the inshore reefs, Cape Point, and the tuna grounds in the deep water beyond it.

What she is used for

• Deep-sea fishing: eight hours offshore on the tuna grounds
• Inshore charters: trolling and reef fishing inside the bay, lines off at 12h00
• Bottom and reef fishing: structured ground for kob, kingklip and steenbras
• Snorkel with tuna: the range to keep looking, and the deck space for the gear
• Bird watching: inshore and the offshore pelagic run, where a steady ten-guest platform earns its keep
• Overnight fishing charters: marlin and the big pelagics, fishing through the night

Simon's Town

She is based in Simon's Town on the False Bay side, the sheltered coast, about eleven nautical miles from Cape Point. From her berth you are half an hour from the Point and fishing rather than commuting.

Booking her

Skipper, fuel, safety equipment and water aboard are included. On fishing days, rods and tackle are aboard and included; you need a valid recreational fishing licence, and we will remind you the day before.

Some of her charters book online and some are enquiry-only. Either way, tell us the date and the group size and we will tell you honestly what the water is doing that month. Weather cancellations are a full refund or a new date, your choice.