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!

"A serene and peaceful holiday, shame about the cold easterly wind that blew across the broads for the first few days. The staff at Barnes were very welcoming and helpful. The handover and handling instruction was professional and afterwards I felt confident to pilot the 44ft craft. Lullaby 2 is a nice spacious craft with sleeping for 8. A couple of the cabins were very tight so I would recommend that you should only have a max of 6 in your party. My only gripe is that the steering position in the saloon was not comfortable for long periods. This was due to the fact that the seating was like a high bar stool without foot spells, after 15 minutes the backs of your legs tended to ache. This was not our first holiday on the Broads, the previous one was 19 years ago, and a lot has changed. The boats are easier to handle but there are less moorings available. You really need to make an itinery and stick to it. All in all a really enjoyable holiday. Thank you to all at Barnes Brinkcraft."
- Jim Richardson
"One week on the Chorus.This is a very comfortable boat, highly controllable with responsive steering and very useful bow and stern thrusters. Heating effective and simple . Staff helpful and pleasant . Great boat. Great holiday ."
- Dale Baxter
"Great experience. Excellent service from start to finish. 5 Stars."
- Russell Winfield
"We had a great weeks holiday on the Norfolk Broads aboard one of their Encore 4 boats. The boat was very clean and high tech. the engine and heating were very efficient even though we had the heating on a lot due to the cold nights we still got some money back from our deposit. The staff were all very helpful and gave us good instructions on using the boat with some time for us to get some boat handling practice. We were also helped to get onto a tricky mooring on our return to the yard. The Broads are a wonderful place to visit made all the more enjoyable by boat."
- Brian Ching
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    Barnes Marine Units Ltd, Riverside Road, Wroxham, Norwich NR12 8UD. Registered in England & Wales Reg 1321482
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