Terms and Conditions

Wallingford Accessible Boat Club (hereafter known as WABC) is an independent charity that operates free of charge trips on the River Thames for disabled and generally less able people, together with their friends and families.

Passengers are termed as Clients. One of the Clients will be identified as leader of the group and will be the main point of contact for the Skipper. References here to Client mean a single individual or all individuals in the group.

Bookings may be made for a trip of typically two hours – shorter or longer by arrangement – via the WABC website, www.wabc.org.uk. There is no charge for a trip although donations are welcomed.

Trips may be cancelled by the Client, who should give as much notice as possible. Trips may also be cancelled by WABC for reasons of non-availability of crew, adverse weather, river conditions, or other, whilst giving as much notice of the cancellation as possible to the Client and our crews.

All WABC crew members are trained to Royal Yachting Association (RYA) standards of proficiency and safety. Each trip will be manned by a Skipper who will be in command, and a crew member. A third WABC member will be shore-based and assist the Client on arrival to prepare for the trip as well as help with the embarkation and disembarkation procedure. Additional Crew members may be assigned to trips where appropriate, dependant on the level of need as determined by WABC.

Note that the advice and instructions of the Skipper are final and must be followed at all times.

WABC will at all times take every reasonable precaution to ensure the comfort and safety of the Clients. WABC shall not be held liable for death, personal injury, accident, sickness, loss or damage to the Client’s property or person.

WABC, at times, will gather minimal information relating to the Clients experience on a trip. This information will only be used in relation to services provided by WABC and for promotional purposes including public photographic media to be used on its website or other media outlets. If a Client objects to the use of information in this way, that objection must be made known to the Skipper before the start of the trip.

WABC reminds everyone to take their belongings home with them. We will endeavour to make lost property available for collection until the end of the current season. We regret we cannot forward items by post.

WABC has developed a comprehensive range of policies, overseen by the charity’s Trustees, which provide guidance for Crew members. Additionally, WABC is an Accredited Club of the RYA and adheres to its policies as relevant to WABC.

WABC has a number of Rules governing use of its Wheelyboat. These must be adhered to for reasons of safety and comfort for everyone involved. The Skipper will describe those relevant to the trip in a pre-trip briefing.

The Client should advise the Skipper if any member of the Client’s group is unable to swim, however this will not prohibit participation. Anyone who, in the opinion of the Skipper, is unfit to take part in a trip or is behaving in a manner likely to be a danger to, or affect the enjoyment of, other members of the group, may be excluded from taking part. If this is not acceptable to the Client leader, the trip will be terminated.

The Client is responsible for declaring any medical conditions or injuries that may be relevant. If the Client requires medication of any kind during the trip, they must have it with them. WABC will not be responsible for the provision of medication in any form to Clients.

If a carer becomes ill during a trip and is unable to care for their charge, the trip will be terminated.

A strict WABC rule does NOT allow wheelchair users to be strapped into the wheelchair by a seat belt or other device attached to said wheelchair. This is solely for the safety of our clients.

If, however, a client does require the use of a seat belt for stability purposes then its use is entirely at the Client’s own risk. In the highly unlikely event of an emergency situation arising, the Client must be unstrapped from the wheelchair by the Client’s carer and, if necessary, supported in the wheelchair by manual means.