Frequently asked questions

Ballycastle harbour, right beside the town. Selkie waits on the outer pier, on the pontoon just after the Rathlin ferry: follow the ferry signs, walk on past the ferry and you'll find us. Please be at the boat 15 minutes before departure.

There is a car park behind the Rathlin ferry terminal, but it fills up in summer, so give yourself extra time to park and walk down the pier. Check the signs for parking charges before you leave the car.

Carrick-a-Rede is the short, easy one: about an hour and a half of cliffs, caves and waterfalls, built for families. The Rathlin tours are the wildlife trips: seals, seabirds and lighthouses, with puffins from April to mid-August. Wild Rathlin adds a whole hour ashore, and Round Rathlin is the full loop: all three lighthouses and the whole coastline from the water.

We never promise wildlife, and anyone who does is telling you a story. What we can promise: the right cliffs and a crew who know the right spots. Seals show up on almost every Rathlin sailing, dolphins on some, puffins from April to mid-August, and now and then a minke whale surprises everyone: us included. If you are exceptionally lucky, the later summer months can bring a basking shark or a sunfish.

Layers, always: a warm layer and a windproof one, even when the harbour is sunny, plus flat shoes with grip. Every week someone boards in a t-shirt and regrets it by the first headland.

Binoculars if you have them: they make all the difference for the birds on the cliffs. A camera or phone with a good grip, sunscreen, water and a warm layer even on a sunny day. Keep it to what fits on your lap or under your seat.

Children are very welcome on every tour, with child tickets for under 16s. With babies and toddlers we recommend the shorter Carrick-a-Rede tour: it is built for families and the only one with infant tickets (ages 0 to 4). The Rathlin tours are two to four and a half hours on open water, which is a long stretch for little ones, so we recommend keeping those for when they are a bit bigger.

Yes: dogs sail free, no ticket needed. Keep them on a lead. Most people forget how cold it can get on the water, so please make sure you have your dog covered.

The truthful picture of getting aboard:

• Onto Selkie: two steps up from the pontoon, then a small gap of up to half a metre between the steps and the boat.
• Inside: one doorway, 73 cm wide, with a 20 cm lip to step over.
• The bow: two doorways and three steps.

Manual wheelchairs that fit through a 73 cm doorway have come aboard with a hand from us; a large electric wheelchair will not fit. Prams and buggies usually work, depending on the tour and how full we are.

Message us before booking and we will tell you straight what is possible on the day.

Every sailing depends on safe sea conditions. If we have to cancel because of the weather, you hear it from us fast and you get a full refund or credit, as our refund policy says. The sea makes the final call on this coast.

Yes: Ballycastle sits on the Causeway Coast, an easy drive from the Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede. A sailing fits perfectly into a Causeway day, and you'll see the same coastline the way most visitors never do: from the water.

Yes: Kintra gift cards run from £10 to £100 and work on any tour, on any date the lucky person chooses.