Day in the Life: CTV Skipper in an Offshore Wind Farm

Grimsby. 05:15 and it's already light, which in late April means the weather window is on your side today. The Humber gives you a grey, flat morning and a forecast that says Force 3 gusting 4 from the northeast. For a CTV run to an East Coast wind farm, that is near perfect.

The Working Day

05:15 — You arrive at the operations base, sign in, and pick up the crew manifest for the day. Twelve wind turbine technicians, two engineers from the developer, and one health and safety auditor. Fourteen souls plus your crew — deckhand and yourself. You check the manifests, the weather briefing, and the sea state report from the previous vessel.

05:45 — Pre-departure checks. Bilges, navigation lights, VHF channels, fuel (you departed yesterday with full tanks — 2,800 litres), first aid kit, man overboard equipment. Your deckhand runs the technicians through the safety briefing while you do the engine checks. Nobody gets on a CTV without hearing the MOB drill.

06:15 — Departure. You ease out of the berth on the starboard engine only — the berth is tight and you know this boat. Once clear of the harbour entrance you bring the port engine online and settle onto the course for the array. The passage is 38 nautical miles. At 22 knots, you will be at the first turbine in just under two hours.

06:45 — The Humber traffic separation scheme. You call up Humber VTS on Channel 14, pass your details, and pick up the reply. Two tankers inbound, one outbound. The picture on the chart plotter is clear. You pass south of the TSS and come onto the offshore heading.

07:50 — The wind farm array comes into view — 150 turbines in a grid pattern, blades turning slowly in the light northeast. You slow to eight knots for the approach, contact the wind farm control on the operations frequency, and get clearance for the first transfer.

08:05 — Boat landing. This is the skill that sets a CTV skipper apart from a standard coastal master. You come bow-first into the turbine access platform at walking pace, hold the vessel against it with the engines against the swell, and maintain a steady contact force while the technicians step across one by one. On a two-metre swell it takes concentration. Today, in a Force 3, it is textbook.

08:05–11:30 — You work through the turbine list systematically. Some transfers are routine crew swaps. One requires you to hold station for 45 minutes while a replacement gearbox component is lowered from the nacelle — the crane line is swinging in the breeze and your deckhand is fending off with a boat hook. Nobody gets impatient. You hold it.

12:00 — Crew out for lunch. The technicians eat on the vessel — you carry hot food from the caterer ashore. You eat at the helm, watching the array. In the afternoon you will run the same transfers in reverse: collecting end-of-shift workers and returning them to the operations base.

15:30 — Last transfer of the day. All personnel ashore at the wind farm accounted for. You confirm with the wind farm controller and head for home.

17:15 — Back at Grimsby. Berth the vessel, fuel up for tomorrow, complete the voyage log, and debrief with the operations manager. One minor defect noted — a starboard bow fender showing wear. You log it for maintenance.

17:45 — Sign off. Tomorrow the same again, weather permitting.

The Reality

CTV work is physically and mentally demanding in ways that look easy from the outside. The boat landings are genuinely skilled work — a bad transfer can injure a technician or damage the vessel. The schedule is relentless during the operating season, typically April to October. Day shifts average 12 hours; the offshore wind industry does not stop for tides.

The weather is the boss. A Force 6 means no transfers — you either wait it out or return to base. Cancelled days are unpaid if you are on a day-rate contract. Most experienced skippers move to retainer contracts to smooth income.

What Makes It Worth It

CTV skippers are at the operational heart of the UK's energy future. The offshore wind sector is expanding faster than almost any other maritime subsector and the demand for experienced skippers consistently outstrips supply. The day rate is good, the work is local, and you sleep at home every night.

For a coastal master who wants genuine responsibility, skilled boat handling, and a role in a growing industry without signing a six-month deep-sea contract — this is hard to beat.