About Us
Early beginnings
Jetstream Tours was the creation of the company director, Richard Bain, in 2013. Richard has always had a passion for boats and has worked on the river since 2001. He initially entered the family business of supplying workboats and tugs from Gravesend but soon ventured off to roles within other river-based businesses in London.
In 2014, Jetstream Tours started trading with a small and agile vessel, “Twist”, a 9m aluminium Jetboat offering river safaris and thrill rides. The tours were a resounding success and allowed visitors in Medway an opportunity to use the river and to discover Chatham Historic Dockyard and its fascinating naval history.
Over the next few years, Jetstream Tours has worked tirelessly to maintaining and improving its jetboat service, striving to ensure its customers were 100% satisfied with the service they received and our success is down to our team of committed staff members. We understood the initial complications with “Twist” as she is a seasonal vessel and only appealed to the fit and able bodied sailors. In a five year plan the company aimed to provide Medway with a slower and more accessible tour suited for younger families. We made it possible in just three.
Cruising & Commuting
In February 2016, Jetstream Tours secured it’s second vessel, Jacob Marley. This unique vessel ticked every box on the companies wish list. Capable of carrying up to 100 persons with disabled access, a bar, toilets and low enough to pass underneath Rochester Bridge. By April, Jacob Marley made her 32-hour voyage from Jersey to the River Medway. Now passengers of all ages and abilities can see the beauty of the River.
Almost 1 year later, Jetstream Tours was awarded the contract for the Gravesend to Tilbury ferry. Our second vessel Thames Swift joined the fleet in order to maintain a daily service between Kent and essex 6 days per week. Pre-Covid this carried over 160,000 passengers, and as a key service continued throughout lockdowns make sure the key works could continue to get to work safely. At times it was the only passenger vessel operating on the Thames.
In 2022 Thames Kestral joined the fleet to support the ferry service and can also be used to cross between Southend and Queenborough increasing the passengers we can carry.
Our full range of passenger services have seen the company provide Kent and Essex with a one stop solution to waterbourne transport with the aim to become the one of the first to adopt green marine technology and win a number of awards for environmental performance.
Training School
in 2019 Jetstream Training was launched, taking on the basic safety training for boaters and the organisations crew, using Crush a new rhib to the fleet to teach locally on the Medway Estuary.
Boat hire and charter services
Diversifying further the vessels managed by Jetstream which also includes those used and owned by Living River Foundation, are now used for different tasks around the estuary like pier inspections, filming and maintenance. Watch out for the fleet appearing in Hollywood soone!
