“I wanted to be actively involved with our family’s boating experiences,” she says. “A boating licence is important, but it doesn’t cover the practical elements of driving a boat. The workshop is a lot more involved, with hands-on training, and I gained a much deeper appreciation of what the skipper does and what goes into handling a boat.

“We learned to do everything, from starting it up to turning it off, how to respond to different emergency situations, handling ropes, fenders, manoeuvring and berthing, and using the GPS positioning system – which is amazing, by the way – because I know that if I feel panicked or need to stop the boat, it’s just the press of a button. I’ve been practising with my husband, and I feel much more confident doing it myself now, and Richard has more confidence in my ability to handle things. With the Volvo Penta IPS, the Riviera feels like an absolute dream to manoeuvre, even though it’s much larger than what we had before.”

Victoria is a business coach for female founders and understands well the role that confidence plays in any successful venture. In her experience, she’s found that women can suffer from perfectionism and overthinking, whereas men have a ‘give it a go’ attitude.

“Taking really small, actionable steps will help build that confidence on the water. I’d say just do one new small thing each day and practise that. Taking the cushion covers off, handling the fenders and the ropes, understanding an emergency plan – and then build your confidence to take on the larger tasks, like driving and manoeuvring into the berth.”