Peregrines, not being seabirds, are unable to swim so Ffion raced across the water, pulled out the drowning falcon, put her in a bucket and took her home (as you do).
It would be worth noting at this point that Ffion has previously worked in a bird hospital and has ample experience with handling and rehabilitating wild birds.
As the months went by, she worked very closely with the female peregrine, now named Hiss, to discover why she had had her initial accident and to bring her up to strength to be released back into the wild.
This remarkable story drew the attention of author and illustrator Jackie Morris, a close friend of Ffion’s, and the book ‘Queen of the Sky’ was born, in which you can read more about Ffion’s relationship with a wild bird, the rehab of Hiss and her eventual release.
In early 2016 when Ffion went on to found her company, there really was only one name in mind, Falcon Boats, in commemoration of Hiss the peregrine.
Company Director, Skipper
Ffion has worked the waters around Ramsey Sound for over 25 years as a skipper and wildlife guide.
Ramsey and its waters started off as my playground, later became my office and has lost none of its magic to this day
Ffion has been a member of the St David’s lifeboat crew for over 16 years, is a WISE accredited skipper, a powerboat instructor, a qualified Marine Mammal Observer and an author, having written a book about Ramsey which is published by Graffeg and available in our Falcon Boats shop.
In addition, she has also worked to deliver specialist RIB training internationally, in areas such as Romania and India, as well as providing safety support for superyachts at regattas all over the world, completing her first Atlantic crossing on a classic yacht in 2015. More recently, Ffion has spent her winters working as an expedition guide, zodiac driver and lecturer for Silversea, which has seen her working in the South Pacific, the Indian Ocean and Antarctica. She is passionate about both sharing and protecting our amazing marine environment and its wildlife.
Office Manager Beth started working with Falcon Boats in November of 2023. After moving from North East England to Pembrokeshire in 2022 she spent some time working in the Outdoor Adventure industry, more specifically in outreach for education in the outdoors and administration for residential trips in the area.
Beth’s perfect day would be spent along the coast, rock pooling and spotting sea birds and cetaceans with her binoculars. She enjoys all things crafty, when she can’t get outside she’ll almost always have her head in a book.
Beth works full time in our office and shop so if you’re looking to get out on the water she’ll be on hand to chat with you!
Mick joined Falcon Boats soon after Ffion set up the business in 2016. Starting his marine life aged only 8 years old, he has never really left the water and for more than 30 years has been an RYA powerboat instructor and dinghy instructor.
He loves the marine wildlife around the Pembrokeshire Coastline and loves sharing his knowledge with others.
Jess has had a love of boats and the Pembrokeshire Islands for as long as she can remember, from drawing self-portraits as a child consisting simply of a stick man wearing yellow lifeboat wellies to being part of the St. David’s crew today. A day well spent is on the water, dawn till dusk, and if you haven’t got a crisp layer of salt on your skin, you haven’t done it right! (Just try again tomorrow.).
When not on the water, Jess can be found exploring the coast paths with a certified water baby, Falcon mascot, and springer Spaniel named Seren.
Previously a mechanic in Southampton, Sophie recently moved back home as the Pembrokeshire Coast was calling to her – clearly a call that cannot be left unanswered! She has since spent as much time as she can in, around and on the sea, reintroducing herself to the local wildlife.
When Sophie is away from work, she likes to paint pictures of the images of the sea and sky that she has captured whilst out on the boat, and hang out with her dog. Out of the season, she always has plans to travel, as well as acquiring skipper qualifications, and aspires to one day join the lifeboat crew.
After many years working for the Met Police in London, Chris moved to Pembrokeshire where he took up more rural policing. Now retired he is a birder extraordinaire and when he’s not crewing on the boats with us he can be found out bird watching all over Pembrokeshire. His wealth of knowledge is hugely appreciated on our trips.
Tom is one of our skippers and has had a long-standing love affair with Ramsey Island, having lived and worked there for many years as a youngster when the Island belonged to the Pratt family and was being run as a deer farm.
He learnt the shape of the island and spent many hours on the capricious surrounding waters on a variety of craft. Few know the island as well as Tom does.
