Registrations are now open for the Riviera Festival of Boating, which has been moved forward to 17-19 March 2017.
The new dates – from 17-19 March 2017 – reflect Riviera’s genuine desire to provide the global Riviera Family with a truly unique, engaging and fulfilling boat show experience.
In 2017, the three-day Festival of fun and learning will reach new levels, with an action-packed educational program including many new workshops and a series of fully refreshed workshops to further enhance the knowledge and enjoyment of luxury motor yacht owners.
Please click on the play button above to view highlights of the 2016 Riviera Festival 0f Boating.
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Many new workshops
Our new workshops span the full spectrum of marine education – from night navigation and safety at sea through to a new fishing clinic, and we have also added a special new Skippers Program for those aged 18-25 years.
Also new is the seminar Living the Riviera Dream – the joys and rewards of extended cruising, detailing an amazing odyssey of over 5000 nautical miles around the Pacific onboard the luxurious Riviera 61 Enclosed Flybridge, Communique.
Fresh content
Of course our most popular workshops return with new content and fresh hands-on workshops, including the Ladies Skipper Program, safe towing and anchoring, understanding the weather, offshore seamanship, understanding navigation and radar operation, as well as the preventative maintenance and professional Tricks of the Trade, emergency procedures and radio communications.
Massive nine-model Riviera showcase
Riviera will also display its latest luxurious designs on the water with a red-carpet Festival showcase that includes guided tours through the interior prototype of the new 68 Sports Motor Yacht ahead of her World Premiere in mid-2017.
Riviera Express factory tour
Our fully narrated Riviera factory tour will return in 2017, where you can experience via the Riviera Express train ride or air-conditioned bus to learn more about our world-class production processes at the largest luxury motor yacht facility in the Southern Hemisphere.
Two fun-filled social events
The Riviera Festival of Boating Ladies Day event will be held on Friday 17 March at Palazzo Versace.
The Festival gala event, Let’s Dance, starts with a red-carpet marina party at the world-class Riviera facility on Saturday evening, 18 March, and will be followed by a spectacular celebration of dance and rhythm that is sure to have everyone eager to get up and shimmy, samba and rock all night long.
Luxury motor yacht owners, and aspiring owners, wishing to register for educational and social events can do so from today at FestivalofBoating.com. As these workshops and events are normally booked out, please register early.
If you love the boating life, our 500-strong team would love to welcome you to the Riviera Festival of fun and learning in March 2017.
Please see below for a list of the 2017 Festival of Boating Program Educational Workshops:
The under 25’s Skippers Club · Navigating at night · Knots, lines and hitches · Living the Riviera dream – the joys and rewards of extended cruising · Understanding radar · Fishing clinic · Safety at sea · Ask an expert about your classic Riviera · Weather fundamentals · Advanced weather forecasting · Fire training and emergency planning · Emergency protocols and procedures · First aid essentials · Safe towing, anchoring and rafting · Radio communications – distress, marine assist, Safetrix and AWQ · Australian waters qualification · Local direction, IALA buoy age system and collision regulations · Traditional navigation 1 – passage planning · Traditional navigation 2 – positioning · Mastering the simplicity of CZone · Onboard power systems · Mastering the glass cockpit system · Preventative maintenance and discovering the professional tricks of the trade · Ladies skipper program– tender handling · Ladies skipper program – start-up, helm station and berthing · Skippers on water – start-up, helm station and berthing · Offshore seamanship · Experience pod drive propulsion with integrated joystick and glass cockpit navigation · Experience the Twin Disc express joystick system · Experience a Seakeeper gyro stabiliser at work · Riv kids skipper program · Understanding desalination · Know your generator · Troubleshooting and preventative maintenance for sanitation and air-conditioning systems · Guided factory tours – aboard the Riviera express · Getting the most out of your marine insurance cover · Understanding the science of anti-fouling · Interior décor and styling and much more
Comments from 2016 Festival visitors
In 2016, the Riviera Festival of Boating was named as Queensland’s Best Corporate Event at the Australian Event Awards. Here’s why:
Stan Najar and Wendy Phillips, Sydney, NSW
“The safety workshop was amazing – I’ve never used a flare or deployed a life raft … and then being able to drive the Riviera 6000 at the Ladies Skipper training was something truly amazing,” said Wendy.
Stan said the educational workshops and the quality of presenters were both ‘fantastic’.
“It doesn’t matter what you know about boating, there’s always some new development in areas like navigation and safety,” he said.
“It was great for Wendy, who is very hands-on on the boat and we will be cruising with even greater confidence now.”
And Saturday night?
“It was off the hook,” said Stan. “The entertainment was first-class, as were the dancers and the vocalists.”
“It was without a doubt the best ball I have ever attended,” added Wendy.
Laurie Erhart, Gold Coast, Queensland
“I really enjoyed the opportunity to drive my first pod-drive yacht and to learn more about the Glass Bridge and CZone digital switching systems that make boating with Riviera such a pleasure.
“It was a fantastic four days and we attended quite a few of the workshops.
Camille Symmons, Western Australia
“Everyone from Mandurah who had been before said Harvey and I were in for a great time and they were certainly right.
“I have experience in events and the food, the entertainment and the service were second-to-none.”
Lance and Jacqueline Dummett, Gold Coast, Queensland
“The Volvo display was a great way to see the engines and the pod-drives out of our yacht and see how they work,” said Lance.
“And I loved the reserved seating in the restaurant and the new 5400 Sport Yacht – I really like the design.”
Lionel Dooley and Virginia Woods, Pittwater, NSW
“Our first Festival experience was extremely enjoyable. The presentation of boats under lights at night was amazing – it was where I fell in love with the boats and the brand,” said Lionel.
“The way Riviera looks after its clients really does encourage loyalty.”
Drew and Genni Sellick, Port Lincoln, South Australia
“We joined the Riviera Family when we purchased a 445 SUV two years ago and now I couldn’t buy another brand of yacht,” said Drew.
“We really do feel so much a part of a very special family … and families always stick together.
“It was great to be able to speak with the suppliers like Seakeeper, Volvo and Garmin and then Saturday night … we just loved it!
Steve Thomas, Perth, Western Australia
“The entire Festival really was … awesome. On Saturday night we sat with a group from Perth and although we were from different backgrounds, we found we had a lot in common,” he said.
As for the educational events?
“I’ve been around boats since I very young and there’s always so much more to learn,” said Steve.
“I attended a number of Festival workshops including Know Your Generator, Towing Rafting & Anchoring, Know Your Power Systems, Weather Planning and Tricks of the Trade and while they were all very different, there was something new in every one of them.”
George Salmon, Stockton, NSW
Having now twice attended the Festival, George Salmon says the expertise and education on offer simply should not be missed.
“The technical side to the Festival is fantastic,” says George. “It’s a very important opportunity to pick up information on maintenance and gain hands-on experience using your boat’s systems.
“I really valued the navigation workshop and the maintenance workshops, especially sanitation.
“You learn that it’s not all rocket science – you can usually resolve many common issues yourself.
“And the full factory tour is a real eye-opener.”
Judith Mazey, NSW
“My husband and I have owned our second motor yacht for the past two years and at no time during that ownership have I felt confident enough to take the helm and berth it.
“Like many women on the water, my husband is the skipper and I’ve always been the rope girl, galley queen and deckie.
“But, after successfully berthing the 6000 Sport Yacht with numerous people watching – including a film crew – that’s all about to change.
“From now on, I am going to get as much experience as I can at the helm so I’m not just crew, but a back-up for my husband in case anything drastic happens to him and I need to take control to get us safely back to shore.
“I’m learning … and that’s what the Festival workshops are all about – learning, having fun and gaining confidence.”
