The team at R Marine Crawley in south-east Queensland has been extremely busy over the past month with a series of events for their owners designed to combine education and friendship.
The month began with a “Tips and Tricks” evening at the nearby Southport Yacht Club, a lady skipper day, then a fun-filled afternoon at a polo tournament. Finally, the team hosted a fleet of 11 motor yachts for their annual Winter Getaway Experience through the Gold Coast waterways and islands.
Tips & Tricks training
A “tips and tricks” evening at the Southport Yacht Club on Queensland’s Gold Coast was fully booked with 50 owners attending and a “Lady Skipper” morning proved equally popular with a full program for eight ladies.
Operations Manager Tiffany English welcomed guests to the Club’s famed floating Waterscape pontoon for the tips evening and explained: “These evenings are designed to educate our R Marine Crawley family and help grow their on-water confidence.”
Lex and Debbie Campbell described the evening as “terrific for zooming in on some important aspects to consider when we travel north to the Whitsundays this year”.
The Dealership’s Client Relationship Manager Greg Stroud and Luxury Boat Broker Jason Kowalski covered a broad range of topics from passage planning to the benefits of the Volvo Penta IPS propulsion system.
Riviera 4400 Sport Yacht owner Max Hume said: “The clear explanations backed up with large diagrams and pictures on large screens was a great hit. The combined experience of Greg and Jason giving advice on important items such as anchoring procedures, fuelling safety tips, margins and tank pressurisation, radar operation and IPS benefits was invaluable for us less experienced boat owners.”
Greg Stroud said many people underestimate the importance of passage planning.
“Knowing what the weather is doing is key when passage planning,” he said.
“The total weight of your motor yacht along with currents, sea state and wind forces are important aspects to consider when attempting to go beyond the safety of the Broadwater and extended bays.”
Greg used the grounding of the bulk carrier ship MV Pasha Bulker during a storm off Newcastle on the New South Wales central coast in 2007 as an example of what can happen if the planning process is overlooked.
“After the ship’s captain decided not to heed warnings about the onset of bad weather, the Pasha Bulker ran aground on Nobby’s Beach,” said Greg.
Greg emphasised the importance of location awareness, vessel management and safety.
Southport Yacht Club’s Sous Chef Grant Dasecke provided a simple yet fantastic Galley Wise cooking demonstration. His flavour-filled chicken stir fry and crispy grilled barramundi fillet dishes proved to be crowd pleasers, with owners loving their tasting platters.
Debbie Campbell particularly enjoyed the cooking demonstration.
Above: Spectacular setting for a Tips & Tricks event.
“I was surprised at the delicious result from a few simple ingredients,” said Debbie. “I would not have cooked packet noodles on the barbecue! I will be attempting to recreate the dishes on our boat.”
Jason Kowalski discussed the advantages of the Volvo Penta IPS system.
“IPS has many proven benefits,” said Jason. “It is one of the most environmentally sound inboard propulsion systems with a range of benefits, from 40 percent longer cruising range, 30 percent reduced fuel consumption and 50 percent lower perceived noise levels. It also offers joystick docking capabilities.”
Max Hume said that, after owning Riviera shaft drive boats and now IPS on his 4400 Sport Yacht, he could see the benefits.
“I couldn’t believe how economical our Sport Yacht was,” he said.
Debbie Campbell summed up the evening for the owners: “We meet people and make new friends at R Marine Crawley’s events as well as always learning more about our motor yachts.
“It is the whole Riviera experience more than the sum of the parts that we really appreciate.”
Lady Skipper training
Everyone who participated in the Lady Skipper morning held a marine licence so organiser Karla Herbert-Evans focussed on skill development and knowledge to improve their confidence on the water.
Karla spoke briefly about safety and weather before taking the ladies through basic navigation exercises.
Then it was out on the water aboard a Riviera 4400 Sport Yacht to improve boat handling skills with the Volvo Penta IPS system and joystick manoeuvring.
“Karla put everyone at ease, including the most nervous of us,” said Debbie Campbell. “We all had a turn at manoeuvring and berthing the yacht.
“What struck me was how convivial and informative the morning was and all the practical snippets and gems of information Karla had for us throughout the session. It was a confidence booster and reinforced our boat handling skills.”
For Jacqueline Dummett, driving the sport yacht was daunting at first.
“I had never driven before, but we manoeuvred around a buoy and learned about how the joystick works,” she said.
“We are having a new 5400 Sport Yacht built at the moment, so I will be eager to do another course when we take delivery. Then I can immediately practice everything we learn.”
Participants received a useful handbook to take home as a quick reference. Particularly handy for knots!
At the conclusion of the event, all of the participants received Certificates of Completion and then enjoyed a well-deserved and complimentary lunch at Southport Yacht Club’s waterfront restaurant.
Polo by the Sea
For something completely different, R Marine Crawley invited owners to a spectacular day watching the Polo by the Sea at a park on the Gold Coast’s The Spit.
The R Marine Crawley team organised a limousine to pick up guests who sipped champagne during the ride.
The day was spent enjoying the sporting spectacle as well as indulging in champagne and exquisite food in the VIP marquee.
The polo players joined the guests in between chukkas and shared some finer details of their sport.
A few of the ladies decided to enter the “Fashion on the Fields” with one taking the top prize and winning a $2,000 Hugo Boss voucher.
Left: Ladies preparing for the Fashion in the Field. Right: R Marine Crawley guests at the polo.
An exciting day was completed with dinner at the Gold Coast’s restaurant area in Tedder Avenue, indulging in more fine dining and champagne.
Winter Getaway Experience
We will provide a comprehensive report on the R Marine Crawley Winter Getaway in the next edition of our Experience online magazine.
For information about future R Marine Crawley events and to register, or contact R Marine Crawley on 07 5529 5007.
