The 74 islands of the Whitsundays provide a tropical wonderland for Riviera owners keen to explore its stunning natural beauty and unique marine life
Sometimes it’s not until we’re thrown into the deep end that we realise how capable we are. The same is said sometimes of Riviera motor yacht owners. It’s not until a skipper confronts challenging conditions that they truly appreciate just how seaworthy a Riviera is.
This was particularly true for Debbie when a last-minute business commitment precluded her husband from attending a Whitsunday Islands guided tour with R Marine Dillon in July.
After two years of missed ‘cruise in company’ experiences because of Covid restrictions, the Melburnian was determined to make this trip happen. Debbie enlisted her son Mike and skipper Leigh Trevaskis to accompany her to the Gold Coast aboard their Riviera 50 Sports Motor Yacht, Sparky.
Oil tankers moored outside of the Port of Gladstone, north of Brisbane, provided an interesting backdrop for the fleet of adventurous Rivieras
Debbie’s grandfather may have sailed in the British Merchant Navy, however her experience before owning a Riviera was limited to lakes and rivers on smaller day boats. Taking a 50-foot luxury motor yacht halfway up the eastern seaboard, a trip of 1,580 nautical miles, would be an enlightening undertaking.
“I was excited. We’ve always wanted to cruise, extend our horizons and get to know Australia from a nautical perspective. For me this trip was about the journey, not the destination, and having to face up to different events along the way. It was important for us to have a skipper with local knowledge, who could guide us as we learned to navigate the new routes.”
The trio left Brighton Yacht Club with the intention of enjoying a leisurely cruise north to the Gold Coast. “The beauty of the coastline is unbelievable,” says Debbie. “There were so many whales we lost count of them and we were just enjoying the trip. It wasn’t a race. I think you learn quickly just how capable a Riviera is; there’s not much that messes her around.”
Debbie was also determined that she should gain the experience necessary to take charge as a skipper herself, an endeavour she had a head start on.
Whale watching while at sea between Middle Percy Island and Mackay Marina
"We’ve always wanted to cruise, extend our horizons and get to know Australia from a nautical perspective. For me this trip was about the journey, not the destination"
Debbie
“A Riviera is a bit like driving a luxury car,” she says. “The hardest part is docking and even that is made pretty easy with the joystick. Our dealer Stuart Jackson from R Marine Jacksons provided multiple sessions to practise docking with different angles and winds so, in the end, I was completely comfortable. Practising docking is probably the best investment in skipper training I’ve ever done.”
Debbie says it was excellent to have a skipper aboard. Debbie and Mike did 1.5-hour stints at the helm to make sure that they kept their focus and stayed off social media. “Dodging whales, that was eye-opening. They just surface anywhere and you have to be completely vigilant all the time to work out their trajectory.” They also used the trip as an opportunity to train their son. Leigh trained Mike in all aspects of boating, route planning, docking, lead lights and the planning conversations for bar crossings. “Mike loved it,” she says.
Sparky joined the R Marine Dillon team on the Gold Coast. “Scott and the R Marine Dillon crew were fantastic. We offered to accommodate Josh Nash and skipper Mark Lawson so I got this amazing one-on-one training along the way from Mark as well.”
The Sparky crew took time to enjoy some tropical fishing during the journey north
Josh takes over at the helm of Sparky
Central Coasters Jan and David aboard their 4800 Sport Yacht Platinum Edition, Escapade, met Debbie and four other Riviera motor yachts at Sanctuary Cove. With Mark in command and Debbie at the helm of Sparky as the lead boat, they continued north together.
“Debbie has a good handle on her Riviera; she skippers it herself, and we had a lot of fun together,” says David. “The trip was quite an adventure. We had the smallest boat and it proved extremely capable and economical in all types of conditions. The seas were reasonably rough a lot of the way up and we arrived at Hamilton Island in six days, a reasonably record-breaking time, just to stay ahead of the weather.”
Although Escapade is their fourth Riviera, the couple say they still learned a tremendous amount from the trip.
“We’ve learned a lot about the electronics on board, especially the navigation system, and had great help from the R Marine Dillon team, Mark and Josh. When we had questions about navigation or electronics they would jump on board and show us what to do. It’s an essential aspect of being in charge of a boat at sea and having a safe passage.
Central Coasters Jan and David with friend Sue onboard their 4800 Sport Yacht Platinum Edition, Escapade
Escapade in her full glory at anchor
David, Sue and Josh enjoying the Riviera life with fresh local seafood
Escapade shines a subtle light on the bay at dusk
While Jan and David like the idea of snorkelling with the turtles they are equally happy with the artistic version
“It was also really good to make new friends. There were close to 20 people in the group and by the end of the trip we knew each other very well. We’d go out to dinner at night together and have drinks on each other’s boats. There was a really lovely mix of people all with a common interest and love of boats. The frontier that is the sea, and enjoying that, brought us together. Different friendships are forged at sea. You’re brought together by the challenge, the joy, the emotions, the sunsets and the appreciation for it all.”
After spending a couple of weeks enjoying the tropical paradise that is The Whitsundays; snorkelling with turtles and sighting two rare dugongs, most of the group headed home or in different directions. David and Jan’s itinerary was ‘a bit more open-ended’.
"If we hadn’t done this trip, I don’t think we’d have known how capable our boat is."
David
“We’ve been aboard for nearly three months now,” says Jan. “It’s been wonderful. We have a beautiful boat, it’s been outstanding, we love it. I wasn’t sure how we’d go for so long but the 4800 Sport Yacht has been absolutely perfect for us. We have everything we need to be really comfortable, a washing machine and dryer, fridges and freezers that have worked exceptionally well and all the storage. The main bed is so massive I have David make it. We have satellite TV, the internet, and the rear deck is really nice, just perfect for people to come over and be very comfortable.” But that’s not all. David and Jan also brought golf clubs with them and enjoyed a bit of land time in between sunset sails.
The fleet of Rivieras enjoying the remote beauty of Dugong Inlet, north west of Whitsunday Island near Lady Island
“In terms of driving, we have two helm seats that are really comfortable and both high with good visibility,” Jan continues. “There have been lots of whales around so we’re always concentrating on the spouts – we have to be very mindful of that. There have been 30,000 whales that have migrated this year; we had them on the way up and now on the way south too as they also journey south. We’re living the life, that’s for sure.”
Finally, now southward bound, the couple say their experience with the R Marine Dillon team has held them in great stead. “We’ve travelled south alone and we’re not afraid at all,” says David. “We’ve navigated shallow waters, crocodile waters, different anchorages, marinas, rolling swells, managed our fuel consumption and we’re better navigators now than ever before. If we hadn’t done this trip, I don’t think we’d have known how capable our boat is. It’s been quite the learning experience and we’re already thinking about our next adventure.”