Please select your home edition
Edition
Sydney Boat Show 2025 - Apply to Exhibit

100 hour Tasman crossing - Fastest ever by Master Mariner

by Promedia on 17 Nov 2017
The S70 leaving the Gold Coast Seaway on a Saturday morning to arrive at the Bay Of Islands in New Zealand 100 hours later. Promedia
Gold Coast based professional captain Russell Fleming knows a thing or two about boats and he has just finished his 50th delivery trip between Australia and New Zealand in a vessel he says is one of the best.

Captain Fleming made his momentous 50th crossing in Maritimo's sleek, new S70 sedan motor yacht and he said the vessel performed well above all expectations.

'We had 25 knots of wind on the bow and three and a half metres seas for about eight hours at one stage in the trip and she handled it beautifully,' said the veteran skipper.

'We then had big following seas and she reveled in those conditions.

'Because she is single level the centre of gravity is quite low and she performs brilliantly in any conditions.'



Captain Fleming, a New Zealander, was delivering the S70 to New Zealand for its owners Brian and Cath Carran who worked with Maritimo for a period of almost two years bringing the boat into fruition.

Their decision to motor the boat from the Gold Coast to their home country was based purely on economics having cost approximately half what it would have cost to ship the vessel across The Ditch.

Brian said they went with Captain Fleming because of his experience and his dogged attention to detail in preparing the boat for what can be a dangerous exercise.

'Russell leaves absolutely nothing to chance and we had great confidence in him delivering our vessel on time and in good shape.'

Captain Fleming said his 50th trip was quite a milestone in more ways than one - it was his fastest ever crossing taking just on 100 hours.



He covered 1178 nautical miles and burned 8500 litres of diesel fuel. Average speed was 12.4 knots. The boat left the Gold Coast at 7am on a Saturday morning and arrived in The Bay of Islands four days later.

Fleming prepared the vessel for the trip at Maritimo's Hope Island marina and service centre, Boat Masters. Two fuel bladders carrying 1500 litres each were added to the port and starboard side of the vessel and the hydraulic swim platform was removed and put in a container to be shipped to NZ.



He said his two crew on the trip Colin Fraser and Matthew Birdsil operated on a three hours on/ six hours off watch rotation system.

'It was a great trip over and a really good test of the vessel,' he said. 'She could not have handled better.'

Maritimo's Gold Coast CEO, Garth Corbitt, said the Carran's completed a worldwide search for their perfect retirement boat before settling on the Maritimo. ' They didn't want a flybridge vessel, but after sea trialling our M70 off the Gold Coast they were won over by its performance and threw us the challenge to build them a single level version,' he said.



'The rest is history and after taking delivery of their vessel here on the Gold Coast, and then doing a six week Whitsunday's cruise with friends and family, their pride and joy is now safely tied up in Auckland ready for them to have years of enjoyment.

'Brian and Cath were very hands on in the design process and they have customised their vessel to their own style and taste. 'We knew it was a winner from the initial design stages and now that Russell has put her to the test over 100 hours and more than 1100 nautical miles our beliefs have been vindicated.'



Brian and Cath Carran plan to use the boat around New Zealand and will then consider venturing further afield to locations such as Fiji and Nouméa.

The vessel is powered by twin 900 horsepower Scania D16 engines.

North Sails Loft 57 PodcastSea Sure 2025Navico AUS Zeus3S FOOTER

Related Articles

Less than 48 hours to Rolex Fastnet Race
Battle lines are being drawn up Battle lines are being drawn up for the RORC's centenary Rolex Fastnet Race. As the final day of Admiral's Cup inshore racing took place in the Solent, so several yachts due to take part in Saturday's main event were out training.
Posted today at 9:03 pm
A Day at the WASZP Games
Video interviews with some of the sailors and supporters of the class The WASZP Games 2025, being held at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy in the UK, has attracted 248 of the foiling dinghies to take part in a week of varied and high intensity racing.
Posted today at 7:33 pm
Admiral's Cup David Maynard Thursday Gallery
First race of the day, captured for our viewing pleasure David Maynard was out on the water to catch the action from the first on Thursday of the Admiral's Cup Inshore Racing.
Posted today at 7:04 pm
World Sailing's inaugural Impact Report
Charting a new course for a sustainable future in sport World Sailing, the global governing body for the sport of sailing, today released its first Impact Report, a comprehensive overview of the federation's significant progress in environmental sustainability and social contribution.
Posted today at 3:33 pm
Yoann Richomme returns to Fastnet
Says Elodie Bonafous' is the boat to beat This weekend's biennial Rolex Fastnet Race - one of the oldest classics in sailing - sees the IMOCA Class return to the racetrack, with eight boats on the startline on Saturday for what is the second round of this year's IMOCA Globe Series Championship.
Posted today at 3:12 pm
2025 iQFOiL Youth & Junior Worlds kicks off
Over 20 races scheduled across eight days, with the world's top young windsurfers chasing the title The world's fastest young windsurfers are arriving in Brittany as the 2025 iQFOiL Youth & Junior World Championships get under way in Brest.
Posted today at 2:53 pm
Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam Day 6
Arguably the best female Freestyle final of all time Sarah-Quita Offringa pushed all the way by Maaike Huvermann in arguably the best female Freestyle final of all time, while Yentel Caers wins ‘Battle of Belgium' against Steven Van Broeckhoven to hold respective event leads.
Posted today at 11:48 am
Admiral's Cup 2025 | D2 Inshore Racing Videos
One race and then it was all done. Very light and even a bit of liquid sunshine. One race and then it was all done. Very light and even a bit of liquid sunshine.
Posted today at 10:57 am
How to follow RORC Centenary Rolex Fastnet Race
At present 451 yachts are entered, which, if all start on Saturday, will break the previous record. This year's centennial edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race will set sail this Saturday, 26 July from the Royal Yacht Squadron line off Cowes, Isle of Wight, bound for Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France.
Posted today at 10:30 am
WASZP Games 2025 Day 3
When racing got under way, it was a game of patience, persistence, and pressure-hunting Day 3 of the WASZP Games dawned with cautious optimism as the early risers in the boat park were greeted by a light but promising northerly breeze. However, an approaching front caused the race committee to call a three-hour postponement.
Posted today at 8:23 am