While NSW locks down events in Queensland prepare - Oceania MarineBusinessWorld.com newsletter
by Peter Rendle 15 Jul 2021 15:00 PDT
Holy Cow! leading the Cruising pack - Airlie Beach Race Week © Andrea Francolini
With NSW looking to suppress further outbreaks of the Delta strain of Covid which includes a further two weeks of lockdown, Queensland venues are preparing for their annual regattas.
The Whitsunday Sailing Club (WSC) officials and members are looking forward to welcoming a record number of competitors and their supporters to the 33rd running of Airlie Beach Race Week (ABRW), to be held from 12-19 August in the stunning Whitsunday islands. "So far we have a record 156 boats entered and some of the interstaters are already in town. We remain hopeful that the current situation will not end up restricting those who are in lockdown at present," Event Chairman, Ross Chisholm, says.
Victorians suffered lockdown for a period but are free now, and the sailors among them are champing at the bit to head to Airlie Beach. One is Royal Geelong Yacht Club's Commodore, John Kint, who will race in the 53-strong Cruising Division.
We have also heard that Hamilton Island Race Week is also getting ready for their annual event; however, numbers are reported to be slightly down as interstate visitors - especially from New South Wales - face restrictions in moving north.
Also, from Queensland we hear of news from the Coral Sea Academy based at Airlie Beach. With leisure boat sales on the rise, the Whitsunday region is experiencing unprecedented levels of new visitors this year, many of which are experiencing their spectacular backyard for the first time. In addition, the annual migration of cruising yachts is happening, with those boat owners deciding to 'holiday here this year' and return to Australia's premier cruising grounds.
With a desire to add value to the visitor experience, this year, Coral Sea Marina has launched the Coral Sea Academy, an EduTourism experience with a mission to engage with people wanting to get out on the Whitsunday waters and immerse themselves in the region's marine environment. With so many new people to boating, an all-new Coral Sea Academy series of events has been created - the Better Boating series. Over the course of nine weeks, these events will provide the perfect opportunity to encourage better boating practices through a series of informational, fun and engaging sessions.
Awards continue to flow in the direction of Multihull Solutions. The company has been recognised as Fountaine Pajot's leading international dealer and been inducted into the shipyard's inaugural Hall of Fame. The special award was bestowed upon Multihull Solutions by Fountaine Pajot's deputy CEO Romain Motteau who said it was the highest accolade possible for a dealer in their network. "The Hall of Fame award is for the dealers that aren't simply just dealers," Romain said. "They've reached legendary status having delivered strong support over many years and continuing to achieve the best results throughout all departments, including sales, service and communication," he said.
Multihull Solutions continues to deliver record sales for Fountaine Pajot sail and power catamarans and has won the shipyard's Dealer of the Year for many years since the company's launch 13 years ago. Multihull Solutions CEO Mark Elkington said the Hall of Fame award was an incredible honour and attributed the success to the company's solid team.
John Curnow, Sail-World and PowerBoat.world's resident editor has reviewed Australian boat builder Composites Construction's latest offering, the Cape 40. To say he was impressed is an understatement. He states, "when I saw the mould for the Cape50 being constructed I was pretty impressed. A lot of nice thinking, and a bunch of even better curves went into her creation. The Covid beast meant I never got to see her for real, and then it struck again with the cancellation of the Sydney Festival of Boating, where Hull #1 was going to be on display."
And you may have noticed this website is now named Marine Business World Oceania. As long-term marine industry members in Australia we recognise that industry events in South East Asia and New Zealand are of interest to the industry at large in this part of the world and we will continue to include news from the region in future.
From New Zealand we recently learnt that Lusty & Blundell Ltd, the country's largest distributor of leading-brand marine industry products and systems, is now owned by CEO Mark Milburn, qualified boat builder and experienced businessman Cameron Maher, and L&B OEM sales manager Morgan Brodie. Founded in 1974 by marine industry stalwart Ken Lusty, Lusty and Blundell is renowned for providing premium products and practical solutions and proudly distributes many of the industry's most iconic brands in that country.
While we all contemplate the future direction of this ongoing pandemic, let's stay positive, do the right thing and look forward to getting back to some semblance of normality as soon as practical. In the meantime, stay safe and well.
Peter Rendle - peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com