Welcome to the SYS Riviera Rendezvous on the stunning Bahamian island of Eleuthera
by Riviera Australia 5 May 03:07 NZST
Brought together by a passion for water, adventure, and a love for Riviera, nearly 40 jubilant guests aboard nine luxury motor yachts spent five days floating around the beautiful turquoise Bahamian waters of Harbour Island, hosted by SYS Yacht Sales.
Building on the previous Rendezvous to the Exumas, the fabulously fun crew from SYS Yacht Sales - accompanied by nine luxury Riviera motor yachts and nearly 40 happy guests - returned to the famed turquoise Bahamian waters.
On this trip the group explored the stunning pink sands of Harbour Island at the north end of Eleuthera.
Brought together by a passion for water, adventure, and a love for Riviera, the adventurers set off on the five-day excursion from Florida's Sarasota in relatively calm seas for the Gulf Stream crossing - despite some wayward thunderstorms.
On their Riviera 5400 Sport Yacht Anhinga, Ron and Beth Slaymaker said they appreciated the support from the SYS crew and captain for the crossing.
"It's about 60 miles of open ocean and you have to be very sensitive to wind speed and direction, and the currents,'' Ron says. "There was a little wave action but nothing to challenge our Riviera.
"It was a blast to have this train of Rivs lined up going across the Gulf Stream. The waters are a deep marine blue and the minute you enter the shallower banks of the Bahamas it's the clearest most turquoise waters I've seen in my life. It's a thrilling effect."
It's the second SYS Rendezvous the Slaymakers have attended and Beth says the experience gets better each year.
"It was exciting to be going over with a bigger group of Rivieras,'' she says. "You feel that comfort in numbers. It's also a great opportunity to enjoy a sense of community with other Riviera owners and share the fun with people who have good taste in boats!"
After settling into the gorgeous Valentines Resort and Marina, in true Riviera Rendezvous fashion the call went out for "docktails'', an SYS initiative that pitches Riviera against Riviera to see who can deliver the best sea cocktail experience.
The 'Jen Bay', 'Key Lime Face Punch' and 'Anhinga Flyover' were among crowd favourites, though the Slaymakers remain coy about the exact recipe of their tequila-based special. "It's a Texan top secret," Ron says with a wink. SYS provided plenty of treats to accompany refreshments, with platters of fresh local dishes including cracked conch, conch fritters, prawns and fresh fish ceviche.
Meanwhile, Matt and Keli Beecroft, who are awaiting the arrival of their new Riviera, landed on Eleuthera from Ohio aboard a unique craft for a Rendezvous, an Italian-built Piaggio Avanti turbo prop plane. "We're anxiously awaiting the arrival of our newly built Riviera 64 Sports Motor Yacht. We loved our Riviera 6000 Sport Yacht but were intrigued by something bigger we could spec out and build ourselves and the 64 SMY seemed right for us," Matt says.
Not even a moment of boatlessness could keep the Beecrofts from reuniting with Riviera friends made through SYS. "We've formed great friendships and stayed in touch and it was wonderful to be able to go back down to the Bahamas and see them again," Keli says. "Everyone was welcoming and happy to see us and loved that we were there without our Riviera, that we'd come to see them."
The Rendezvous offered a perfect balance between time to relax, time to explore the islands independently, and organised activities that brought people together. One of the organised events was a tour of Eleuthera Island that stopped by the Glass Window Bridge, the spectacular Queen's Baths, Sapphire Blue Hole and Preacher's Cave, which is noted to be the shelter for the first English settlers from Bermuda who were shipwrecked along the reef at Devil's Backbone.
Despite a shorter stay, the Beecrofts notched up memorable moments.
"Gosh, just sitting aboard the Riviera and having laughs, that's a highlight," Keli says. "That's the beauty of Riviera, they're free and open flowing, as if they were made for sitting on the back deck enjoying appetisers and drinks with friends. And of course, we were in a beautiful environment.
"We did an excursion to Turtle Bay where you can swim with the turtles and it was the neatest thing I've ever done in my life. It was so fascinating to be in the water with these harmless, ancient turtles bumping into you and pushing you out of the way. The stingrays that would flutter atop our feet and fly past us... extraordinary."
The Beecrofts have so much more to look forward to with the arrival of their new 64SMY. "The foredeck is amazing, humongous and so comfortable for hosting lots of people, I can't wait. I think we'll really enjoy being on the same level and on a larger boat, like a flybridge but enclosed and together," Keli says. While Matt has one thing clear: "I'm looking forward to going fast! But seriously, I'm looking forward to captaining the boat, it's very manoeuvrable for its size, and with the Twin Disc EJS and Quickshift set-up that everyone raves about, it's super smooth."
The Rendezvous finished with a meal at the Rooster Tail Bar & Grill where the crews chatted about where to meet next, with some on their way to Chub Cay and others back home to the US.