12 Riviera boats cruise the Whitsundays

A mix of 11 classic and new Riviera cruisers, plus a 54 Belize Daybridge, cast the lines on the Gold Coast in mid-August for a cruise in company suitably dubbed the Whitsundays Migration. Covering more than 600nm, the voyage north introduced a bunch of new boaters to the joys of coastal cruising.

Staged by R Marine Crawley on the Gold Coast, the fleet included three Riviera 52 Enclosed Flybridge models, a classic Riviera 40, two 47s, a 48, a pair of 43 Open Flybridges, two new Sport Yachts and a 54 Belize Daybridge.

The fleet ventured from Mooloolaba after the opening night event for the 54nm run to Wide Bay Bar and the passage through the Great Sandy Strait, inside the world’s largest sand island, Fraser Island.

RIV CRUISING COUPLES
Darren and Tracey Cain on their new Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht were thrilled to be guided through the notorious bar, following the latest set of waypoints, with a Coast Guard boat on standby.

"We live in Melbourne and all our boating experience has been in Port Phillip Bay and lakes," Darren said.

"This was our first time in open waters. Any trepidation was quickly quelled by the experience of all the other motor yacht owners as well as Ben [Crawley] and his crew.

"Our plan is to keep Fun Time in Queensland and commute from our home whenever we can make the time to escape."

For Lance and Jacqueline Dummett aboard their new Riviera 5400 Sport Yacht, Hailstorm, the best day of the entire Migration was the stopover at Lady Musgrave Island, 32 nm off the coast, and 67nm north of Fraser Island.

"The water was glassy inside the atoll," said Lance. "We snorkelled and watched the thousands of spectacular reef fish. There were even a few reef sharks.

"Some of the owners fished and took their catch onto the beach to cook over a fire. That’s fresh fish!"

Another interstate family, Alex and Kathy Tonks packed their young children aboard their Riviera 40, Mezzaluna, named after a restaurant in which they had their first date.

"We live in Sydney and had planned to take our motor yacht to the Whitsundays at some stage. Because it is a long voyage for us we were reluctant to do it alone.

"We saw the notice about the Migration on the Events page of Riviera's web site and contacted R Marine Crawley. We could not have made a better decision.

"The dinner on the beach at Lady Musgrave Island was a highlight for us. Craig, Bruce, Brett and Roger from the 47 Flybridge Pearl caught several fish, including a huge red emperor and cooked them Fijian lovo style on the beach.

"We now have memories of a great group of people and have experienced boating paradise. Although we had not met any of them before, it was a fantastic group to share the journey with. This voyage has made us so happy to be part of the Riviera family."

FAST RUN NORTH
The organising R Marine Crawley crew altered the schedule to ensure the flotilla took advantage of weather windows throughout the voyage.

As the fleet arrived in the Whitsundays ahead of schedule, some spent a night in Cid Harbour on the western side of the large Whitsunday Island. There was a trip out to Bait Reef on the inner edge of the Great Barrier Reef, too.

SPORT YACHT VIEWS
The Cains and the Dummetts took delivery of their new Sport Yachts on the Gold Coast just two weeks before this Whitsundays shake-down trip and were said to be highly impressed with the new 4800 and 5400.

?From the luxurious interior to the Volvo Penta IPS pod drives, the boats were praised for being smooth and quiet, with single-level layouts that fit the social on-board lifestyle.

"Our previous Rivieras were flybridge models," said Jacqueline Dummett on their 5400 SY. "We had six people on board at times and the single level of Hailstorm means we can all relax together in a very comfortable environment."

Husband and helmsman Lance said the visibility from the helm of the Sport Yacht is excellent.

"She is a phenomenally good motor yacht,: he said.

"We encountered some difficult seas on our way back to the Gold Coast and she handled them with ease, even at 25 knots which seems to be her sweet spot for economy and handling."

More at Riviera’s luxury boating lifestyle page.