Back Cove and Sabre Rendezvous

It might have been overcast but the faces of 21 owners and their crews aboard 11 Back Cove and Sabre Yachts were beaming at the inaugural Pittwater Rendezvous held over the weekend (Sunday March 23) on the Hawkesbury River.

The Rendezvous culminated with a weekend at the famous boat-only-accessible Peats Bite in Sunny Corner at the mouth of Berowra Water, a tributary of the Hawkesbury River.

There are now 47 Back Cove and Sabre Yachts plying Australian waters. Eleven of these boats tagged along for what is sure to be the first of many more Rendezous events for brand-loyal owners.

The fleet ranged from a Back Cove 29, a 2009-model powered by a 315hp Yanmar, to a Sabre 38 with Volvo IPS 400 pod drives, and a just-launched Back Cove 37 with a cutting-edge 480hp 6.7L Cummins diesel engine.

Their owners and crew — experienced boaters, a good number of ex-yachties, and also those who are relatively new to motor-cruising – all shared a common passion, that being, their love of their Maine-built Back Cove and Sabre motoryachts.

Evidently, getting to the Rendezvous was an adventure in itself. Six boats left Sydney Harbour in a mini-flotilla on Friday afternoon and travelled offshore to Broken Bay and then upstream and to d’Albora Marinas, Akuna Bay, for the night . Breakfast was on deck before the lines were cast for Peats Bite.

Meanwhile, a Back Cove 37 had cruised from Queensland on its own back with its owners now kicking around Pittwater for a bit longer before moving onto Sydney Harbour.

"We had 11 boats for this first Rendezvous and I thought that was a pretty good turnout. The camaraderie developed and now we’re even planning the next one, an offshore whale-watching trip," Jed Elderkin from the Australian importers E Marine said.

"Three other boat owners also wanted to be there but they had other commitments, but all Back Cove and Sabre owners can expect more rendezvous and cruises in company in the future," Jed said, adding a big thanks to his wife and business partner Evie.

The return trip to Sydney also allowed owners to gain a lot of confidence in their boats. There was a two-metre swell and sea and it was standing up at the mouth of Broken Bay.

The Down East-inspired range of Back and Sabre boats have been made in Maine since 1970 for offshore boaters. All of the Back Coves are powered by single engines and thrusters for manoeuvrability. The flagship, the Sabre 66 with IPS3 1200s, will launch in August this year.

A brand-new Back Cove 41, the biggest boat in the Back Cove range, will debut at this year’s Sydney Boat Show opening July 30. More information from Jed Elderkin, The Spit, Sydney, www.emarine.com.au.