Fleming 55 motoryacht

At this time of year every caravan park and camping ground from Noosa Heads around to Broome is packed with Grey Nomads "doing a lap" of the country in everything from old VW Kombi vans to half-million-dollar luxury mobile homes.

Once remote spots, such as the Archer River crossing on Cape York, can be as crowded as the Birdcage at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day. But less than 100km to the east of this popular spot there is an almost deserted paradise -- but you need a solid cruising vessel to reach it and enjoy your surroundings.

Nautical grey nomads can inspect such a craft at the up-coming Sydney International Boat Show. It is the almost legendary Fleming 55 raised-pilot house motoryacht.

First introduced to the US market in 1986, the Fleming 55 is one of the most popular motoryachts with the growing number of "live-aboard" American yachties who spend their year following the sun from Florida up to Maine or from Mexico to Vancouver and back again.

A boat designed more than 20 years ago might sound old-fashioned but the Fleming 55 is anything but. A constant program of evolution has kept it up to the mark with changes both big and small and today there are more than 200 Fleming 55s cruising the world's oceans and waterways.

Although the semi-displacement hull design is virtually unchanged from the Eighties, today's Fleming models utilise all the advanced technology, materials and construction methods of more recent designs.

The most recent change, which can be seen on the Sydney show boat, is the introduction of LED lights for both the interior and the navigation lights. While providing an even brighter light than conventional bulbs, LED lights use a fraction of the electricity -- an important consideration when you are swinging on the hook in paradise and don't won't to disturb the silence with a generator.

The Fleming 55 has a range of 2000 nautical miles at 8 knots but can hit a top speed of 19 knots if the need arises. The maximum sustained cruising speed is 17 knots and the moderate deadrise hull provides a comfortable ride at this speed.

But most Fleming owners enjoy the trip as much as the destination and choose to potter along at about 10 knots, a speed that limits the fuel consumption of the twin Cummins 500hp common-rail diesel engines to less than 40 litres an hour.

The Fleming, which is air-conditioned throughout, comes with accommodation for six people in three cabins. The master, in the bow, has an island queen-sized bed and a private head. There are two large hanging lockers and lots of storage. The main guest cabin has twin berths while the other cabin has upper and lower berths. The two guest cabins share their own head.

The pilot house, which provides shelter from the elements for the skipper and which has a walk-around Portuguese bridge for safety, has a small lounge for guests and more than ample room for navigation and communications equipment and a large chart table.

A couple of steps aft finds the galley and the large saloon. The galley has a double sink, a four burner stove and oven and ample refrigeration and a freezer. The adjoining saloon has a L-shaped dining area and room for as much entertainment equipment as anyone could want.

The aft cockpit, half protected by the overhang of the tender storage area, has room for alfresco dining or a cocktail party.

The fly bridge is an entertaining area of its own, with two large lounges, a dining area and a secondary helm station. There is a dumbwaiter so drinks can be passed directly up from the galley. A crane mounted at the rear of the fly-bridge lifts the RIB tender into and out of the water.

The Fleming 55, which will be on display at the marina at the Sydney International Boat Show, is expected to attract a lot of attention as moer people look at leaving the Sydney or Melbourne winters behind and to find peaceful seclusion off a deserted island in the Barrier Reef.