Riviera 4400 Sport Yacht owners Kevin and Judy Taylor embarked on their first blue water voyage when they joined a fleet of 24 boats for the 140 nautical mile journey from Adelaide to Port Lincoln for R Marine South Australia’s Easter Experience.
The annual Easter Experience has become one of the largest and most anticipated events on R Marine South Australia’s annual events calendar.
This was the first Riviera Experience for the South Australian couple who previously owned a 3600 Sport Yacht before buying their 4400 Sport Yacht Taylormade II in 2011.
Kevin said this experience had given them a lot more confidence to undertake extended voyages.
“We have an apartment in Glenelg which overlooks the water and quite often if the weather looks too rough we just stay in the marina and enjoy the company of fellow boaters or the fare from the local restaurants,” he said.
“The Easter Experience this year was fantastic. Paul Harrop from R Marine South Australia said the whole weekend was designed to show us what our boats were capable of and that was exactly what we did.
“We travelled to Port Lincoln with a lot of bigger boats and our boat handled it just as well as the 51 and 53 so we have a lot more confidence and will be bringing our 4400 back to Adelaide on our own.”
Michael Pitman from R Marine South Australia said it was pleasing to see many first time Riviera owners at the Easter Experience.
“It was great to see many of our owners who had previously not travelled too far from home before really enjoying the new surroundings, experiences and breathtaking moments, which is exactly what the team at R Marine SA was trying to achieve,” Michael said.
It was the first Riviera owner experience for David and Nicole Crawford who own 43 Open Flybridge, Achilles, and Mark and Denise Hand who own 51 Enclosed Flybridge, Aussie Battler.
David Crawford said this experience was a fantastic introduction into the R Marine SA family and in particular provided an insight into the dedication, generosity and professionalism of the R Marine SA team.
“It has also given us confidence to pursue the next chapter for us with Achilles, which is to explore the Coffin Bay region,” David said.
“I couldn’t get over the attention to detail that the R Marine crew put towards the weekend. The opportunity to meet and chat with other boat owners with much more experience has been invaluable in short cutting some of the learning experience we would have learnt the hard way.
“Among the many highlights over the weekend, it was the simple things that stood out. Good company, great food and service, wonderful anchorages, a great boat, and a feeling that Paul and his team are people we can trust in giving the correct boating advice.”
Mark Hand said the R Marine SA team really went the extra mile to ensure people were having a good time.
“In the mornings the R Marine team delivered the newspaper to us some 27 nautical miles out at sea behind Reevesby Island. They also hosted a magnificent cocktail party on the beach which was as good as anything you would have at a five star restaurant,” Mark said.
“Everybody got on so well, the whole weekend was full of fun and there was a lot of support from the team at R Marine SA.”
On day one of the Experience the fleet cruised from Port Lincoln to a beautiful cove called The Monument which is located in the Lincoln National Park.
Michael said the owners and their crews were ferried to the beach on the ‘Riviera Support’ eight metre inflatable where they were treated to an exquisite fully catered dinner under the shade of some marquees.
“For many owners this was a new experience and we were blessed with the most amazing sunset which just topped off a great afternoon,” he said.
Kevin said R Marine South Australia certainly gave them the five-star treatment with Moet & Chandon, Coronas, good food and great company.
“The team at R Marine South Australia worked very hard to ensure we all had a great time,” he said.
On day two the flotilla left the bay bound for the Sir Joseph Banks group of islands some 25 nautical miles from Port Lincoln.
“The fleet moored in one of the many bays at Reevesby Island and that night five Rivieras were rafted up together with another Riviera placed in front to act as the stage for Port Lincoln musicians Pete and Scottie who entertained everyone who had boarded the five Rivieras for a night of socialising and singing – making it a night to remember for many,” Michael said.
“On day three we moved to the north end of Reevesby Island to a cove called Morton Bay where we hosted the last official function for the Experience, the Club Marine Beach BBQ.
“Many owners arrived in their own inflatable tender while some took advantage of the ‘Riviera Taxi’ which ferried them ashore for an afternoon relaxing on the beach against a backdrop of 18 Rivieras lazily floating in the bay. The general consensus was ‘It just doesn’t get better than this’.
“We have been overwhelmed by the positive feedback from those who attended this year’s Easter Experience with most already pencilling in next year’s Experience which will be held from April 18 to 21 at Kangaroo Island.”
For more information about R Marine South Australia’s owner Experiences and social events, contact the team on info@rmarineadelaide.com.au or call 08 8295 9000 or drop in and see the team at Shop 3 Lights Landing, Holdfast Shores, 1 Chappell Drive, Glenelg.