We're Back, Baby!

The lead up to the Sanctuary Cove Boating Festival was uncertain, but a slick operation and excellent patronage kicked off summer with a bang

With foresight, the team that organised the Sanctuary Cove Boating Festival created a more straightforward format to support the industry and bring us all together. It was an affordable and simplified event; so much so that many on-water boats bumped in the day before the gates opened. On water displays were generally minimal and inviting, with friendly Covid safe, step aboard policies. 

The atmosphere had more of a boating community feel than the formal Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show held yearly in May. And it seems a success with Dominic O’Brien, Sales & Partnerships Manager telling Trade-a-Boat “The Sanctuary Cove Boating Festival was initially designed as a stop-gap event, a humbler way for the industry to unite in difficult times and present a positive, forward-facing image to our collective consumers. Happily, it became much more and delivered a wonderful pre-Christmas surprise for visitors and exhibitors alike."

At the end of the first day, the feedback from the exhibitors was very positive; the mood was light and friendly from a buoyant industry experiencing growth. At the end of day two, both high-end brokerage and new boat segments had signed up numerous multi-million dollar deals.  

Reports from show-favourite Maritimo suggest purchases and engagement came from both existing customers and new, with Tom Barry-Cotter saying “We had literally hundreds of people visiting our on water brand experience centre each day of the show in a Covid safe and managed environment and many of them said they were wanting to upgrade their current vessel or get into boating for the first time as a way to relax and enjoy quality time with family and friends in a safe way.”

Celebrating their 40th anniversary, Riviera personally invited 2000 existing customers and enthusiasts to the premiere of the all-new 50 Sports Motor Yacht (SMY) and Trade-a-Boat favourite, 64 SMY. Flanked by a gorgeous blue 72 SMY, having all three of the SMY range side-by-side was another world first, and popular, with Riviera’s Rodney Longhurst telling us “The feedback from visitors to our display after inspecting these magnificent Sports Motor Yachts and our other superb models on display was overwhelming.”

The other yachts on display included two models we eagerly await to review as well as the 6000 and 5400 Sports Yachts and a 575 SUV (read our thoughts on the latter two and the 64 SMY later in this issue). In total, Riviera looks to have had the most vessels on display and the highest total length on display in another powerhouse showing by Australia’s largest luxury motor yacht builder.

Maritimo's display included an Offshore Powerboat, reminding us of their global dominance on the racing circuit and also the strength of their export sales with two of the boats on display destined for the USA. Their announcement of the new S55 had many excited with Barry-Cotter saying “The response to the S55 both here in Australia and internationally has been unrivalled and bodes well for future sales of this model” which, combined with Maritimo’s reported record forward-order pipeline, bodes well for the workers at the Gold Coast-based manufacturer with build slots for key models booked into 2022. 

Horizon Motor Yachts Australia started their show with two vessels, the FD 80 and Editor Tim’s favourite, the sleek RP 100. On day two, we were greeted by the visually dominant RP 122 bearing the appropriate name, The Legion. Expertly maneuvered into place, no small feat mid-show, The Legion bought the total feet of Horizon yachts on display to an impressive 300 all connected by the stylish Horizon lifestyle bar and VIP area.

In the multihull world, the impressive Lagoon Seventy8 powercat was a top-rated attraction with its footprint being a finger width bigger than a tennis court for doubles players. The sheer size and livability had many dreaming of tropical adventures. This boat sounds like it will find a new home post boat show, with three interested parties in the sea trial stage.

Iliad Catamarans had their latest 50 power catamaran on display and recorded two more sales of this model,  plus they took an order on new Iliad 60. "We certainly didn't anticipate the astonishing number of visitors or their readiness to place orders across our range of sail and powerboats," Mark from Multihull Solutions said. All up Multihull Solutions had nearly $12.5-million of sales from the three-day show.

But there was more to the Festival than the glossy gel coats of the Marina. The reflective sheen from the alloy hulls of Makocraft caught the eye on the hard with Tim Stessl on hand all show to talk fishing and the brands’ meteoric rise in only 15 years. Victoria’s Whittley Marine, supported by the company-backed dealership based at The Boat Works, came with show specials even though it too has an order book close to bursting point. 

Though exhibitor numbers were down by around 100 compared to the May Show, which was felt mostly in the undercover areas typically filled with chandlery and components suppliers, the Festival still had a number of accessory suppliers with the likes of Gineco displaying quality, Italian made furniture as well as the range of Quick Gyro stabilisers which we hope to review soon. Turtle-Pac had its lineup of range-extending fuel bladders for sale as well as taking orders on custom bladders. Owners looking to refit their boats had the chance to talk to the likes of Kohler about generators and with Volvo Penta about the fuel economy and maneuverability benefits of IPS. 

What we liked at the show was the feeling of optimism and adventure — shared with a kinship across both buyers and sellers. This year has reminded us that the dreams and aspirations of dropping the hook somewhere are being actioned and not delayed. We've also seen that the physical boat show has proved that it is still an essential propagator of new people into the boating world and a place to confirm which boat is the right fit.