Peter Hansen Yacht Brokers

Peter Hansen Yacht Brokers’ current owner Ben Anderson bought the business eight years ago from Peter Hansen.

Located at the edge of the famous “100 Magic Miles” that comprise the world-class cruising area of the Whitsunday Islands, the Mackay-based business is ideally positioned. Over the years, services have grown to encompass real estate around the modern Mackay Marina Village and even the marina itself which is managed by the brokerage – satellite brokerages include Bundaberg and an affiliated office in Raby Bay (south Brisbane).

A major plus is the brokerage’s ability to offer prospective owners a complete package of sales, marina and even chandler services that make the whole buying process much easier and less stressful, said Anderson.

“We have many repeat customers and pride ourselves in getting the right or at least best boat for the buyer,” Anderson added. Other advantages of the Mackay township include having outlets for several of the major engine brands, including Cummins, MTU and Caterpillar.

MARINA FEATURES

The Mackay Marina is a convenient base for exploration of the world-famous Great Barrier Reef and the myriad tropical islands of the southern Whitsundays. The reef and islands off the Mackay coast are relatively unspoilt compared to the heavily touristed areas farther north.

At the marina is a large fuel dock supplying both petrol and diesel pumps (with High Flow coming soon along with an after-hours service). The marina caters for superyachts, right down to trailer sailers and tinnies. The five-lane boat ramp is popular with trailer groups including MacGregor-brand owners who use it as a launching base for the Whitsundays.

“We try to keep charges reasonable and we offer ramp-rate special deals,” said Anderson.

Constructing the marina was a challenging task as Mackay has a 6.5m tidal range and the last phase was only completed in 2006; while current work includes repairing some storm damage. When Cyclone Debbie slammed into Mackay last year, the city and marina were hit. “But we didn’t lose a single boat, despite many of the pontoons being damaged,” said Anderson.

Currently, the Mackay Marina is the largest base in the district for the maintenance, refit and related services for all marine craft, particularly superyachts. The Mackay Whitsunday Superyacht Cluster, a group of regional companies focusing on providing integrated repair, refit and provisioning for superyachts, was established in 2001 to support and promote the development of this sector.

MACKAY COAST

Mackay is 970km north of Brisbane and known as the sugar city, given its output is about a third of Australia’s total. Average maximum temperatures range from 30°C in summer to 23°C in winter, while minimums range from 23°C to 11°C respectively; with nearly constant sunshine.

Environmental challenges include the vast 6.5m tidal range and, of course, occasional cyclones. Visiting boaters have plenty to experience such as the nearby Cumberland Islands and the Whitsundays farther north. Onshore, there’s the Bluewater Trail that has cycleways around town and to the Botanic Gardens. Mackay City has its own regional airport with direct flights from Brisbane (with connecting flights from Sydney and Melbourne), so it’s ideal for basing your boat there for the season.

INDUSTRY INSIDER VIEW

During his 16 years running brokerages, Ben Anderson has seen several trends come and go. “The latest is a move by older sailors towards passagemaking motorboats and of course, the popularity of multihulls.”

Unlike those docked down south, catamaran owners aren’t charged double, but at 30 per cent on top of a monohull berth. “And we have lots of cat berths, so are setup for them.”

Looking at the brokerages’ current listings, there are a wide variety of craft – including a recent Fountaine Pajot Lavezzi 40 bluewater cruising catamaran ($299K) to a 47-foot long-range ferro cruiser ($79K). In between, are plenty of classic brands including a sturdy Bertram 35, a classy Azimut 39 and even a wooden surfboat. Other notable listings include workboats and sportsfishers; both popular craft for this region teeming with game fish.

The marina is very experienced in hosting visiting yachts, and indeed entire fleets including the upcoming World ARC Rally this year and hopefully another Oyster World Rally. “But our superyacht business is being hampered by both State and Federal red tape; something that has to change,” said Anderson. A small improvement has been the relaxation of access to Whitsunday anchorages for visiting foreign boats.

In August 2017, 21 superyacht anchorages were introduced into the Whitsundays Planning Area. These are available for superyachts less than 70 metres and carrying no more than 12 people, other than master and crew. They are provided to offer recreational users and commercial operators a range of opportunities in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Looking towards the future, Anderson expects a major boost to the white boat sector with New Zealand hosting the upcoming America’s Cup, and he sees Mackay as being positioned to cater for them.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Visit peterhansen.com.au

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