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Clipper regatta acclaimed a “whale” of a success
“For me, the entire experience was the highlight,” said Peter Hanan of his first Clipper Regatta. “The whales, the people, the beach barbecues, having a professional skipper on board with me for a couple of days – everything.”
Peter and two friends aboard his Clipper Cordova 48, “Dasame”, joined 40 other enthusiasts on 12 boats during an eight-day Clipper Regatta from Queensland’s Gold Coast to Hervey Bay and back.
“It was the first time I have skippered a boat in open waters and the security of other skilled people in the boats around me made it possible,” he said.
For Irving and Di Korman on board their Clipper 40 “The Dolphin”, the highlight was encounters with whales.
“We had one dive under our boat and another tail slap right beside the boat,” he said. “But the companionship of other Clipper owners was also wonderful.”
The regatta left the Gold Coast Broadwater, heading north inside the Stradbroke Islands to reach Horseshoe Bay on Peel Island for their first night at anchor. Then it was a long day to Mooloolaba where the heavens opened and sent everyone scurrying to the renowned Fish On Parkyn restaurant for a seafood feast.
Jennifer and Rhys Withers live in Sydney and picked up their new boat, a Clipper 40, “Kahurangi”,on the Gold Coast only a few weeks before the start of the regatta.
“The waterways are new to us, so it was an exciting trip,” said Jennifer.
Among the highlights for her were the beach barbecues.
“For once the ladies didn’t have to cook!” she said.
Jennifer and Rhys recently swapped a life of sailing for the stability of their Clipper.
“I’m over pulling on ropes,” said Jennifer. “Now we can relax and enjoy a cup of coffee as we cruise along with a great view from the flybridge.”
Jan Wolfe agreed the barbecues were special.
“It was a great chance to talk together,” she said. “The girls swapped recipes and ideas.”
Clipper’s Brett Thurley explained: “Once we reached Fraser Island we put on a beach barbecue for the entire team. Steve Dittmar provided prawns fresh off the Mooloolaba fishing trawlers.
“We named our barbecue site the Clipper Beach Bar & Grill.
“By the time the regatta was over, there were a number of Clipper Beach Bar & Grills along the sandy beaches of Fraser Island, including one under a lone palm tree.”
The weather throughout the fleet’s time in Hervey Bay was so good they remained in anchorages rather than retreat to marinas.
“Light north-easters, very calm waters,” said Brett. “It was exactly the right weather simply to sit at anchor, watch the whales and do some fishing.
“The event ended with incredible radio chatter. Everyone was farewelling and making recommendations for our next event. So we’re already planning for more regattas.”
Clipper’s Hudson Bay sedan cruiser launched
Clipper Motoryachts’ new-style Hudson Bay 50 sedan cruiser has been launched and is undergoing final fitout and sea trials.
According to Clipper Motoryachts Australia Managing Director Brett Thurley: “The new boat is scheduled to leave the factory in late October. We anticipate an official launch in Australia in mid-November.”
He said the Clipper factory team had worked closely with him to build the first boat in the new Clipper range to the highest standards.
“This is a highly specced boat,” said Thurley. “We have included refinements such as a pantograph skipper’s door on the starboard side for walk-around deck access when docking and anchoring.
“The team has also gone to great lengths to refine the look of the helm with an innovative hand-stitched leather pod to house the electronics featuring the latest Simrad touch-screen technology for GPS, Radar and Autopilot. The cabins feature carefully chosen Australian premium fabrics for the wall linings and bedheads as well as Italian-inspired upholstery for the dinette and saloon settee. Build quality and interior fitout on this boat can only be described as world class.
“The new Hudson Bay combines the classic lines for which Clippers are renowned, with a flourish of the contemporary lifestyle aspects of a sedan cruiser,” he said.
“This first boat is packed with quality inclusions to make it an attractive option for families who want to entertain and stay on board for long weekends and holidays.
“We have incorporated a wide range of standard features that reflect contemporary cruising and entertaining lifestyle including separate teppanyaki and lava rock barbecues, a sliding sunroof in the saloon to flood this area with air and light and three large portlights in the hull that provide incredible light to the cabins.
“We have also ensured that the cockpit roof overhang is generous to shade the tables and outdoor dinette as well as a huge swim platform area so the cockpit can be accessed from either side with the tender still in place.”
Thurley said the boat would arrive at the company’s Gold Coast office in early November for final detailing and an initial launch before its official unveiling at an event in Sydney.
The blue-water hull is constructed in solid hand-laid fibreglass below the waterline with cored fibreglass above. Deck and hardtop are infusion moulded with a honeycomb core to maintain strength while reducing weight.
The innovative hydraulic swim platform doubles as a submersible platform with teak tread stairway; only the centre section raises and lowers. It can be lowered to make swimming on and off the boat simpler or to launch a jet ski or tender but can also be raised and the steps used to let the kids turn it into a diving platform.
The hybrid swim platform and tender launch is “an Australian first” according to Thurley and continues the focus on this boat catering to Australian families.
“It also eliminates the need for tender garage which limits the tender size,” he said. “Launching and retrieving a tender via a garage can be a time-consuming and difficult exercise at anchor,” he said.
The company plans to launch a range of Hudson Bay sedan cruisers over the next two years, including a 47-footer and a larger 54-footer.
“Every boat in the Hudson Bay range will combine gorgeous exterior styling that exudes class and timeless elegance with Clipper’s blue-water cruising credibility. The hull design shares many features of the proven Cordova range, making it equally comfortable cruising at 12 knots or speeds up to 26 knots.”
Standard power in the Hudson Bay 50 is provided by twin Yanmar 480hp or twin Cummins 440hp turbo diesel engines. Vessel number one is powered by 600hp Cummins turbo diesels. The boats are also equipped with Onan 11kW generators.
Clipper announces new Orion expedition cruiser line
Clipper Motor Yachts has announced a completely new line of expedition motor yachts designed for owners with a strong sense of adventure and plans for long-distance cruising.
Orion by Clipper Motor Yachts is a line of genuine pilot house expedition trawler-style motor yachts that combine a rugged exterior with the warm, luxurious interiors for which Clippers have become renowned.
The first models already being built at the Clipper factory are 50 and 60-foot three-cabin flying bridge cruisers with a covered side deck and Portuguese bridge, aft cockpit and wide saloon.
A signature of the Orion models is an asymmetrical design, providing the side deck to starboard while the cabin and pilothouse extend on the port side to the gunwale. This layout provides the convenience of a wide deck between aft cockpit and the forward area of the boat and greater volume inside the saloon area of the boat.
Access to the extended flying bridge is via stairs from the cockpit aft or from the port side of the Portuguese bridge forward.
The Orion motor yachts have been designed by Canadian naval architect Winston Pynn whose credits include work with megayacht builder Trinity Yachts in New Orleans.
Mr Pynn began his career under the watchful tutelage of British yacht designer Mike Harling at Queenship Yacht Works in British Columbia.
In 2007 he founded Yacht Consultants International and its design subsidiary, Chelsea Naval Architects. Yacht Consultants’ clients include Palmer Johnson, Donald Blount and Associates and many others.
The Orion 50 and 60, to be launched toward the end of 2011, each include a master stateroom amidships with ensuite bathroom.
According to Brett Thurley, Managing Director of Clipper Motor Yachts Australia, the layout of the Orion expedition boats can be personalised to suit individual owners’ preferences. The standard internal layout includes an aft saloon with lounges and dinette table, a midships U-shape galley and, two steps up, the pilothouse with its central helm position and dinette. A full chart table with storage drawers is to port.
The flying bridge includes a large open section aft to store the tender. The forward section is covered by a hardtop and can include lounges and tables as well as single or twin helm seats.
The Orion expedition motor yachts are powered by single John Deere turbo diesel engines plus auxiliary emergency power.
New Clipper flagship sets the standard for luxury long-distance cruising
Clipper Motor Yachts has announced a new flagship for its expanding fleet – the Clipper Cordova 65, a three-cabin luxury cruiser designed to carry owners and guests on long voyages in style.
The new Cordova 65 is a semi-displacement motor yacht powered by optional Cummins or Caterpillar turbo diesel engines that will cruise all day at eight or 18 knots. With a capacity of 6,000 litres of fuel, this flagship is designed for those with a need for luxury and a love for the wide open seas.
From an expansive teak-decked cockpit through the Aritex stainless steel and glass sliding door into the open saloon, the new Cordova 65 offers comfort and luxury whether at sea or anchored in a calm bay.
The cockpit, shaded from the sun by the flybridge overhang, is designed for leisurely lunchtimes with a lounge across the transom, an oval table and refrigerator.
A hatch in the cockpit leads of a voluminous lazarette with storage for batteries and access to the engine room. There is even an option of a day head in the cockpit.
With wide covered walk-around decks, options of a hardtop or fully enclosed flybridge, large portlights in the hull, the new Cordova 65 offers luxury and style in a long-distance cruiser.
The saloon features a long U-shape leather lounge with fold-out high-low table on the starboard side and twin tub chairs around an entertainment unit to port. Cabinetry throughout is glowing teak or afromosia and floors are afromosia and holly.
A door in the aft port corner of the saloon conceals an internal staircase to the massive engine room.
Forward, the galley is two steps up from the saloon and fully equipped with Miele appliances including convection microwave oven, four-burner cooktop and drawer dishwasher as well as a large double-door refrigerator with freezer compartment. A granite benchtop with servery houses a double stainless steel sink with mixer tap. Overhead is storage for crockery and glasses.
Immediately forward of the galley is the pilothouse equipped with an L-shape lounge and table on the port side, a central helm position and staircase to the accommodation suite to starboard.
Stairs in the cockpit lead to the extended flybridge and a second internal staircase opposite the galley provides a heavy-weather option to this upper level – as well as an avenue for warm drinks delivery to the skipper and guests. Cold drinks, of course, are stored in the flybridge fridge.
The accommodation suite forward includes three cabins and two bathrooms. The master stateroom amidships is bathed in natural light from the portlights in the hull. The stateroom is dominated by a queen double bed with large wardrobes and a vanity to starboard. An elegant bathroom with long granite benchtop, electric toilet and separate shower stall is set along the entire port side of this space.
Forward of the master stateroom on the port side is a twin cabin with hanging locker. Light and air comes from an opening porthole.
The second stateroom is forward with queen double walk-around bed, hanging lockers on either side and storage cabinets beside the bed. Opening portholes are on each side and a deck hatch above
The second bathroom, shared by forward stateroom, twin cabin and day guests is on the starboard side. It is well equipped with electric toilet, vanity and separate shower stall. An opening porthole offers light and ventilation to the shower stall.
The optional crew quarters, with access from the swim platform via a water-tight door in the transom, includes a double bed and enclosed wet head.
The Clipper Cordova is powered by optional twin Cummins QSM 11 turbo diesel engines rated to 715 hp or Caterpillar D series C18 turbo diesels rated to 700 hp. The boat is also equipped standard with Wesmar hydraulic bow thruster and a Wesmar stabiliser package.
