The 4th annual Riviera Festival of Boating will be held at the luxury marque’s world-class headquarters at Coomera on Australia’s Gold Coast from 21-24 May 2015. Here, Riviera shares how this truly unique event is opening up the enjoyment of boating to both existing and aspiring motor yacht owners by helping them to harness the full power of boating knowledge.
When revered Riviera first envisioned a truly unique Festival of Boating, the objective was not on showcasing its latest collection of luxurious motor yachts.
Indeed, the iconic Australian yacht builder’s focus was firmly on creating a festival of fun and learning – one which helps hone the skills of experienced boaters, and introduces new people to the joys of luxury motor yacht life, too.
The success of the ‘Ultimate Boating Event’ over the past three years can perhaps best be measured by the fact that hundreds of motor yacht owners now credit the Festival of Boating with giving them the skills and confidence to experience everything, from weekend harbour and coastal cruising to extended coastal passages to ideal destinations.
However, another indication of the event’s success is that registrations this year for over 70 informative free educational events, and fun Festival social gatherings, are double those of previous years – with some people attending for the first time, and others adamant on returning, with the knowledge that they can take something new and valuable from the Festival every year.
Testimony to this is the fact that when Riviera announced 11 brand-new educational workshops have been added to this year’s program, there was a strong surge of bookings from right around the globe, especially from existing members of the global Riviera and Belize family of owners.
“The Festival provides the skills and motivation for motor yacht owners to stretch their sea legs and experience the exhilaration of blue-water cruising, in the company of fellow motor yacht owners who all share the same passion,” said Riviera’s director of brand and communications, Stephen Milne.
“Importantly, all Festival events are open to everyone, even if they simply aspire to one day own a luxury yacht.”
Among the 11 new Festival educational seminars for 2015 are Marine Assist focusing on emergency essentials, Understanding the Weather conducted by an expert meteorologist, Living the Riviera Dream with David and Sue Rogers who spent three months living aboard their 43 Open Flybridge, Escape, and Sydney to Singapore with skipper Tim Edwards, which includes details of an epic leg from Darwin to Singapore aboard the 75 Enclosed Flybridge, Seabreeze, without stopping for fuel.
Other new seminars include Offshore Navigation, Provisioning & Planning, Ask a Riviera Expert, Experience a Seakeeper gyroscopic stabiliser, The Simplicity of C-Zone, The Glass Cockpit and, of course, The Riviera Express factory tour by train.
“All the content for every workshop has also been completely refreshed for 2015– from knots and rope-work, systems operation and new technology demonstrations, right through to offshore seamanship and navigation seminars.
“Numbers for the seminars are limited and we urge people to pre-register to avoid disappointment but anyone who wishes to visit is welcome to visit www.FestivalOfBoating.com to see which workshops are still available.”
Riviera will also be conducting 60-minute fully narrated train and bus factory tours of its world-class luxury boat building facility – the largest in the Southern Hemisphere – with the train departing at regular intervals throughout each of the four fun and fantastic Festival days.
“This will be an opportunity to see behind the scenes how a Riviera is built – from hand lamination to engineering and final fit-out, right through to our comprehensive pre-delivery quality control procedures,” said Mr Milne.
“In fact, the train tours were so popular when we first introduced them at the Gold Coast International Marine Expo in October last year, that this time, we will have a bigger train.”
The Festival social events for 2015 include a Perfume Masterclass ladies luncheon on Friday, a seafood-inspired Dock of the Bay marina party on Friday evening, as well as a spectacular R Factor gala on Saturday evening where some of the best voices in Australia will battle it out for supremacy.
Mr Milne said staging such a unique event also enables Riviera to welcome members of its global family of owners to the home of Riviera at Coomera on Australia’s Gold Coast – the largest luxury yacht-building facility in the Southern Hemisphere.
“Of course it also gives us the opportunity to showcase our latest range of luxurious Riviera and Belize motor yachts – and this year we have a stunning $15-million red-carpet on-water display,” he said.
“Also this year, we will be announcing three new Riviera models and an entirely new yacht design, exclusively at the Riviera Festival of Boating and the Gold Coast International Marine Expo.”
The dates of the Expo – a massive showcase of all things aquatic, featuring everything from superyachts to jet skis, kayaks to fishing equipment, and everything else in between – this year, align with the Riviera Festival of Boating, creating four fantastic days at the Gold Coast Marine Precinct at Coomera, featuring every marine display imaginable, all in one place.
“The Festival itself will be held within the confines of the Riviera factory, with a significant part of the rest of our 14-hectare world-class facility included as one of the five key event sites for the Expo,” said Mr Milne.
“Riviera Festival of Boating visitors will enjoy free parking at the gate and, because you’ll need more than one day to experience everything both the Festival and Expo have to offer, we have arranged multiple-day Expo ticket prices and accommodation packages.”
“If you love boating, the Gold Coast is the place to be from 21 to 24 May 2015,” he said.
If you would like more information on the Riviera Festival of Boating, or to pre-register to attend any of the 70 educational or social events, please visit www.FestivalOfBoating.com.
RIVIERA’S FESTIVAL OF FUN AND LEARNING HELPS HARNESS THE FULL POWER OF BOATING KNOWLEDGE
“Importantly, all Festival events are open to everyone, even if they simply aspire to one day own a luxury yacht.”
