Big boats ply Singapore-Perth

A recent visitor to the Australian Marine Complex at Henderson, south of Perth, where Echo Yachts is located, is the 56m Picchiotti motor yacht Galileo G, which has voyaged slowly from Singapore via Sutera Harbour in Kota Kinabalu on the North Borneo Coast, then down the Makassar Strait to Bali.

Exuma and Galileo G were the first two Vitruvius-design new breed explorers and they created quite a stir when launched in Italy a decade ago. Galileo G’s first owner ordered interiors by Umberto Fossati and had a separate interest in the 52m super sailboat Red Dragon built by Alloy Yachts in New Zealand.

The present Hong Kong owner has brought Galileo G in for scheduled survey, refit and repair work. The Australian Marine Complex has a large floating dock that is available on a common user basis for several yards in the vicinity.

Echo Yachts Sales and Marketing Manager Chris Blackwell says this facility has allowed them to bid successfully for refits on several other superyachts in the financial year ahead. The Australian dollar, currently worth 73 US cents and falling, is helping competitive quotes too.

One of White Rabbit’s two master staterooms and an adjacent private lounge-cum-study

Prior to Galileo G, the award-winning 84m diesel-electric trimaran White Rabbit G turned up at Echo Yachts, also from Singapore, for regular maintenance at the yard where she was built.

Pandemic rules for superyachts in Singapore have been quite strict and on arrival in Western Australia, crew must quarantine for another two weeks, but that is a small price to pay for the relative freedom ashore that then ensues.

Echo Yachts presently has a 56m LOA Yacht Support Vessel under construction for an Asian client. Its length includes a 6m aft platform required for water sports launch and retrieval activities.

The catamaran is somewhat similar in design to 52m Charley, which has a 4m transom, and was built as a Yacht Support for White Rabbit G. She made her debut at Singapore Yacht Show. Charley was built in FRP composites, whereas the new build, like WR G, is in aluminium.

Naval architecture is by Australian firm One2Three, a regular partner, and Echo Yachts owner and director Mark Stothard again underlines his faith in these big custom-designed multihulls for their increased fuel efficiency, extended range, gentler performance in a seaway, and ability to undertake stand-alone adventure cruising. White Rabbit was delivered in 2018, but anyone ordering a similar vessel in 2021 can still achieve significant economies of scale.

www.echoyachts.com.au