Maritimo provides the soundtrack for family fun and countless adventures
by Maritimo 17 Apr 01:35 UTC
M60 Flybridge Motor Yacht © Maritimo
Of course, every Maritimo Owner has a very unique story. Jamie and Erin and their 'nearly' new M60 Flybridge Motor Yacht have all the passion and devotion that is found right across the Maritimo family. Unique stems from dreams, time, places, and the memories created from their coming together.
However, what is also common to many are the reasons why they chose Maritimo in the first instance. Just about always the conversation stems from Maritimo's ocean going capabilities, ride handling and range. So, for extended stays on board the horizon readily greets them, and the choice of destinations on offer becomes limitless.
It's no surprise then to learn when you start to talk to a current Maritimo owner they'll tell you, 'Well it's not my first Maritimo.' Then you'll start to uncover the stories of the two or three Maritimo's that they've previously owned. And what you will always also hear is, 'I really loved that boat.'
Jamie and Erin are certainly no strangers to this scenario, with their M60 being their fourth Maritimo in twelve years. With a clever theme of having fun and naming their boats after songs that match their boat's colour palette, their current M60 'Dirty Deeds' has followed the X60 'Slim Shady,' with the X54 'Brown Sugar', and the Aegean 60 'Black Betty' having started a vibrant play list of Maritimo ownership.
Just as with their previous vessels, 'Dirty Deeds' is no marina queen either, and with around 400 hours clocked up in 18 months the deeds certainly have been far, wide, and numerous!
"From our home base at Lake Macquarie we spend a month at Port Stephens at Christmas every year up at Nelson Bay. We just moor the M60 in the marina at Nelson Bay and go out most days. It is more about day boating at that time, given the number of people on board. Seems like you need a 40-footer all year, and then a 100-footer for the Summer break! Normally though, most of our boating is anchoring and staying out, as I love waking up on the water," Jamie stated.
"Anyway, we use the boat as a mobile base and go off Shoal Bay, down to Fame Cove, Broughton Island, or Fingal Bay and The Spit. We just anchor off those spots, have lunch, swim, jet ski, tube, wake surf, or whatever the kids want."
"They're quite close distances for me from our home base in Lake Macquarie. Especially after we've done the Whitsundays the last two years in a row. I used to cruise at around 25 knots, however after doing a couple of Maritimo Migrations where they sit at more like 22 knots, I've come to appreciate this pace and not always being in such a big hurry. The twin Scania Di13 900hp straight six engines are certainly more than capable of 30 knots when I need it," he added.
Jamie and Erin have done some longer trips (of 400 to 600nm) up to the Gold Coast and into the Sandy Straits, Kingfisher Bay for a night or two, then on to Bundaberg and Lady Musgrove Island and Yeppoon. They've ventured right up the amazing Hill Inlet, been to Turtle Bay, and anchored right on Whitehaven Beach for two nights because the weather was so amenable, climbed just about every vantage point the area has to offer, and also been to Shaw Island. Jamie recounts their trips with incredible enthusiasm and fond memories.
"We've done about nine or ten nights around the Whitsunday Group because we were trying to get out of a big Sou'easterly. So we kept on the Western side of the island group there and sheltered for days, but we still got to Butterfly Bay (Hook Island) and also across to Airlie Beach."
"The M60 is massive, so there are no issues being on board for extended stays. If you have a boat like this you've got the capability, and capacity for fuel and provisions, personal affects and whatever you need."
"In terms of living spaces there are three levels. You can be in the flybridge, the saloon and galley, or downstairs. Plus, there are so many outdoor living areas. You've got the Adventure Deck, the cockpit, and your bow - that's three outdoor living areas, plus the space outside on the bridge deck, let alone the Captain's Lounge. So you're talking six or eight living areas on a boat. Wow. It's really crazy," Jamie said on adding it all up.
"The lower cockpit on the M60 is just ridiculously huge. We've got a couple of beanbags that we carry on the boat. We put them down there and you're literally on the water. You actually feel like you're more connected to the water, and you are. If you want to, you can just roll off the bean bag, off the platform, and get into the water."
"When we park up against another boat you can really see the design difference and how the M60's enclosed flybridge maximises the space. The M60 really dwarfs other boats of a similar length. We've set up our seating a bit different in the back section of the bridge, and we can rotate the TV screen completely so we can sit anywhere and watch movies or the footy or motorbike racing."
"I like the clean look, and we like to use our forward deck area, so I don't keep a tender up there. We had the M60 tender garage modified slightly to fit our 3.25m jet ski, which is a big three-seater that we deploy onto the swim platform via a 500-kilo hydraulic davit mounted inside. The tender garage in the M60 is just massive. So even with the jet ski in I still have a heap of room down the sides where I can stow lily pads, inflatable kayaks and SUPS, stern anchor and all sorts of water toys."
"With each new boat you improve it a little bit, and you make it uniquely yours a little bit more. I promised myself I'd have 10 boats by the time I was too old to handle a boat and I'm only up to my fourth. I've got a lot more Maritimos ahead of me, and I'm looking forward to every experience that they will bring me."
Read more about the M60 Flybridge Motor Yacht here.