Australia, Down Under

I had the pleasure of visiting Cairns, courtesy of the Super Yacht Group, Great Barrier Reef in May 2016. Cairns has excellent facility for superyachts. Marlin Marina, steps away from CBD and 10 minutes from the airport, has accommodated various yachts above 100m. For repair facilities, there are a few yards in Cairns including BSE Slipway, Norship Marine and skilled local tradesmen that could handle the demand of superyachts. With her proximity to South East Asia, Cairns is the gateway to Great Barrier Reef and an ideal stop for yachts heading to and from South Pacific.

I would not hesitate to recommend my clients to visit Cairns.

I recently visited Cairns and was stunned at the world class superyacht infrastructure and services that are available in this fabulous place. Cairns has a rich maritime history and this is no more apparent than when dealing with the local industry leaders, who are highly knowledgable about our industry and the needs of owners, guests, yachts, captains and crew.

Cairns is clearly the gateway linking Asia and Australia, but in addition is a terrific destination in its own right. It is the perfect place for owners and guests to fly in and join a yacht for cruising the Great Barrier Reef and visit local destinations to the North and South. This place has world class shipyards that easily rival any yacht repair facility in Europe and the USA, probably the best maritime school I have ever had the privilege to visit, plus every service ashore that a superyacht would need to prepare for guests to join, to lay up for regulator crew maintenance, or to do major yard periods.

It is easy to see why Cairns is fast becoming known as the logical hub for superyachts travelling this region, and I was continually impressed during my entire visit. I can’t wait to come back!

From myself as well as the rest of the Ethereal crew here, to you and the entire group there, thank you very much! We all had a great time, met some very interesting characters/crew, as well as meeting and getting to know a few more of your Group.

I’ll also take this opportunity to point out how much more Super Yacht friendly Cairns has become even since my last visit here just under 4 years ago. My plain of reference encompasses almost 15 years of visits to Cairns and in that time Cairns has made great strides in the services available as well as the performance of those services.

We decided to haul out in Cairns which was very successful.

We spent the most divine five days at Lizard Island. I snorkelled everyday and walked along all the beaches, we really fell in love with the whole area.

Having visited so many typical cruising and home port destinations, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef is like the industry’s New Superyacht Frontier! Wonderfully wild surroundings, friendly, cuddly and not so cuddly locals, incredible and vast cruising grounds and an emerging and passionate infrastructure that delivers a ‘Can Do’ attitude to any visiting Superyacht – It’s Wild, it’s Wonderful and it’s definitely Worth the journey!

Cairns is a fantastic location for superyachts to visit, whether it as base to further explore the beautiful barrier reef or just to replenish stocks needed for the next voyage. There are excellent provisioning options, great places for guests and crew to visit, tantalizing local cuisine and lively local bars and restaurants.

If any maintenance or repairs are needed, the local tradesmen are of the best I have worked with and the standard of workmanship is very high. Service in this region is excellent and people are incredibly friendly, I look forward to being back soon!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank and commend the Super Yacht Group Great Barrier Reef for their great work in organizing and promoting the professional Super Yacht Industry in North East Australia. Their effort make cruising the area a lot easier and give a Captain peace of mind knowing that businesses operating within the Super Yacht Group Great Barrier Reef are familiar with our needs and understand the quality and standards required to operate a Super Yacht.

I would not hesitate to recommend any of the Super Yacht Group Great Barrier Reef Businesses to any Cruising Super Yacht planning to visit the Great Barrier Reef Region.