The very first R Marine Riley Pittwater Festival has played a host to an amazing parade of Riviera yachts earlier this month, representing over three decades of Australian boat building, more than 73 individual models and the launching over 5000 luxury cruisers. The Festival is held throughout the month of March by the Royal Motoryacht Club of Broken Bay.
An impressive parade of Riviera boats representing over three decades of Australian luxury boat building performed a sail past at the RMYC of Broken Bay
Riviera 43 Open Flybridge owners Sue and David Rogers were a part of the Riviera Parade and said it was a fantastic experience.
“It was tremendous to see so many of the Riviera craft from years gone by as well as examples of the latest models involved with the parade. The camaraderie among the Riviera owners involved with the parade was absolutely fantastic,” David said.
“I think boating is the best thing in the world. It is great to be able to get out as a family and living on beautiful Pittwater and Broken Bay gives us so many wonderful beaches and places to explore and enjoy.”
Mrs Rogers said boat education was extremely important.
“I think it is important to feel comfortable on the water and make boating a family orientated activity,” she said.
The Pittwater Festival began with a spectacular parade of Riviera boats led by Marine Rescue Broken Bay
“Boating for me is all about relaxation and enjoying life, enjoying your partner and enjoying boating, and we look forward to our trip north this winter with R Marine Riley from Pittwater to the Gold Coast and then we will go on to Lady Musgrave Island and then Hamilton Island in North Queensland.
“We haven’t spent any longer than two weeks at a time on board before so we are really looking forward to doing an extended coastal cruise.”
Riviera Pittwater dealer, R Marine Riley, is encouraging the whole Sydney northern beaches community to celebrate Pittwater and all that it offers during the month of March at the Pittwater Festival.
Together, the Royal Motor Yacht Club of Newport and R Marine Riley will host this community focused event, which aims to bring people together to celebrate a shared passion for watersports and to showcase what Pittwater has to offer.
The program of events began on March 1 with the Surf Club Shoot Out, followed by R Marine Riley’s 34 years of Riviera parade of boats on March 2.
Since then other events have included the stand up paddle board races, the R Marine Riley Power Boat handling tuition for ladies, SIMRAD Game Fishing Tournament, R Marine Riley safety at sea demonstrations, Riv Kids Fishing Competition, and upcoming events include the Classic Yacht Regatta, Blue Water Navigation Trial, Pittwater Paper Chase and the R Marine Riley Docking competition.
This spectacular parade showcased the evolution of Riviera’s design from the very first boat launched in 1980, a 38 Open Flybridge MK I, through to the latest in cutting edge design and technology. Each boat was draped in special Riviera bunting as their owners proudly showcased 34 years of Riviera to mark the opening of the inaugural Pittwater Festival.
Riviera's first model the 38 MKI which was launched in 1980 on Pittwater led the parade
R Marine Riley CEO Mark Riley said there was no other boating event in Sydney quite like the Pittwater Festival.
“The Pittwater Festival is unique in that it brings together all aspects of boating and watersports with surf life saving, fishing and boating events for all ages and abilities. We hope that this Festival becomes one of the major calendar events for Sydney’s boating community,” he said.
“We are hosting a number of educational and social events to introduce ourselves to the boating community and to show our support for the Pittwater community.
“R Marine Riley is proud to be a part of this event and congratulated the Royal Motor Yacht Club on their great initiative. We look forward to seeing the entire community coming together to experience the best that Pittwater has to offer.”
Royal Motor Yacht Club development manager and event organiser Rob Brown (OAM) said it was the first time they had combined such a cross section of events.
“The Royal Motor Yacht Club Broken Bay is proud to be associated with R Marine Riley Pittwater in staging the 2014 Pittwater Festival,” he said.
“The festival is a month long celebration of aquatic events to celebrate Pittwater and all that it offers boating and water users alike. With the variety of events planned, the festival will involve not only our regular Pittwater users but the broader community will be able to come and be part of all the activities.
“We are proud of our beautiful inland beaches and waterways and this event will give us an opportunity to showcase our fantastic facilities and celebrate our magnificent local area and we look forward to hosting this event for many years to come.”
This event has received a lot of community support from the Pittwater Council and Surf Life Saving Association – Sydney Northern Branch.
Riviera offers 15 different models from 36 to 75 feet across three model series Flybridge, Sport Yacht and the new SUV collection.
In 2012 Riviera celebrated the launch of its 5000th boat, the 445 SUV, a significant achievement in the company’s rich 34-year history.
Riviera also offers the bespoke Belize Motoryachts. Inspired by classic luxury details and timeless style, Belize Motoryachts has recently released the new 54-foot Sedan and Daybridge models.
