Boa ting The Whitehaven 6000 Flybridge is very much the brainchild of boating industry veteran, Keith Hanson; a man with a lengthy track record stretching across 40 years plus of racing, cruising and selling boats around Australia, and overseas. Internationally famed Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays is where these top quality boats gain their name. Although built in Taiwan at the renowned New Ocean shipyard, it was immediately obvious after going aboard that the Whitehaven 6000 Flybridge was not only named after what is probably our most iconic beach, but has been designed here in Australia to suit our boating lifestyle. Keith welcomed us aboard and it didn’t take many questions before he warmed to what’s obviously a favourite topic: what’s different – and special – about Whitehaven boats. To be successful, Keith believes his boats themselves must immediately establish what he termed “critical points of difference” with already established brands. He also pointed out that most of the brands ‘established’ in Australia are built in higher volume; regardless of whether they’re built locally or internationally. Whitehaven though, being built one at a time to order, are in a far superior position to work with their clientele until ‘their’ boat reflects personal taste. From there he went on to elaborate at length about those points of difference. As a bloke, the writer is uncomfortable stepping too far onto traditional feminine territory, opinion-wise at least. Nevertheless, the galley impressed the heck out of me. From a graphite sink to Corian benchtops which include an insert to convert space occupied by the cooktop to bench space when required, to drawer type fridge and freezer units, to windows around the entire salon living/dining/entertaining area more than big enough to deserve description as ‘picture’ windows ... well ladies check it out and form your own opinion! And if you’re not happy down to the detail you can work with Keith until you are. Downstairs in the sleeping area of the boat we reviewed there’s a guest stateroom in the bows and a bunk bed ‘kids’ bedroom portside. Then you step aft into the master stateroom. Here again, I suggest people check this out and form their own opinion, but if the galley impresses, the full beam master suite and its walk-in wardrobe and dedicated bathroom must surely gain a similar reaction. Literally as big as only a master suite utilising every bit of a 17ft 6in beam (whatever that is in metric,) can be! Downstairs staterooms often use clever lighting to reduce gloom inevitable so far down inside the hull but that’s simply unnecessary here due to another set of enormous windows set into the hull sides. These just pour light into the master suite and make it remarkably bright, with the curtains open, as well as remarkably roomy. Wow, as Keith’s ‘critical points of difference’ go, I thought the master stateroom was definitely a big one in both senses of the word. Upstairs on the flybridge a supplementary lounge 92 Pindara Magazine Autumn 2015
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Four
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