TRIPLE FUN
Last year I wrote an article about JJJ Boat Tours, which has been operating out of Kununurra for about thirty years. Jeff Hayley, also well known in the Margaret River and Busselton district, set this business up on his own back then, but is now in a partnership which hopefully reduces the workload a little. No need to rave about the quality of this marine touring business as it is virtually booked out on all vessels throughout the peak period of the northern holiday season. If you get up here make sure you check out the latest new Aboriginal Cultural Tour on the Ord River.
While Jeff was back down south last year for four months he joined up with the Margaret River Marine Rescue Group, which is a great asset given Jeff’s many hours skippering Naiad vessels. And when it comes to Yamaha outboards, he is a wealth of information, having used and abused everything from a 30hp to 350hp in this vast Kimberley area. So when Viv and I were invited for afternoon drinks and dinner on the banks of the Ord River with Jeff and his wife Penny last week, we of course jumped at the chance.
The talk immediately turned to boats and before I knew it I was sea trialling Jeff’s 9.5m fiberglass catamaran, with twin Yamaha 225’s, on the Upper Ord River. This was an ex Albany 2C survey dive charter boat that Jeff had purchased less than two years ago and then spent considerable funds to convert into a long range Kimberley touring vessel. The fitout included above deck 800 litre fuel storage, new anchor/winch, electrics and reglassing the deck. With massive deck space and forward sleeping quarters this is a serious fishing, come live aboard vessel, that could virtually go anywhere. It is without the trimmings of an board toilet ( port a loo fine ), galley, etc, so would ideally suit those who use swags, bbq and camping gear for overnight trips. Jeff is looking to upgrade, so this big girl is now on the market. At $60k asking price ( probably negotiable ), which incredibly includes a fully fitted out tri-axle trailer, this is great value. I genuinely considered making an offer, dreaming about it sitting on my Gracetown mooring during summer, but given I have just signed up for a new 5.6m training vessel to be built, this was not possible. So, if you are in the market for a stable, seagoing vessel that you, your family, plus a lot of mates can enjoy at a realistic price and triple your fun, this could be it.
After the sea trials the four of us did a short boat tour through the waterways, had dinner on a floating pontoon and when the second bottle of red came out we took the invitation to sleep over in their Northstar slide on camper ( nicknamed Turtle). Jeff and I hooked up again a few days later when I invited him out for a day’s barra fishing. His crazy work schedule provides few opportunities for this, but coincidentally we both had the day off. The barra cooperated with seven fish up to 76cm landed during the four hour session, (Jeff pictured with a keeper ). Trolling along the river system was easy fishing and of course we chatted about boats, fishing, life and solved the problems of the world!
To answer last week’s question, a sailor would tack into a harbor, rather than sail straight in, by necessity, due to a headwind. This week’s question is, “What are two major advantages of catamarans over single hulled vessels?”
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