Gold Coast kids who aspire to competitive sailing now have a cutting-edge keel boat they can learn the ropes on, thanks to the generous donation by her owner and the talents of the marine professionals at The Boat Works who restored her to ship shape, race-worthy condition. The now visually impressiv
e 33-foot racing yacht, Public Nuisance, was donated by Mr Harvey Michael to the Paradise Point Sailing Club.
The newly refurbished racing yacht enables the Club to train rising stars to compete against their Queensland peers in state titles and their interstate rivals in a slew of national events.
The revamped racer is also destined for use in the upcoming Southport Yacht Club Twilight Series, allowing the youth sailors to compete against more seasoned sailors, and possibly some of the more challenging offshore regattas over summer.
“Being a former Grand Prix race yacht, Public Nuisance is ideal for teaching the more advanced kids the use of high-tech, light-weight rigs and advanced spinnaker training, as well as basic sail trim and keel boat sailing for the younger kids,” says Club Treasurer, Andrew Roake.
“We are extremely grateful to the trades at The Boat Works for chipping in with their considerable skills, products and many, many hours of labour on getting our as-new racing yacht up to top condition. The Club and all the kids are busting to get her out on the water!”
The Boat Works tenants involved in the project include Affordable Antifoul, Print Image Signs, Everything Marine and Hempel Paints via the onsite Marine Trade Supplies & Chandlery store.
Affordable Antifoul carried out a complete wet sanding of Public Nuisance, patch priming, repairing the antifoul surface with barrier coat and a protective layer of Hempel Olympic Antifoul.
John Millett, General Manager (Aust & NZ) of Hempel ANZ and onsite Marine Trade Supplies and Chandlery donated the 10 Litres of Hempel Olympic Antifoul along with Hempels ProFiller which the applicators described as “the best on the market”.
“Hempel Olympic Antifouling has been specifically designed to suit the challenging fouling waters around south-east Queensland waters and will provide assurance for the performance of the boat,” explained John Millett. “Hempel Austral
ia is proudly owned by the Hempel Foundation, which supports cultural, humanitarian and scientific causes across the world.”
Print Image Signs supplied the creative concepts for the boat wrap, which was visually more impactful than a paint job, then created the UV-protective wrap and installed it.
The specialists at Everything Marine, led by sailing veteran of many Sydney-Hobarts and the America’s Cup, Iain Smith, inspected the rigging and ensured Public Nuisance was in top-condition ahead of her special mission to train the next generation of champions.
The Boat Works was quick to offer support, labour and expertise to the local Club.
“We are thrilled to see and support the joint collaboration of our onsite partners to help out a local community project,” said The Boat Works General Manager, Shane Subichin.
A not-for-profit community club, the idyllically located Paradise Point Sailing Club was founded in 2008 by John Murphy with the aim of involving local families, getting kids active and outdoors, and inspiring a love of sailing in the next generation.
Since then, the objectives of the Club have been to make sailing accessible to all, involve the whole family in a fun, safe day on the water and nurture rising talent through a 5-step pathway in collaboration with Australian Sailing.
Today, the Club has access to a complement of 40 sailing boats and four rescue vessels, with the support of 20 or so volunteers, including youth sailors who move into the role of instructors once they undertake industry-approved training and safety qualifications.
An average Sunday attracts up to 40 kids from age 6, and school holiday camps swell their ranks to casual sailors eager to test the waters and acquire skills they can use for a lifetime.
On Sunday 3 December, Paradise Point Sailing Club will host a Try Sailing Day, welcoming the public and encouraging newcomers to the sport with hands-on sailing experiences on a variety of boats, sausage sizzle, entertainment and more. Proceeds will go to support the Children’s Ward at the Gold Coast University Hospital.
Hempel Paints – Marine Trade Supplies & Chandlery
