12 Apr
Kip Marks and his family face enviable leisure time dilemmas: the bright lights of Auckland or island hopping in the Hauraki Gulf.
The Sealine C390 has won plenty of admirers for its versatility combining sporty performance and artful use of space with a three-cabin, two-head layout in a family cruiser of just under 12 metres or 39 feet 4 inches.
Kip Marks is one of them, splitting his time aboard his C390 Share Bliss in its highly convenient berth just minutes from Auckland’s CBD or out among the 50 or so islands dotted in the Hauraki Gulf, also known as Tīkapa Moana. At 120 kilometres long and 60 kilometres wide, the Gulf is New Zealand’s largest marine reserve, a vital seabird sanctuary and home to orcas, Bryde’s whales, southern right whales, dolphins, manta rays, seals, fish and host of other marine species.
“It’s definitely a maritime playground,” Kip agrees. “I love to watch the sun go down, take photos and then wake up in the morning and it’s mirror still,” he recounts. “That to me is living the impossible dream. Staying out overnight one place and waking up then moving on to somewhere else,” he says.
Casting-off from his berth at the Outboard Boating Club, Kip and his wife Liz, along with kids and grandkids can be at one of their usual anchorages on either Kawau, Waiheke or Ponui Islands in just over an hour thanks to the C390’s 34 knot performance.
However Kip, a former yachtie, is frugal with the fuel and keeps a keen eye on what the twin Volvo Penta D6 380 HP stern drives (an upgraded option), are consuming.
I look for fuel efficiency these days,” he confides. He tells me with a note of satisfaction he has got the C390 down to sipping 3.8 litres per nautical mile (in flat, calm conditions) but generally averages 4 – 4.1 litres. “I’m happy to run in a speed range that gets me those figures.” Kip says he’s found 17 knots is an easy cruise speed for his runs out across the Gulf’s sparkling blue-green water.
Pressed for a favourite island he mentions Kawau, often referred to as the jewel of the Hauraki Gulf’s islands. Spanning more than 2,000 hectares its scenic hiking, sub-tropical micro-climate and clean beaches make it a popular destination.
But the C390 can offer Kip and his family experiences only enjoyed by a boat owner. Anchoring in Vivan Bay on the northern side of the island and out of any southerly wind, they can relax and appreciate the al fresco benefits of the C390’s main deck that transforms into one big extended space thanks to the fully opening cockpit window and folding saloon doors. Kip wryly mentions that there’s been plenty of memorable times. “It’s a very sociable boat,” he observes.
From Kawau it’s short hop across to Waiheke Island, the home of Stonyridge Vineyard that put NZ wine on the international map in the mid 1980’s. Then it’s on to Ponui Island, with its rolling grass-covered hills, pockets of bush and sheltered bays with white sandy beaches. From Ponui it’s a quick run to the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula with its unique attractions of the archipelagos of the Motukawao Group, between the towns of Coromandel and Colville.
Once nestled in a beautiful anchorage Kip takes advantage of the C390’s generous accommodations, consisting of three decent sized cabins. The port one located underneath the saloon features two single berths, “I actually quite like that one down there,” Kip confesses. The Owners cabin in the bow has a generous double and there’s another double in the starboard guest cabin which is mainly used to store largely unused bow sunbeds.
“I have to give the designers credit,” Kip notes. “Everybody who’s been down there (in the cabins), has come back and said ‘wow, it’s amazing what they’ve done’. And it’s still a beautiful boat. And it counts for a lot when other people say I love your boat,” he relates.
In its most indulgent layout the C390 offers a double ensuite forward with another sharing space amidships with a void that can be a walk-in wardrobe or a utility space, but Kip is more than happy with Share Bliss’s configuration, however he has installed one important extra amenity.
“That’s an easy one,” he laughs. “A freezer, which I put in the port side as you come into the saloon. Our cruising isn’t like the Med where boats usually tie-up in port each night,” he explains, though he admits there are times when he uses Share Bliss as a peaceful getaway in the heart of the city.
“It’s actually amazing how many people, and I’m not alone here enjoy coming down to the marina and just sitting on their boats, without going anywhere. Sometimes Liz and I will go down and just have a cup of tea or lunch, the boat is very cosy like that,” Kip reveals.
And when it’s time to head out to a small corner of the more than one million hectares of waterways in the Hauraki Gulf, the C390 will be just as at home, smoothly cutting through the wind chop, transporting Kip to yet another serene, photo-worthy destination.
For more on the Sealine C390 go to windcraftyachts.com/sealine
