21 Apr
While summer is prime time to enjoy the boating lifestyle with a few well-designed additions you can explore all year round.
Though they’ve just brought their Ryck 280 back to its berth on the Central Coast north of Sydney, new Owners Andy and Katie are already planning how to maximise their time on the luxury sports day boat over the colder months.
They are optioning up their Ryck with custom covers and clears. “We want to enclose that aft section so it’s relatively weatherproof as we go out in winter,” Andy tells Current Torque. “We are also getting what you’d call a ‘Euro-shade’ extension off the t-top you can stand under,” he adds.
The award-winning 9.51 metre (31’ft 2”) Ryck provides a perfect platform for day boat relaxation or entertaining with its large single-level cockpit with L-shaped lounge. An Isotherm drawer fridge is tucked under the lounge on the port side, and there’s good access to the bow sunpad via deep, well-protected side decks. Even when you step up onto the bow area, the rails are raised to provide continued security – this is a very safe boat to move around, even for children.
A stand-out feature of the Ryck is its genuine weekender credentials. It’s a couple of steps down into the forward cabin through a sliding door, and the interior with its Nordic style wood finishes is stylish and practical. To starboard is a separate toilet with a hand basin and storage cupboard. To port of the steps is a galley cabinet for a microwave and up front is a generous vee-berth, with infills to make a queen-sized bed.
Seasoned boat owners with plenty of experience under both power and sail, Andy and Katie found the highly versatile Ryck, with its draft of just 0.53 metres with the Merc 350 Verado raised, amply matched their current checklist.
“It had to be something we could both drive, and travels at a fair clip, so you are at a quiet spot or mooring in a short time,” Andy explains. He agrees the RYCK’s generous queen berth and decent bathroom also made it attractive for overnights away.
“The head is also a good size,” he notes. “It’s got a reasonably sized (hand) basin, which you need if you are away for a couple of nights.”
Andy admits a landmark birthday was the positive catalyst for his and Katie’s decision to re-prioritise their boating time.
“It all got triggered because last year I turned 60 and started to think about retirement and where life was headed,” he reveals. “Katie usually likes to take over the helming or driving duties, and that’s fine with me. I’m just happy to sit there and let the world go by and have a beer,” Andy says.
They are spoilt for choice when it comes to destinations to point the Ryck’s bow. From their berth in Booker Bay, they will be able to roam across virtually all of the 152 square kilometres encompassing the Brisbane Water estuary. At the Ryck’s 25 knot cruising speed, it’s just a short hop around into Broken Bay and the Hawkesbury River with its unspoilt beaches, freshwater waterfalls, and world-class anchorages.
Among Andy and Katie’s favourite spots is protected Waratah Bay in Cowan Creek, a deep fjord-like stretch of Cowan Creek that extends 12 kilometres from Eleanor Bluff to Bobbin Head. The area is entirely enclosed by Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, consisting of nearly 15,000 hectares of rugged bushland.
“For me, boating just brings people together,” Andy suggests. “It brings you back to the simple things in life – spending time with your family and friends. Sometimes you can go and sit on the back of a boat and hardly say a word, you are just enjoying the moment and the surroundings with someone whose company you enjoy,” he eloquently sums up.
It would seem the Ryck 280 will eminently fulfil Andy and Katie’s boating requirements, providing a fast, safe and comfortable means to explore their favourite destinations, while leaving just a wake behind.
More info at:
