Sailaway to new home
Marina boat shed
Sailaway to the Great Barrier Reef has been a regular fixture of the Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina Port Douglas for yonks.
Their old offices were what you’d call cute and cosy and tucked away at the farthest end of the arcade.
But now they’ve moved to new premises on the boardwalk and while the two locations are just metres apart, they are worlds apart when it comes to visitor experience.
A tour for Newsport at the new office
Sailaway boss Steve greeted me at the front door for a tour of what he calls the Sailaway ‘boat shed’. He’s not wrong, it does have the feeling of one of those old-fashioned boat sheds we’ve all seen or been in.
A very upmarket boat shed I must add, as we sit down on some very expensive furniture.While Steve and wife Katrina have made this space comfortable, it oozes class. Class is what Sailaway is all about, not only in their new home, but the tourist experience overall. Whether it’s taking visitors out to the Great Barrier Reef, Low Isles, or their famous Sunset Cruise, it’s all done with style.
Eco warriors
Sailaway are also into ‘Ecotourism’ in a big way. You don’t win a National Sustainability Award for Best Practices by doing zip for the Planet. Their new digs are another example of the care factor.“It’s a relaxed ambience and you really do feel like you’re checking into a 5-star hotel and while some may think we serve wine and tapas here, we’re the ones to take you out on the reef and give you a great experience “.
Walk the plank
Steve points out a display of old wooden planks, ah but not just any old planks. These beauties were once part of the boardwalk, just outside the door, some 34 years ago.
How many feet have walked over this timber in that time is anyone’s guess? Nearby a table has a ships prop as a centre piece “we refurbished our engines on Sailaway 7 a while back and that’s one of the propellors we took off so now it becomes a feature” says Steve.
There’s ship rigging used as art pieces and technology available to see what the weathers doing. If you checked out everything in this beautiful brand-new airy space, you’d miss your boat for sure.