ALL IN THE FAMILY

More than 130 Riviera and Belize owners – in various parts of Australia – celebrated being a part of the Riviera family by joining raft-ups and events over the holiday season.

From Perth in Western Australia to Melbourne and on Queensland’s Gold Coast the festivities ranged from a spectacular laser light show to a ceremony for a couple renewing their wedding vows.

Peter and Julie Herschell joined the 25-yacht raft-up off Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula with eight boating friends aboard their Riviera 4800 Sport Yacht Hatrick. “We loved the virtual boardwalk of swim platforms in the raft-up,” says Peter. “We went from one boat to another, chatting with people and sharing drinks.”

Greg and Jennifer Ferguson have been to most of the past 10 summer raft-ups in Perth, hosted by R Marine. This year’s event brought together 43 Rivieras. “This time was very special for us,” says Greg. “We brought friends along and staged a pretend wedding ceremony on board. It was their anniversary and they wanted to renew their vows.”

Greg Kohl and partner Robyn were particularly excited by the laser light display on Queensland’s Gold Coast. “I’d give the evening a 12-out-of-10,” says Greg, attempting to describe the 31-yacht mega-raft-up at Calypso Bay.

A little further north on the Gold Coast, at Jumpinpin (a favourite boating destination) the team from R Marine Crawley hosted 34 Riviera owners. “An extended marquee on the beach looked incredible as we motored in,” says Christine Long. “There were luncheon places set for all 100 of us!” Christine and husband Matt had another special reason to remember the weekend. “It was our 40th wedding anniversary and Matt presented me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. And he even cooked me a lovely breakfast as well!” Riviera owner Rodney Longhurst says the social events are a superb example of the camaraderie among Riviera and Belize owners across Australia and around the world – what the yacht owners affectionately call the ‘Riviera Family’.