As a small community of like-minded boaties, our newsletters are a great way to get to know other passionate Fairway Bay Marina boat owners – to meet them and hear their boat stories.
As a long-standing Fairway Bay Marina customer, Alan Cato was the first to commit to a berth in the new inner marina expansion, recognising the position and attractive setting his new berth had to offer. These days, Alan is spending less time in the office. Instead, he’s enjoying working on his lifestyle block, not far away in Dairy Flat, and getting out in the Hauraki Gulf on his boat.
“For me, Fairway Bay Marina is a great location; not only is it just a thirty-minute drive from home but having direct access to the Hauraki Gulf is perfect for me,” says Alan.
The marina’s convenient location also allows Alan to bring overseas business associates down to his boat for meetings, and Alan enjoys the feedback from his party who often comment, “This is like being in heaven.” Alan owns and skippers Avalon, a Selene 58 he purchased and shipped to New Zealand from Hong Kong in 2017. Avalon is a Selene displacement twin-screw styled trawler, a traditional American naval architecture design. As a brand, Selene belongs in similar company to Fleming and Nordhavn, being one of the three leading and most respected trawler-cruiser motor yachts. These boats are appreciated for their blue-water capabilities, particularity their stability and economy. Alan’s boating adventures, by his own admission, started later in life. However, after some good advice, he made a bold move with his first purchase by buying a 14m catamaran in 2008. “A good friend said to me once: ‘If you’re going to get the most out of boating for both you and the family, commit and buy a decent boat’, and that was the right advice at the right time,” recalls Alan. By chance, the previous owner also has a berth in the new inner marina expansion – it’s a small world!
Alan plans to wear the skipper’s cap for another five years as he slowly hands over the helming duties to his son Simon, thus allowing him to take a back seat and simply enjoy the ride. Both dad and son have developed a passion for game fishing. “It’s a new and exciting sport that’s a steep learning curve and requires a ton of patience – for us, it’s all about tag and release,” adds Alan.
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