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Largest Ever Australian Built Superyacht to be constructed by Echo Yachts in Henderson

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Written by Zuzana Bednarova

A Singapore -based family has formed Echo Yachts, a yacht manufacturer positioned in Western Australia ’s Henderson Marine Precinct to undertake the construction of the family’s yachts, comprising the largest ever super yacht built in Australia . The Company has brought together a regional ‘who’s who’ in the Australian super yacht industry.

Echo Yachts - Sheds

The 84 metre aluminium yacht will also be the largest tri-hulled super yacht ever built anywhere – with tri-hull configuration allowing for an impressive 20 metre beam which in turn will accommodate a vast deck expanse and palatial interior spaces. Construction will take 3 years from start to finish.

The arrangement also includes the construction of a 46 metre fibreglass catamaran that will be deployed as a support vessel for the larger build. The catamaran will carry 12 tenders designed with a range of sporting and exploratory capabilities.  A 12m tender will be equipped with full navigation systems and high tech 3D sonar’s for the exploration of sea beds and sunken wrecks.

Both the super yacht and the support vessel will feature unique hull forms and the construction processes will incorporate numerous state-of-the-art build techniques and bold engineering ideas.

Commenting on the project, Echo Yachts director Mark Stothard said “Together with my partners Jurien Van Rongen and Nick Gardiner, we are thrilled to have been selected to head-up this project and, we are very excited about the world-class credentials of those who will be working with us.”

The super yacht’s external design and interior styling will be led by Fremantle based and world-renowned super yacht supremo, Sam Sorgiovani .

One2three Naval Architects, who operate from both Sydney and Henderson, will act as the project’s naval architects.

Construction of the support vessel is already well under-way with completion scheduled for late 2015. Designed by New Zealand’s LOMOcean , the vessel boasts the project’s hallmark and cutting-edge hull forms, lightweight lay-ups and state of the art build techniques.

Please contact CharterWorld - the luxury yacht charter specialist - for more on superyacht news item "Largest Ever Australian Built Superyacht to be constructed by Echo Yachts in Henderson".

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White rabbit golf is the biggest super-yacht to be built in australia.

INSIDE a gigantic shed on the southern Perth coastline, hundreds of dedicated workers have joined forces to save Australia’s super yacht industry and make nautical history in the process.

When complete, they can lay claim to having helped create the biggest aluminium trimaran super yacht in the world.

At 84m long (longer than Perth’s Swan Bell Tower is tall) and 19m wide, and with enough accommodation for 22 guests and 30 crew, it will also be the biggest super yacht built in Australia.

The team, which numbered more than 300 at the peak of the project, is due to finish its three-and-a-half-year mission to deliver this dream vessel, dubbed White Rabbit Golf, to a wealthy Singaporean client before the middle of next year.

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Echo Yachts, based at Henderson, is undertaking the prestigious job, which director Mark Stothard said was a lifeline for Australia’s super yacht industry.

“We feel very fortunate we were chosen. It has reinvigorated the super yacht industry and we’ve had a number of opportunities off the back of this project,” he said. “Echo Yachts and Hanseatic are the only super yacht builders left in Australia.

“We brought in some retired crew to impart their knowledge down the line so that we can make sure we’ve got an industry like this intact and we can take on vessels like this in the future.

“If we hadn’t have got this project a lot of the knowledge would have been lost.”

Mr Stothard, who has sold almost $1 billion worth of boats over 30 years and owns the luxury cruise vessel True North together with founding director Craig Howson, said working on White Rabbit Golf and its 46m-long shadow vessel, which is already in Singapore and can carry an additional 22 people, was the pinnacle of his career.

“I live and breathe this sort of work and this has been rewarding all the way through,” he said. “Working on the vessel will no doubt be the pinnacle of a lot of people’s careers. In ship-building terms, it’s quite unusual because it’s diesel-electric.

“The design and engineering innovation that’s gone into it really gave people the chance to explore boundaries.”

One2three Naval Architects in Sydney did a lot of research to come up with the right structure.

Internationally renowned Fremantle-based super yacht designer Sam Sorgiovanni, who worked on a super yacht for golfer Greg Norman, is behind the White Rabbit Golf’s interior and exterior styling.

“There’s no question that in terms of Australia’s industry, it’s the biggest and greatest thing we’ve ever worked on,” Mr Sorgiovanni said. “The fact it’s a trimaran makes it unique in the industry.”

The interior will have an art deco overtone with some gold accents. Everything has been custom-made, from the hand-selected onyx counter tops in the owner’s and some of the VIP cabins, to the carpets.

“It’s the pinnacle of personalisation, right down to the cushions and cutlery,” Mr Sorgiovanni said.

Mr Stothard said the White Rabbit Golf had a lot of “wow” factor, including a mirror finish all over the vessel.

“It will take three years to paint it in total,” he said.

The shadow vessel, MY Charley, is an impressive talking point in its own right and “carries all the toys” that the client, a keen scuba diver, requires. A helipad, hovercraft, 12m catamaran and decompression chamber are some of the stand-outs.

The shadow vessel has been getting a workout since it was handed over in January. “He (the client) loves it and uses it a lot,” Mr Stothard said.

“It’s always nice to fulfil someone’s dream.”

The White Rabbit Golf

Weight 3000 tonnes

Carries 22 guests and 30 crew

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Australia’s Domestic Superyacht Industry Doubles In Size

By George Bains

Back in January 2020, Superyacht Australia CEO David Good spoke to Superyachts.com about the potential to double the domestic superyacht industry on the back of the new Special Recreational Vessels Bill. Few could have predicted the challenges that would unfold around the globe shortly thereafter, yet just over a year later the vision for a thriving industry Down Under seems to have been realised in even the most difficult of situations.

Australia is experiencing a superyacht boom, with vessels attracted to Australia and its buoyant domestic charter market. Australians normally spend A$65B annually on international travel and with borders closed many superyachts have moved to Australia to offer a luxury alternative to overseas travel.

The increase in charter activity in Australian waters provides a huge economic lift, with vessels spending around 10-12% of their value in operational expenditure annually, making every 50m vessel worth between A$5-6M in economic spend into a region per year.

This increase in vessels has a direct correlation to the new charter legislation passed by the federal government in December 2019. The passing of the Special Recreation Vessels (SRV) Act, coupled with the closure of international borders, have contributed to an accelerated growth of the industry, drawing larger superyachts to be based in Australian waters.

The SRV Act removed red tape restrictions on superyachts operating commercially in Australian waters. Prior to this Act becoming law, the largest domestic charter yacht was 42m, and now the largest Australian based superyacht is 74.5m – one of eight vessels over 50m now based in Australia since the passage of the Act.

This should only be expected to increase further when international borders reopen, with internationally flagged superyachts heading to Australia to take advantage not only of the new charter opportunities but also of a safe region with world-class marine infrastructure.

The opening of a new Superyacht Yard at The Boat Works and a mammoth new Travel Lift at Austal are two significant additions to the infrastructure in recent times. Significant expansion works are already in place or planned elsewhere around the country, notably a new 150m+ berth at Southport Yacht Club and a $250M expansion plan at the renowned Rivergate Marina and Shipyard .

Western Australia is home to Australia’s two large superyacht manufacturers – Silver Yachts and Echo Yachts . Both yards have recently produced superyachts in excess of 83m each, and are world leaders in innovative superyacht constructions.

“We look forward to having more Australian built superyachts based here in Australia,” commented David Good, CEO of Superyacht Australia. “With such spectacular cruising grounds and two of the world’s best superyacht manufacturers, it’s only a matter of time before we will see a large Australian-built superyacht chartering here and showcasing the absolute best of Australia.”

Before anything else, Australia is a country with infinite cruising possibilities. An all-year-round cruising calendar can be made up of visits to diverse locations from the rugged Kimberley to the mesmerising Great Barrier Reef and lively cities such as Sydney . With the continued global growth of the superyacht industry, new legislation allowing foreign-owned vessels to charter in Australia provides an enticing opportunity for owners, captains and charterers.

"We look forward to having more Australian built superyachts based here in Australia." David Good, CEO Superyacht Australia

"We look forward to having more Australian built superyachts based here in Australia."

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‘Yachts at the top’: power, privacy and privilege in the world of Australian superyachts

Superyachts are floating markers of power and luxury, and sales are booming. As Australia hopes to lure more of the vessels and their elite clientele, what do we know about this world?

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Visible from the footpath at the water’s edge, the superyachts berthed at Melbourne City Marina bob gently up and down, their sleek and shiny exteriors reflecting the placid waters below.

For me, and most people on this planet, this is about as close as we are likely to get to a superyacht. In Australia, that’s a pleasurecraft longer than 24 metres. Internationally, the starting length is 30 metres. The City of Melbourne recently spent $1.97m upgrading Victoria Harbour, including its four superyacht berths, to fit vessels up to 67 metres long. But for the tiny portion of the world’s ultra wealthy for whom superyacht size is a matter of concern, 67 metres is fairly moderate. The longest privately owned superyacht in the world is the 180-metre Azzam, reportedly built for the former president of the United Arab Emirates , the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Superyachts are markers of power and extravagance. They are floating, transportable six-star hotels, capable of including everything from nail parlours to gyms, helipads and boardrooms, marble bathrooms and priceless art, as well as what the industry calls “toys” – from jet skis worth the equivalent of the average Australian worker’s salary to private submarines worth millions.

In a recent memoir, the longtime Australian seafarer and superyacht captain Brendan O’Shannassy writes: “Until space travel becomes a commercial reality, [superyachts] are the greatest display of wealth on the planet.”

For all their capacity to allow long-distance travel in extreme luxury, though, superyachts aren’t frequent visitors to Australian waters. The local industry has been lobbying to change that, and state and federal governments have made superyacht-friendly moves, hitching millions of dollars in public infrastructure upgrades and tax concessions to claims that these will bring millions in economic benefits to every port in which a vessel makes anchor.

But despite public money going towards establishing and upgrading infrastructure that is only accessible to the very privileged few, there’s been little public scrutiny of this elite industry.

S uperyachts are not super common, although their numbers are growing. Sales company Edmiston recently estimated that the global fleet comprised a total of 5,892 vessels – representing an increase of 44% over the last decade. Most of those yachts are between 30 and 50 metres (4,957); 13% are between 50 and 80 metres (753) and 3% are over 80 metres (182).

There are only about 120 superyachts owned by Australians, concentrated mostly around Sydney Harbour and south-east Queensland. About half of them are charter vessels. It’s likely all of them have, at some point, been through Captain Richard Morris’s hands.

Fresh off the plane from the Dubai Boat Show, Morris tells Guardian Australia that he got his start in the merchant navy at 17, before landing a job as a deckhand two years later on the 86-metre superyacht Nabila, owned by the influential and extravagant Saudi arms dealer, fixer and liaison of presidents and tycoons Adnan Khashoggi. Nabila was Khashoggi’s third yacht and the height of ostentatious luxury when it launched in 1980. Its 100 rooms included Italian hand-carved onyx bathrooms, a patisserie, a movie theatre, a hair salon, a hospital with an operating theatre, and 320 metres of Italian leather upholstery. When Khashoggi’s empire began to decay in the late 80s, he sold Nabila to Donald Trump for $29m – considered a bargain – with the businessman who would later become US president renaming the yacht the Trump Princess .

Morris, meanwhile, left Nabila after a year and began building his own career as a seafarer, becoming a captain at just 27 and a master mariner. He moved ashore in 1999 and was hired by NSW Maritime to build a new superyacht marina in Rozelle Bay.

“That was the beginning of superyachting in Australia,” Morris says. “Prior to that, only a few people here had superyachts, because there was the tall poppy syndrome – high net wealth Australians were reluctant to show their extreme wealth.”

The Sydney Olympics in 2000 changed that, Morris says. The marina development was partly to accommodate the super wealthy who were planning to bring their yachts down for the Games. Morris managed the marina for the next decade, before moving into local superyacht sales and charters.

The Sydney experience is one that the industry is keen to replicate for the forthcoming Brisbane Olympics. The mining magnate Gina Rinehart may have been lampooned by the public in 2021 when she complained that she had nowhere to moor her yacht in Brisbane , but the Queensland Labor government appears to agree it should invest in more superyacht infrastructure. It’s had a multiyear superyacht strategy since 2018, and in May last year it was updated and extended to take the Olympics into account.

Its listed achievements so far include $28m to upgrade the Cairns Marine Precinct, $2.87m for a 160-metre superyacht berth on the Gold Coast, and planning for 80-metre superyacht facilities and additional marinas in new developments on the Spit. Its stated goal is for Queensland to be “world recognised as the major superyacht hub in the Asia-Pacific region”. Economic modelling for industry lobby group Superyacht Australia argues the 2032 Games presents “an unparalleled opportunity to springboard the sector on to the global stage and demonstrate the prosperity the sector can support in Australia”. It hopes Australia will reach 8% of the global market – that’s 533 vessels – in the next three years, which it says will yield hundreds of millions of dollars in direct economic benefits.

Until just prior to the pandemic, superyachts could not come to Australia without the owner paying a hefty tax on the vessel, with the visiting multimillion-dollar vessels treated as though they were being imported permanently into the country. That changed with the passage of the Special Recreational Vessels Act 2019. The act, which relieves the owner of having to pay import duties including GST, was hitched as a rider to various unrelated bills by the Coalition government until it was passed as a standalone just before Christmas in 2019.

The legislation allows foreign vessels to be chartered while in Australian waters, with GST payable only on the charter itself.

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The then member for the Queensland seat of Dawson, George Christensen, claimed it as a pet project. “I have been very, very pushy in getting this legislation to come forward,” Christensen said at the time.

Christensen claimed the bill was “just about ensuring that local communities can get some of the coin that these people drop”. Labor passed the bill with minor amendments.

Since then, six superyachts have applied for a temporary licence, with just four making the trip.

‘It’s your world’

The industry estimates that the local market for superyacht charter or purchase is 1% of the population. It sees it as a subset of the cruise market, which is estimated to capture about 5% of Australians.

It’s hard to ignore the symbolism of that figure, the 1%. Morris’s anecdotes help to illustrate just how that plays out in practice. In 2011, the manager of U2 called him, he recalls, hoping to find a suitable superyacht for the band who were dissatisfied with the crowds at the Park Hyatt. (He was unable to find one that met the band’s specific desires.) That same year, Morris put up the actor Kevin Spacey in the 37-metre Tango during Spacey’s run as Richard III in Sam Mendes’s production that toured Sydney’s Lyric theatre.

“Dinner was at 1am and [Spacey’s] guests would leave at 4am. Then the yacht would move to Rose Bay and he’d sleep till midday, and then come back and do it all again,” Morris says.

“It’s an option for these very high-profile people. They’re anchored in the middle of the harbour. The level of security and discretion that a superyacht provides is much better than any hotel. They can control their world. And that’s the essence of yachting – it’s your world.”

When Covid lockdowns hit, owners of superyachts raced to their vessels, escaping up to the Great Barrier Reef instead of staying at home, Morris says. The associated freedom saw a boom in superyacht sales in 2021 . Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, however, superyachts have also become associated with sanctioned Russian oligarchs. Not without reason: they represented 30% of the global market. Documents recently revealed, for example, that the former Chelsea FC boss Roman Abramovich owned 16 superyachts , a full eight of which were support vessels for the 162.5-metre A$649.5m Eclipse he’d had built in 2010.

Morris says there were Russians who had planned to come to Australia prior to the war – one of whom was going to contract him to manage his yacht. It would have put millions through his business. The sanctions, though, have “put the fear of God through the industry”, he says.

“If I was managing a Russian yacht I would have gotten rid of it. It’s so lucrative, though, that a lot of people didn’t. I’m glad that the Russian client didn’t come. Sure, I missed out on huge revenue, but that’s not the point.”

T he 2032 Olympics aren’t the local industry’s only goal. Another is to bring more vessels to Australia to make use of the shipyards – mainly in Queensland and Western Australia – for maintenance, retrofitting and building. Another still is to increase the number of Australians joining the superyacht workforce.

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On Facebook groups like Superyacht Crew , keen industry up-and-comers post pictures of themselves – snorkelling, in uniform, sipping a glass of wine in a party dress – alongside their formal qualifications and experience. The semi-casual CV comes with added notes about the seafarer’s personality, including whether or not they have tattoos (being tattoo-free appears to be a selling point).

Employment standards, however, can vary. Commercially registered yachts available for charter, which usually have permanent captain and crew despite the rotating guest list, are bound by the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, which lays out minimum standards of employment, including legally enforceable contracts, maximum working hours per week, shore leave and annual leave entitlements, and the right to return to your country of residence for free. Enforcement of those standards is the responsibility of the country under whose flag the ship sails, and yachts chartering out of Australia need to be registered here.

Private yachts are a different story. They are not automatically covered by the Maritime Labour Convention, and employment contracts are often managed by owners’ personal office staff. Non-disclosure agreements are common, and rumours abound that upsetting the wrong people on board can see you unceremoniously dumped at the nearest port.

Superyacht crew in Australia are not covered by any union-based collective bargaining agreements. The Maritime Union of Australia national secretary, Paddy Crumlin, tells Guardian Australia that the MUA doesn’t have a real presence among the superyacht labour force, but alleges exploitation and harassment are rife. Morris vehemently rejects this, saying the working conditions on superyachts are “exceptional”, better than cruising or commercial shipping, higher paid, and far exceeding the minimums set by the Maritime Labour Convention.

Guardian Australia was unable to speak to any junior superyacht crew directly, despite attempts, but a survey of 402 superyacht crew members conducted by the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network in 2018 described them as mainly well paid. More than 90% of survey respondents – male and female – said they felt safe on board, though 53% of female crew said they had experienced discrimination, harassment or bullying from owners, other crew or guests, compared with 30% of men, who most commonly experienced it from captains or other senior crew. The level of work-related stress was high, particularly among women.

No matter who ultimately owns them, private yachts are likely to be flying what the industry calls a “flag of convenience”, which can make standards harder to enforce, as the boat can spend very little, if any, time in its country of registration. Flags of convenience are a common maritime business practice, though, including in cruising and freight. And the results can be ironic: a cursory registry search of some high-profile private superyachts reveals, for example, that the mining magnate Andrew Forrest’s 58.2-metre Pangaea Ocean Explorer – which will shortly carry out environmental surveys on the DNA of ocean life, assisted by $3m in federal funding to Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation – sails under the Jamaican flag. Clive Palmer’s 56-metre $40m yacht, despite being patriotically named Australia , is registered in Malta.

Control, chameleons and seasick fish

What is it that draws the ultra rich to yachting?

“Control,” says David Good, the chief executive of industry peak body Superyachts Australia. “You can control the itinerary, who is on board and what food is going to be served. During the pandemic, when you were on board was probably the only time you could fully take control of who was going to be with you and your family. Covid was probably one of the best things that ever happened to boating in general.”

Sam Sorgiovanni concurs. He’s used to catering to the whims of wealth: a sought-after designer based in Western Australia with about 35 years of experience, Sorgiovanni estimates he’s designed at least 20 superyachts. The biggest challenges usually relate to balancing functionality with the budget constraints of the commissioner. But some design requests are more complicated.

For the Nirvana, Sorgiovanni says his company designed two onboard terrariums for chameleons, water dragons, turtles and frogs, and a separate cricket facility to breed the reptiles’ food. The terrarium included curtains to shield the animals from the disco lights of an adjacent salon. On Anastasia and Barbara – owned by the same Russian billionaire as Nirvana – the designers were asked to include fish tanks. Unfortunately, they later discovered, fish kept in a tank on a boat die – from seasickness.

The origin of most of the super wealth that fuels superyacht ownership is natural resources, Sorgiovanni says. But criticism of the industry, he says, echoing Morris, is “tall poppy syndrome”.

“Yachting is the greatest redistribution of wealth around. Although it is for the privileged few, if you take a 100-metre yacht, there’s 50 crew on board, they’re all being paid, they’ve all got families, and wherever that yacht goes, especially if we’re allowing them to come into charter, as soon as it pulls into port … it would be millions generated every time the vessel comes in,” he says.

“It’s a pyramid. We’ve got the yachts at the top, and a pyramid of suppliers underneath it.”

S altwater and air is hard on boats, and superyachts require a lot of money for upkeep, and a lot of maintenance. So when an owner abandons ship, the vessels suddenly become very large and very unwieldy public burdens.

In February, the government of Antigua and Barbuda claimed and put up for auction the 82-metre Alfa Nero, which it said had been abandoned in Falmouth Harbour since early last year. The owner is rumoured to be the Russian oligarch Andrey Guryev; Guryev has denied owning the yacht, according to other reports.

That same month, the 29-metre superyacht Nakoa broke free of its moorings in Honolua Bay in north-west Maui, Hawaii, and drifted before running hard aground in shallow water, peppered by rocks and reef.

The US Coast Guard seized jurisdiction of the yacht after its owner, the charter mogul Jim Jones, informed authorities that he would not organise or pay for the boat’s salvage. Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources said in a series of statements that Jones would instead receive a bill of at least US$460,000 for the salvage effort, and may face further penalties and possible legal action.

Facing widespread criticism, Jones told Honolulu media that he was “taking responsibility” for the matter. “We’ve been talking to the DLNR to let them know we’re not leaving them with the bill,” Jones said. “We’re not running.”

Timely and safe salvage was important to the local community but also to the environment. The grounding occurred just outside a significant marine conservation zone, and the yacht struck and damaged at least 30 corals and live rocks, its hull leaking diesel into the reef. Footage of the wreck circulated on social media, where commenters raged about the fuel seeping into the pristine water and the damage to the reef.

It took contractors three salvage attempts over nearly two weeks to dislodge the 122-tonne Nakoa. On 5 March, three tugboats managed to drag it back into the water. As they set off to tow the yacht to Honolulu, a pod of humpback whales surfaced and escorted the boats out of the bay, away from the marine sanctuary.

The Nakoa never made it back to dock . Halfway to Honolulu, the yacht began listing heavily. Unable to be dragged any further, it was scuttled in the deep channel between the islands of Maui and Molokai, and left to sink to the ocean floor.

The whales swam on.

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Australian built superyacht largest at fort lauderdale international boat show.

All Australian-made superyacht 85m MY Bold, built by SilverYachts in Henderson in Western Australia, is the largest vessel in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) which opened this week in Florida. Launched in 2019 and currently the world’s longest aluminium motor yacht, Bold’s 8,000 nm maiden voyage from Perth in Western Australia across the Indian Ocean to Cala di Volpe in Italy took 21 days with only one fuel stop.

The previous largest superyacht manufactured in Australia is MY White Rabbit at 84m. Designed by One2three Naval Architects, an Australian naval architects’ firm and with external and internal styling by Australian designer Sam Sorgiovanni, MY White Rabbit was built by Echo Yachts, also based in Henderson.

Australia builds the largest, fastest and most efficient aluminium vessels in the world. With intelligent naval architecture design and lightweight materials, these vessels are up to 50% more efficient than traditional steel vessels, making them very competitive.  

Australia is also known for designing and building the best lightweight, fast ferries and companies like Austal and Incat add to Australia’s international shipbuilding reputation.  

Two other leading Australian luxury motor-yacht brands also have a significant presence at Fort Lauderdale. Global marine industry leader Riviera is premiering its new 645 SUV among a ten-model showcase at the world’s largest on-the-water boat show. It will be the first US outing for the Riviera 645 SUV, the largest and most sophisticated model in Riviera’s six-model SUV collection.

Leading Australian luxury motor yacht manufacturer Maritimo is also set to make headlines with the American launch of two exciting new models. The M55 and the S55 motor yachts featuring at the show are the most successful global launches ever for Maritimo.

David Good, CEO, AIMEX and Superyacht Australia, is attending the Fort Lauderdale show. “We are pleased to see such a strong Australian presence in Fort Lauderdale this week. With our borders now opening and premiere shows such as FLIBS proceeding, it is an excellent platform to promote Australian-made vessels.”

With a global boom in the motor yacht leisure market, Australian vessels are set to impress at the show this week which concludes on Sunday October 31.  

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Jeanneau Australia - World Leaders in Cruising Yachts and Luxury Power Boats

New jeanneau releases.

Cap Camarat 9.0 WA Series 2

Jeanneau Merry Fisher 895 Series 2

Jeanneau DB/37 Outboard

Latest news, pittwater sailing yacht show 2024.

A new show is coming to Sydney. Discover Jeanneau Yachts from 5 to 7th of April 2024! The first edition of the Sailing Yacht Show ...

Jeanneau announce the all new Sun Odyssey 350

After the enormous success of the Sun Odyssey 349, selling over 1,000 boats worldwide, Jeanneau have announced it's successor - the Sun Odyssey 3 ...

First JEANNEAU x MULTIPLAST Sun Fast 30 One Design hits the water

The first of Jeanneau & Multiplast's Sun Fast 30 One Design has been launched and began sea trials before officially being christened at the Gran ...

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Destinations, charter management, welcome to bm yachts australia, home to australia’s most luxurious and largest charter yacht fleet..

We have yachts available in the most stunning destinations around Australia so whether you are celebrating a birthday, special event or looking for that next family holiday our team are here to help you every step of the way.

With over 20 years’ experience in the superyacht management and charter industry you can rest assured our professional and experienced team are working tirelessly to ensure your time on board one of our magnificent yachts is everything you imagined and more.

For more information on how to elevate your next event or holiday get in contact with us today

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Private charter, mediterranean, new zealand, south pacific, the caribbean, yacht concierge services.

BM Yachts Australia is your luxury superyacht charter specialists.

With extensive superyacht experience our team at BM Yachts are here to make sure your yachting holiday or event is everything you imagined and more.

With access to some of the most prestigious yachts available in some of Australia’s and the worlds most picturesque locations, let us take care of all of the finer details so all that is left for you to do is to sit back relax and enjoy the exclusive experience that is super yacht chartering.

At BM Yachts Australia we view yacht charter and management from a totally different vantage point.

We have a clear vision that focuses on prestigious vessels with an elite team of professionals who have a passion for the industry and work tirelessly to ensure only the best for their clients.

BM Yachts Australia has access to the most prestigious and luxurious yachts available for charter in Australia and worldwide. So contact one of the team today to start your luxury yachting holiday off right and let us take care of the finer details.

Contact us today for our bespoke Charter management packages.

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Honestly, everything was fantastic for Boxing Day. From our walkthrough earlier in the year to the day itself, truly a pleasure to work with you and the Chaos team. The team were incredibly accommodating on the day, had us in a great spot to watch the start of the race. All the guests had a lovely day out, have received some great feedback from them and from The Tasman team too, so once again thank you for all your help!

Marriot International / customer

I had my best birthday ever. Friday was amazing and the rest of the weekend also perfect. Not sure how I’ll ever top it? Nothing but amazing things to say regarding Hannah and the crew. They were fab – and your Hannah's efforts helped to make the day next-level.

S.L / customer

We had a great time. Smooth booking process with quick response times. The boat was perfect, food delicious and the crew were amazing! Would defiantly recommend. Thanks heaps – you guys ROCK!

K. L / customer

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When does Fortnite Season 3 start? Here's everything we know so far

Fortnite Season 3 of Chapter 5 is due to launch in May 2024

When does Fortnite Season 3 start is a question keen players may already be considering, even though we're only around a month into the current season in progress, and they might also be thinking about what the next theme will be running through the Season 3 Battle Pass. There have been plenty of changes for us to get used to already in Fortnite Season 2 of Chapter 5, with the Myths and Mortals theme introducing various Olympic champions and their mythic powers to mix things up in the battle royale.

However, Epic aren't known for resting on their laurels and will already be planning the next stage of development in Fortnite , so there will certainly be more changes brought in during the course of this chapter. If you're looking to the future and wondering what Fortnite Season 3 in Chapter 5 may have in store, then here's everything we know about it so far.

When does Fortnite Season 3 start in Chapter 5?

The Fortnite Season 3 release date hasn't been officially confirmed, but according to the Chapter 5 Season 2 Battle Pass, as seen on the Epic Games website and the in-game message on the Battle Pass screen, we can determine the current Season 2 Battle Pass will end on May 24, 2024 at 2am ET. This means that the Fortnite Season 3 start date will most likely also be Friday May 24, 2024 following the usual downtime for the transition, but it will be a while before we receive official confirmation of this. It's unlikely there will be another significant Fortnite live event to mark this changeover, as these tend to be reserved for the overall conclusion of chapters now.

What will be the biggest changes made for Fortnite Season 3?

At the time of writing, we don't have official confirmation of what the biggest changes for Fortnite Season 3 will be as it's too early for that, and so far no solid information has been leaked about what's to come. We have seen some recent changes implemented that could have an effect on future seasons, such as removing Fortnite's cosmetic rarity system which has already proven unpopular with players. A potentially welcome feature to be added as part of that update, showing the planned date cosmetics are due to be rotated out in the Item Shop, won't be launching until late May so will likely coincide with the start of Season 3.

Fortnite have randomly removed every mention of "Weapon Charms" with this update, which is strange because they didn't remove any other scrapped cosmetic type like Hats, Bus Themes, etc.. 🤔Maybe preparing for a release with First-Person later this year along with Chapter 6 ⁉️ pic.twitter.com/IeuR7FMWJm April 10, 2024

According to Fortnite leaker HYPEX, a recent update removed all mentions of "Weapon Charms" from the game, which is unusual as references to other abandoned cosmetic types are still there. This could mean they're actually being prepped for a future release further down the line, along with the long-awaited Fortnite first person mode which would actually make weapon charms much more visible.

Fortnite are working on a new "Picture-in-Picture" feature where you can link your Fortnite account to some platforms and watch (+ Like, Unlike & Report) videos while playing ‼️This also has an "Advert" widget (maybe ads?), and one of the platforms might be TikTok 👀 pic.twitter.com/ChyUDsDegR April 10, 2024

HYPEX also confirms that Epic are working on a new "Picture-in-Picture" mode, which should allow you to link your Fortnite account to other platforms so you can watch videos while playing the game. One of the suggested platforms is TikTok, and you can Like, Unlike, and Report the videos you view.

FORTNITE OG NEWS ‼️After Fortnite announced that "Fortnite OG" will return in 2024, today they revealed that they wanna bring it back with a different twist than last time.. "It's just a matter of how and when, and how do we make it so it's not just the same." [VIA @axios] pic.twitter.com/PIVcO8NonU December 9, 2023

Finally, Epic have previously confirmed that Fortnite OG will be returning at some point during 2024. They've been quoted saying that "It's just a matter of how and when, and how do we make it so it's not just the same." This implies that it may come back in a format other than a short season, but for now we'll have to wait and see what gets announced in the future.

How much will the Fortnite Season 3 Battle Pass cost?

Fortnite is free to play, but buying the Battle Pass will get you lots of additional rewards. The Fortnite Season 3 Battle Pass will likely be available for the usual 950 V-Bucks, which means it will be enough to purchase the smallest V-Bucks bundle in the Fortnite store, priced at $8.99 / £6.99 to get you 1,000 V-Bucks.

Fortnite quests Fortnite characters Fortnite Secret Cave Lego Fortnite Fortnite Festival

It's possible to get a head start by buying the Battle Bundle upgrade. This will get you to Tier 25 on the Battle Pass instantly. Doing so will cost you 2,800 V-Bucks, which you can get for $22.99 / £17.49 (2,500 V-Bucks, plus 300 for free).

If you don't want to spend any money, you can always try to get free Fortnite V-Bucks for the Fortnite Season 3 Battle Pass, but don't fall for online scams! If you choose to save up some V-Bucks, remember that you only need to collect 950 of them to unlock the next Fortnite Battle Pass starting in May 2024.

And that's all we know about Fortnite Season 3 in Chapter 5 for now, but keep checking back and we'll have all of the details as soon as they're revealed!

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Iain originally joined Future in 2012 to write guides for CVG, PSM3, and Xbox World, before moving on to join GamesRadar in 2013 as Guides Editor. His words have also appeared in OPM, OXM, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, and SFX. He is better known to many as ‘Mr Trophy’, due to his slightly unhealthy obsession with amassing intangible PlayStation silverware, and he now has over 500 Platinum pots weighing down the shelves of his virtual award cabinet. He does not care for Xbox Achievements.

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