Integrity owners, Bill and Sue Shannon enjoyed an extended sojourn along the east coast as their maiden voyage aboard their new Integrity 340 Sedan, named “Serene”.
The couple drove from their home in Cairns to Runaway Bay Marina on the Gold Coast to take delivery of Serene. They had previously only ever owned trailer boats, so the step up to a beautifully appointed motor yacht was exciting.
As Bill explains, “We had done our fair share of boating over the years around Mission Beach and Cairns in trailer boats and small sail boats in Pittwater in Sydney, but we are not experienced boaters. We only got our radio licence in the past 12 months.”
Serene was customised to suit their style and preference, with a different seating configuration at the helm for Bill and Sue, an extra fridge and various options such as screens and features on the swim platform.
“After handover, we stayed on board for a month, mastering the electronics, mounting our tender, installing a water maker and getting to know the boat ahead of the long journey back to Cairns.”
When they were confident, the set off in late March.
“Being new to offshore boating we travelled only during the day, in a series of day trips, 22 as it turned out, averaging about 100km or 55 nautical miles per day.
“We had an experienced friend, Michael, aboard for the first stages of the trip as a precaution against our inexperience, and he was very helpful and knowledgeable about local conditions in the unfamiliar waters, advising on suitable overnight anchorages. Our little Dachshund, Hayley was also onboard and was a trouper.
“We refuelled at five marinas to keep the tanks full, but at our speed we could literally have gone almost all the way on one tank! We averaged about 6 knots for fuel economy, with fuel consumption almost the same, at 6 litres per hour, the Volvo Penta diesel working at about 1750 rpm. We could have easily done 10 knots but the fuel consumption would have been disproportionally high.”
Serene performed perfectly and there were no incidents to report.
“As those familiar with the east coast will appreciate, March/April is not the ideal time to travel north. Wind speeds were consistently 20 to 30 knots per hour with seas 2 to 2.5 metres even once inside the Great Barrier Reef.”
The Shannons have nothing but praise for their lovely Serene. “The boat performed amazingly,” says Bill. “And we’re very grateful to Kevin and the team at Spectrum Marine for all their help. The entire buying experience was very positive.”
When they were researching options for their step up to a motor cruiser, Bill and Sue looked at four or five boats with the classic trawler design they were after.
“Integrity ticked most of the boxes for us, and Kevin and the team were very knowledgeable. They made the whole process smooth and easy.
“Heading north, we had our friend Michael with us, who knows the waters very well. We didn’t want to go flat out and just take a week, we wanted to do a series of day tips and experience it everything along the way.
“It rained off and on the whole time, then we struck some perfect days in the Whitsundays, so we slowed down and enjoyed it.”
Next on the itinerary is a trip to Cape York in October. “We don’t know how far we’ll get, but probably as far as Escape River or around there. We expect to be on board for two or three weeks. That’s why we have a watermaker on board so we won’t run out.”
As to why they named their Integrity “Serene” rather than “Serenity”, Bill says succinctly, “There were too many boats called Serenity. So, we called her Serene. The whole feeling on board is serene.”
