When Martin Lyall from SMART Boating told Nicola and Cathy from his digital marketing team that the Aquila 36 could get to the Sydney Fish Markets in under 20 minutes they decided they really had to road test the Aquila out for themselves.
And what better way than do it than by taking their family and friends for a quick trip on the Aquila to the Sydney Fish Markets, with a swim at Manly thrown in, and a delicious lunch to boot?
Here’s how their morning went.
Walk on walk off service
We arrived at Clontarf Marina on Monday morning at 10.30am and we simply walked onto the boat with the bare essentials.
Swimmers – check
Sunnies and hat – check
Champagne and nibbles – check
iPhone, GoPro and camera – check
And that’s about it, because the Aquila 36, like all of the SMART Boating fleet…
…comes fully cleaned and equipped with absolutely everything you need for your day out, including all the glasses, crockery and eating utensils. So, within just a few minutes we were all sitting back in comfort, with a glass of something cold and bubbly in our hand and ready for our trip to the Sydney Fish Markets.
Stylish, speedy, stable and spacious
As soon as we were out on the open water we realised just how quickly two 300 HP outboard engines can get such a spacious boat like the Aquila up to a speed of 36 knots. And the Aquila certainly is spacious. There were ten of us on board the Aquila 36 Boat share that day, but there is actually plenty of room for up to 20 guests.
We all sat back to relax and enjoy the ride on the versatile deck area, spreading out over two enormous sun loungers in the forward cockpit seating area (that convert from wide lounges), as well as the third double sunbed which was converted from the aft seating area.
But the real surprise of the day was how incredibly stable the Aquila is with its wide stance and twin sponsons. Even though we passed several very large boats and ferries on our way to the Fish Markets, we barely noticed the wake.
We also had no idea just how much attention the Aquila would attract. The super stylish Aquila really is a show stopper of a boat … in fact, SMART Boating’s Aquila is the only one of its kind in Australia.
See Sydney Harbour like never before
The speed and location of the Aquila 36 really let us play tourist in our own backyard…
…even with just a couple of hours to spare we were at the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Darling Harbour within a matter of minutes.
It was just amazing to be able to see all these sights firsthand without sitting in a traffic jam, getting stuck at the Spit Bridge, or trying to find a park in the city.
And before we knew it we were at the Sydney Fish Markets, enjoying a sensational seafood lunch in the fully equipped day galley with gas BBQ, taking in the sights of the harbour.
Not a bad way to start the working week!
So much to see and so much to do
A highlight of our trip for the boys on board was heading into Manly and enjoying a swim off the back of the boat.
The large swim deck and electronic swim ladder with automatic grab rail made it super easy to climb back on board, even with a group of them diving in and out of the water.
We also all checked out the two identically sized double en suite cabins below deck, each double berth with memory foam mattress and expansive hull side windows that let in plenty of light.
The cabins also had plenty of storage and lighting and it was incredibly tempting to stay on board overnight, but, alas, we all had to get back to work and school.
So can you really get from Clontarf to the Sydney Fish Markets in under 20 minutes?
We’re happy to report that on the sensational Aquila 36 … yes, you can!
The Aquila really let us maximise our limited leisure time, so even though we only had two hours to spare, we managed to fit so much in that we felt like we’d actually had a long weekend.
And the best part of our morning out on the Aquila? When we returned to Clontarf we simply walked right off with nothing to do.
Now that really is SMART Boating!
