Driving his new $2million boat home to Wellington from Auckland didn't quite go to plan for John Morgan and his family.
Pleasure craft, Transition, is a 2007 Cheoy Lee 75 – that's 75ft long – and weighs 80 tonne.
The water was rough and the suspension fins were failing to lessen the impact.
The skipper decided it was too risky to continue, so changed course for the Tauranga Bridge Marina.
hey arrived at sunrise on February 7, after a turbulent 18-hour trip.
John's sister, Christine Morgan, says they couldn't have landed in a better spot.
'Everyone from Tauranga Bridge Marina have been incredible – nothing has been too much effort for them. We can't thank them enough.”
Manager Tony Arnold and the Tauranga Bridge Marina team continued to work with the Morgan's to find the right people to fix the suspension issue. The family were so impressed, they decided to have additional work done.
By the end of it, Marine Reflections, Vessel Works, Aqua Grit Blasting and Jeff Scott Electrical all benefitted from Transition's BOP holiday.
'The way the businesses coordinated together made it so easy for us. They all went above and beyond to help.
'You'd think we'd have to contact every place ourselves and travel up from Wellington. We haven't had to travel up once – and the only time we will do is when we take Transition home.”
The unexpected arrival brought welcomed business to Tauranga, especially in the initial weeks of COVID-19, Marine Reflections owner Aaron Layne says.
'With a situation like COVID-19, it's easy to assume businesses associated with leisure activities will be the first to go. So, it was reassuring to have jobs for bigger clients waiting for us after lockdown.”
Aaron remains confident that Tauranga boating businesses will survive the COVID-19 economic downturn, with developments, like Vessel Work's new travel lift that is NZ's largest, continuing to expand Tauranga's capabilities.
'About 20 per cent of Marine Reflection's work is coming from Auckland, and we have a growing reputation for great tradies. With America's Cup fans hopefully heading here next year, I think we'll be alright.”
Transition will be ready for a sea trial in coming weeks.