Category talk:C-Class Australia articles
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The following is an update by Robert Goldsack, an employee of Captain Cook Cruises, Australia. Having written the 25th anniversary, Silver Jubilee illustrated book, in 1995. It was thought he should attempt to update the company history with more photos, ship owner details and new information. If agreed it should replace what is already recorded and written for Wikipedia. I would like the article to be edited and formatted by Onel5969. The article will be finished before Christmas when the photos and references will be added. There is now an updated time on finishing the article of late January 2018, when photos and extra information about the ships will be added.
The company was founded in 1970 by Trevor and Geraldine Haworth. The first cruise was on Australia Day, 26th January 1970. The vessel that the Haworths had chartered to carry out this cruise, was an ex Austrailan Royal Navy Fairmile 1, which they named Captain Cook, in honour of the world famous British seaman, James Cook, who discovered and charted the Eastern Seaboard of Australia, in 1770
The cruise concept, known as the "Coffee Cruise," was to show all tourist and domestic visitors to Sydney the most beautiful harbour. The cruise added a live commentary pointing out important landmarks and points of historical interest. The cruise also included coffee, tea and biscuits. The cruise began at Circular Quay, went East passing the southern shores of the Harbour, before crossing Sydney Heads and passing under the Spit Bridge into Middle Harbour. It then returned to Circular Quay along the North shore. At first the cruise departed two mornings and two afternoons each week before becoming a 7 day operation both mornings and afternoons. In 1971 an additional cruise was introduced, The Lunch Cruise, taking visitors up the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, west of Circular Quay.
The business had tough beginnings as tourism in Australia was a very fledgling industry, but by 1974 the company had made enough impression on the market to allow for a new vessel, Captain Cook 11 to be built in the shipbuilding city of Newcastle, NSW.
There followed an upsurge in tourism to Australia and Sydney and Captain Cook Cruises benefited from this. Over the next 10 years the company expanded their cruising fleet by an additional two ships, Lady Geraldine, an all timber ship built in Brisbane and City of Sydney, built in New Zealand. These additions allowed the company to start operating a dinner cruise, the first of its kind on the Harbour, an address the growth of parties, weddings and other events that organizers now saw as a premier way to promote pride in their own city. During this period the company also purchased, Corsair, a 30 seater vessel which allowed for those wishing to have a smaller vessel for their parties enjoy he Harbour setting.
In 1984 the company purchased a vessel, John Cadman 1, that was enjoying some success as an a la carte cruising restaurant and had targeted the Japanese market which was now flying into Sydney in large group numbers. This business grew six fold during the middle eighties which allowed the company to build another cruise ship, John Cadman 11 in 1986, in Newcastle and in 1989 a second restaurant ship, John Cadman 111 also in Newcastle. Both theses ships are still operating on the Harbour, having both been refurbished to a 21st century market.
Trevor Haworth, himself an old sea Captain, had a great desire to fulfill his dream of building an accommodation cruiser. Seeing the Hawkesbury River, a beautiful river with its estuary about 40 miles north of Sydney Harbour, as a great way to introduce visitors to the inland areas beyond Sydney. He joined up with the New South Wales State Government who built the necessary infrastructure on the Hawkesbury River, while Captain Cook constructed an 120 person vessel capable of sleeping on board in 60 cabins. It was named the Lady Hawkesbury and was again built in Newcastle. It was 1987.
Still wishing to expand his accommodation ships, Captain Cook Cruises, bought the Murray River Cruises ships in 1989, these comprised of three vessels, Murray River Explore, Murray River Queen and their flagship, Murray Princess. At first all ships were kept on the Murray River but the Queen was sold and the Murray Explore was sent to the Hawkesbury to replace the Lady Hawkesbury, which was now cruising the Barrier Reef.
Captain Cook, in developing Fiji, was able to send some of their ships over there to cruise the coasts and resorts around the various islands. Lady Geraldine, City of Sydney and Reef Escape, and, of course their first ship, Captain Cook 1, the Fairmile, all finished their cruising life there.
In 1990 more construction of new ships got underway with the Captain Cook 111 built in Freemantle, West Australia and a joint venture contract with Qantas to build a large accommodation vessel for cruising the Great Barrier Reef. The Fiji shipyard, which had been contracted to build the ship had trouble finishing inside the 18 months predicted, owing to industrial and management disputes, so it was decided to move the Lady Hawkesbury to the Barrier Reef. Renamed the, MV Reef Escape the ship stood in for the new Reef Endeavour being constructed in Fiji. After 5 years of delays and some hearings in the Law Courts of New South Wale, the ship was delivered to Cairns on the Barrier Reef and the Reef Escape was transferred to Fiji.
!994 was a troubled time for the company as their main base for mooring and repairing their fleet in Neutral Bay burnt down. No vessels were involved but it took 10 years for the company to have approval to rebuild in a largely residential area. The company also took on the management of Sydney Crystal, a vessel built by the largest travel company in Japan: Japan Travel Bureau.
In 1998, with the Sydney Olympics looming, the company decided to build a new restaurant and cruising ship, Sydney 2000. Built in Western Australia at, Oceanfast its length was 63 metres. This restaurant ship can seat 700 guests on three decks and has become, without doubt, the most important ship to exist on the Harbour.
Continuing on the expansion of the company, Matilda Cruises was bought from Amalgamated Cruises in, November 2005 making the fleet number on Sydney Harbour, 19 ships.
This number and the ageing of Trevor and Geraldine made Captain Cook Cruise ripe for a progressive and like minded company to look into purchasing the business. Along came a South Australian Travel Company, Sealink Travel Group with a desire to broaden the company's business base. This has been a perfect marriage for the two companies. In the first three years of ownership , Sealink has invested $10,000,000.00 in new vessels with the design and construction of the Elizabeth Class, Rockets. This investment has improved the company's attractiveness and successful tenders for three wet charters with Harbour City Ferries which has improved the ferry service revenue. Also the necessary refurbishment of Sydney 2000 and John Cadman 11 has been completed, again with 21st century skills.
Another successful operation has been the mobile ferry wharf, Beatrice Bush, which resides at the White Bay ship terminal, and ferry services between there and Barangaroo allow passengers going aboard the cruise ships a chance to purchase cheap tickets for ferrying, having disembarked from a train at Wynard Station and used the Wynyard Walkway to get to Barrangaroo and thus to the ship. Until now there was no way of getting to White Bay except by a hire coach, taxi or hire call or friends courtesy.
In October 2013 Sealink listed their entire business operation on the ASX. This, of course, included Captain Cook Cruises.
Building up their ferry operations in the last 2 years, Sealink have started ferry services between Watsons Bay and Circular Quay. To add to their ferry services a new 12m single operator class, The Tubbys, Blackwattle Bay and Cockle Bay were launced. Also, a fast ferry commuter service between Manly and Barangaroo, started in September 2017, with two newly built high speed ferries, Capricornian Sunrise and Nancy Wake.
Since the takeover in 2011 and today, Sealinks' revenue has grown 30%. Also, Captain Cook's new logo has been launched and the company's vessels rebranded. — Preceeding unsigned comment added by Robert at Captain Cook (talk • contribs) 06:13, 23 November 2017 (UTC)
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