This catamaran, complete with helicopter, was a constant source of interest for the many people who stopped to have a look while it was tethered to the pontoon at Maclean last week. The owners, who were onboard, declined to talk too much, as they wanted to preserve their privacy, however, Ian spoke briefly with the Independent. He said they were “simple folk” from Canada, who went through customs on the Gold Coast, before heading south. He said they “didn’t like the busyness” of the Gold Coast, with all the jet skis and marine traffic. Ian said he and his partner were enjoying the relative peacefulness of the Lower Clarence, before heading south towards Sydney. He also confirmed that the rumoured owner of the boat, Kelly Slater, was just that: a rumour. An in-depth story about the boat, titled ‘Global Explorer’ was published in the November edition of Ocean magazine. The story’s preamble puts it this way: “Many of today’s explorer yacht concepts are huge vessels with dozens of crew. “But one passionate electrical engineer owner turned that idea on its head when he worked with Pachoud [Yachts New Zealand] to create what is arguably one of the most considered explorer yachts on the water.” For more details on the boat, go to: www.oceanmagazine.com.au/j/index.php/current-issue-70/1742-global-explorer