The Boat You Don’t Say No To

Delivery, Great Barrier Reef, Swan, Yacht

Front view of Swan 82 yacht Crackerjack V sailing toward the camera during Airlie Beach Race Week.

Crackerjack V

A Dock Chat, a Swan 82, and the Best Seat in the Whitsundays

Crackerjack V isn’t a boat you say no to. An 82-foot Swan, drawn by German Frers and finished out below by Lazzarini Pickering, she’s a genuinely different scale of yacht to anything else at Airlie that week — five ensuite cabins, a crew of around twenty when she’s racing, and a fresh refit behind her after her Tasmanian owners brought her home from Hong Kong. Getting the chance to spend a day aboard her, rather than just admiring her from the dock, wasn’t something to turn down.

The run from Airlie Beach to Hamilton Island is short as deliveries go, but it’s a proper introduction to a boat of this size — threading out through the Whitsundays’ islands and passages rather than the open ocean legs Crackerjack V is really built for. Under Damien’s watch I was given the opportunity to helm her for most of the delivery, allowing me the opportunity to appreciate what an 82 footer feels like.

Shaun McKenna at the helm of Swan 82 yacht Crackerjack V sailing from Airlie Beach to Hamilton Island.
Wide low-angle shot from the dock looking up at the hull and massive mast of Swan 82 yacht Crackerjack V.
View looking forward from the stern of Swan 82 yacht Crackerjack V sailing through the Whitsunday Islands toward Hamilton Island.

Watching Hamilton Island come up ahead, with Crackerjack V readying for her own campaign at Race Week, was a good reminder of why turning up to regattas and saying yes to conversations on the dock pays off. A week that started on Salt ended with a day on one of the most striking yachts on the east coast — and an invitation I wouldn’t have had without a bit of luck and a friendly presentation-night chat.

Bowman Shaun McKenna selfie from the starboard quarter of Swan 82 Crackerjack V looking forward along the deck and twin helm wheels.
Main living area and saloon interior of Swan 82 yacht Crackerjack V designed by Lazzarini Pickering.

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