Cockwells has sold two Duchy 27s and two Duchy 35s after BOATS2020 was cancelled on the eve of opening, by moving its show boats to the River Hamble and honouring every booked appointment.
Boat shows rarely make news by not happening. This one did. BOATS2020, the reworked version of this year’s Southampton Boat Show that had been reshaped around Coronavirus safety measures, was called off by Southampton City Council the evening before it was due to open, with the rising Covid-19 risk given as the reason. Cockwells, the Cornish builder of the Duchy Motor Launches we represent in Australia and New Zealand, heard about it the way plenty of exhibitors did: a colleague back at the yard saw the announcement on social media while the Southampton team was sitting down to dinner.
By then the hard work was done. The yard had brought the Duchy 27 and Duchy 35 it planned to exhibit across from their usual berths at Universal Marina, up the River Hamble, and its people had spent two full days on the pontoons getting both boats ready for visitors. Nothing official had come through from the organisers at that point, which left a choice: pack up and drive home to Cornwall, or find another way to see the buyers who had already booked time aboard.
Plan B on the Hamble
Julian Weatherill, Cockwells’ Sales Manager, who came to the company through the Hardy Marine acquisition, describes a fast change of plan. Universal Marina agreed to take the two launches back onto their home moorings and let Cockwells keep every appointment already in the diary, on the understanding that numbers would be kept small and the marina’s Covid-19 rules followed to the letter, for the sake of its staff and berth holders. The next morning, as soon as the BOATS2020 crew had lifted the pontoon bridges, a stream of boats made its way down Southampton Water, most of them turning into the Hamble. Both Duchys were among them.
By midday, we were ready to welcome pre-booked potential customers on board our award-winning Duchy Motor Launches, in a beautiful, Covid-secure setting without the customary crowds.
Julian Weatherill, Sales Manager, Cockwells
What a cancelled show produced
Passing trade is the thing a show gives you that a marina cannot, and Cockwells does not pretend otherwise. What it held onto was the serious end of the list. The results, as the yard reports them:
- a Duchy 27 and a Duchy 35 sold from the pontoon at Universal Marina;
- a Hardy 42 sold through Cockwells’ brokerage arm;
- four sea trials booked because the team stayed on near Southampton rather than heading home, two of which have since turned into a further Duchy 27 and a further Duchy 35.
Four Duchy orders and a brokerage sale from a show that never opened its gates is a better outcome than many exhibitors manage at shows that do. It also says something about how a Duchy sells. These are considered purchases. The people who book a slot to step aboard a 27 or a 35 have usually done their homework, and a quiet pontoon with no queue behind them suits that conversation far better than a crowded show berth.
These sales demonstrate that the Company continues to achieve sustained growth even in challenging circumstances. We will need more skilled boat builders and additional facilities as we look towards the future.
Dave Cockwell, Founder and Managing Director, Cockwells
Hardy now sits under the Cockwells roof
One detail in the yard’s account matters for readers here. Julian Weatherill joined Cockwells as part of its takeover of Hardy Marine, and the Hardy 42 that changed hands on the Hamble went through the Cockwells brokerage desk. For Australian and New Zealand owners that means the Duchy and Hardy Motor Yachts ranges we represent now sit under the one ownership in Cornwall.
What it means for buyers in Australia and New Zealand
Few Australian buyers were ever going to be standing on a Hamble pontoon this year. The useful lesson from Southampton is that a Duchy sells perfectly well by appointment: boat, buyer and broker, with time to talk. That is how we work in Sydney. Davis Marine Brokerage is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand dealer for Duchy Motor Launches, Hardy Motor Yachts and Cockwells SuperYacht Tenders. We import Duchy launches, handle delivery and commissioning on Sydney Harbour, and take build enquiries from our base at Fergusons Marina, The Spit, in Mosman.
If the Hardy 42 brokerage sale caught your eye, the same applies to pre-owned boats here: we list them on our boats for sale page and can market your current boat when it is time to move up. To talk about a Duchy 27 or Duchy 35 build slot, send an enquiry or call Sam Davis on 0408 864 111. The yard’s own account of its Southampton week is on the Cockwells website.
Frequently asked questions
Was the Southampton Boat Show cancelled in 2020?
Yes. The 2020 event was reworked as BOATS2020 to meet Covid-19 safety requirements, and Southampton City Council then cancelled that replacement show the night before it was due to open. Cockwells had already moved both of its launches, a Duchy 27 and a Duchy 35, to the show and put two days into preparing them for visitors.
How many Duchy launches did Cockwells sell after the cancellation?
Four in total. A Duchy 27 and a Duchy 35 were sold at Universal Marina, up the Hamble, where the boats were shown by appointment after the show was called off. Four sea trials arranged during the same period produced two more sales, another Duchy 27 and another Duchy 35. A Hardy 42 was also sold on brokerage.
Who sells Duchy launches in Australia and New Zealand?
Davis Marine Brokerage is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand dealer for Duchy Motor Launches, Hardy Motor Yachts and Cockwells SuperYacht Tenders. The company is based at Fergusons Marina, The Spit, Mosman, on Sydney Harbour, and handles the import, delivery and commissioning of Duchy launches in Sydney. Call Sam Davis on 0408 864 111.
Does Cockwells now own Hardy?
Yes. Cockwells has acquired Hardy Marine, and its Sales Manager Julian Weatherill joined the company as part of that acquisition. Davis Marine Brokerage is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand dealer for both Duchy Motor Launches and Hardy Motor Yachts, so enquiries about either range in this part of the world come to us.
Davis Marine Brokerage is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand dealer for Duchy Motor Launches, Hardy Motor Yachts and Cockwells SuperYacht Tenders. To talk about a new build, a demonstration on Sydney Harbour or a pre-owned Duchy, call Sam Davis on 0408 864 111 or send an enquiry.
About the author
Sam Davis is the Director and Lead Broker at Davis Marine Brokerage, Fergusons Marina, Mosman. Brokering on Sydney Harbour for over a decade, he is a NSW State Councillor of the Boating Industry Association and the Australian and New Zealand dealer for Duchy, Hardy and Cockwells SuperYacht Tenders.
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