Ten Duchys (four 35s and six 27s) and eight Hardys cruised from Buckler’s Hard to Itchenor and Yarmouth for the 2024 Cockwells Owners’ Rally, with Dave Cockwell aboard the brokerage Duchy 35 ‘Orinoco’.
Each northern summer Cockwells invites the people who own its boats to spend a weekend cruising in company, and the 2024 rally has just finished: three days on the Solent from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 June. Ten of the boats that turned out were Duchys, which is the number I notice as the dealer for the range in Australia and New Zealand. A show berth tells you what a boat looks like; a rally tells you how owners actually use one.
The fleet
- Six Duchy 27s
- Four Duchy 35s
- Eight Hardy motor yachts from about 7.6 to 19 metres (25 to 62 feet); the Hardy 42 Hybrid was there, as was the new Hardy 50DS, and both were built by Cockwells
- Raymariner, Raymarine UK’s own Hardy 42, which the electronics company uses as a test and demonstration platform
Three harbours in three days
Friday: Buckler’s Hard
The weekend opened at Buckler’s Hard, up the Beaulieu River, with champagne on the pontoons in the sunshine, then a three-course dinner at the Master Builder’s House, with Haven Knox Johnston Specialist as the main event sponsor. Every guest received a Cockwells tote bag stuffed with gifts: a commemorative plaque, a Duchy or Hardy cap and some Tarquin’s Cornish gin among them. The evening raised money too: Cockwells and the participants handed the Children’s Sailing Trust a cheque for £1,575, and further gifts on the night took the total to £2,300. It is the second year running the company has backed this Cornish charity, which gets young people onto the water through accessible sailing and watersports.
Saturday: Beaulieu to Chichester Harbour
After an unhurried, sunny start the fleet left the Beaulieu River behind and headed into the Solent, where a drone caught the boats in formation. They reached Chichester Harbour early in the afternoon having shown, in Cockwells’ words, the seakeeping and relaxed handling the boats are known for. Nanni sponsored the waterside drinks on arrival, and dinner was at Itchenor Sailing Club.
Sunday: Yarmouth, by way of the Needles
The weather held for the last day. Some boats stopped at Newtown Creek for a swim, others ran out to the Needles before turning back for Yarmouth. Raymarine UK supported the closing reception, which paired a Raymarine pale ale with a Tarquin’s gin bar, and the closing dinner, at Royal Solent Yacht Club, looked straight out over the water. Yanmar Marine backed the awards that followed: Concours d’Elegance, Best Dressed Boat, Best Mascot and Furthest Travelled among them.
Orinoco: the boat Dave Cockwell chose
Dave Cockwell joined the fleet aboard ‘Orinoco’, a custom Duchy 35 that is on the market through the Cockwells brokerage. She carries a high specification: timber finishes, a pair of Nanni T8V350 engines for smooth, easy cruising, and a full Raymarine navigation and electronics fit. When the founder of the company picks a brokerage boat to cruise on at his own rally, that is a recommendation of sorts. If you have not been aboard a 35, Aquaholic’s walkthrough of the Duchy 35 gives a sense of the layout.
It was our pleasure to welcome so many clients and guests, old and new, on this year’s Owners’ Rally.
Dave Cockwell, Owner and Founder, Cockwells
He also thanked the harbour and hospitality teams at the three stops, the photographer, Richard Langdon (Ocean Images Photography), and the sponsors, and said the forward order book is strong and the company plans to expand.
What a Solent rally tells a buyer in Sydney
The Solent is tidal, crowded and often lumpy, and a weekend of Beaulieu to Chichester to Yarmouth with a swim stop on the way is a fair picture of what a Duchy 27 or 35 does between Sydney Harbour, Pittwater and the Hawkesbury. Four 35s and six 27s cruising together is also a reminder that these are owners’ boats, used and kept, not showpieces. Davis Marine Brokerage is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand dealer for Duchy Motor Launches and for Hardy; we import the boats and handle delivery and commissioning in Sydney, and the first Duchy 35 for Australia arrived in Sydney last year. If you would like to see how a 35 handles on the Harbour, contact us for a demonstration, and if you already own a Duchy or Hardy here and would like it looked after between outings, our vessel management team can do that.
Cockwells’ full account and gallery are on cockwells.co.uk.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Cockwells Owners’ Rally?
It is an annual weekend cruise in company organised by Cockwells for owners of its Duchy launches and Hardy yachts. The 2024 edition ran from 21 to 23 June on the Solent, calling at Buckler’s Hard, Itchenor in Chichester Harbour and Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, with receptions, dinners and an awards night along the way.
How many Duchy motor launches took part in the 2024 rally?
Ten: four Duchy 35s and six Duchy 27s. They cruised alongside eight Hardy motor yachts from roughly 7.6 to 19 metres (25 to 62 feet), among them a Hardy 42 Hybrid and Cockwells’ new Hardy 50DS, plus Raymarine UK’s Hardy 42, Raymariner, used as a test and demonstration boat.
Is the Duchy 35 ‘Orinoco’ for sale?
At the time of the rally, yes. Orinoco is a custom, highly specified Duchy 35 listed with the Cockwells brokerage, fitted with timber finishes, two Nanni T8V350 engines and a full Raymarine electronics and navigation fit. Dave Cockwell was aboard her with the fleet. Australian and New Zealand enquiries about new or pre-owned Duchys come through Davis Marine Brokerage.
Which charity did the 2024 rally support?
The Children’s Sailing Trust, a Cornish charity that provides accessible sailing and watersports for young people. Cockwells and the rally participants presented a cheque for £1,575 on the Friday night, and additional donations from guests lifted the total to £2,300. Cockwells has now backed the charity two years running.
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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