Customer Testimonials

After spending five years sailing around this beautiful world in a custom built 45ft sloop designed by a New Zealander named Bakewell White, and then downsizing to a more family user Seawind 38ft Catamaran, my wife and I decided to hang up our sailing adventures. This decision was due to the lack of time we were spending on the water.

However, having missed being on the water for a while we decided to buy a stink boat. She is a beautifully built craft a 44ft Griffen Cruiser. After a short while my wife and I came to a joint decision that we really missed the sailing aspects of just sailing around in a sail boat.

After looking around at smaller boats on the market we were introduced to Bluewater Cruising Yachts based in Cardiff, NSW. We liked what we saw on their website and decided to fly over from WA, and inspect their latest creation, the Cygnet 20.

We met both David and Corinne who showed us around and explained the process in producing this compact and stylish gaff rigged yacht. We met the designer, Will Hardcastle, and were impressed by the quality and workmanship of the yacht.

David had arranged a test sail for us and unfortunately the weather could not have been worse. We could not cancel as we only had that time slot before flying back to Perth. Undaunted by the strong winds David slipped the Cygnet into the water and off we went. Naturally we were reefed down to just the main, and I was immediately impressed by the stability and pointing ability of this vessel. In my humble opinion it was possibly the best way to see how she would perform, and handle the strong winds and sea state. She came through with flying colours.

The next day we placed an order and now we have our beautiful “GiGi “resting on its trailer at Quindalup on Geographe Bay, WA. We decided to have her antifouled as we leave her on our mooring in the Bay where she shows off her beautiful lines.

As for the sailing she is all you could ask for: fast, stiff and easy to handle. The reefing points are easy to handle and just great for me to teach our grandchildren the art of sailing.

I have enjoyed dealing both with David and Corinne who have been most helpful, and share a deep love of sailing. David flew over to WA and stayed with us to sort out a couple of minor problems which confirms Bluewater's after sales service is Australia wide.

In conclusion I would not hesitate to recommend the Cygnet 20 for the sailing enthusiasts.

- Paul & Diane Hayter

Having been looking into the possibility of a Trailer Sailer for some years it appeared that the options were many on the used market while not a lot on offer new.

Nothing against the older boats - most were honest, well built craft testified to by the fact that they’re still around some 30 to 40 years later and commanding reasonably high prices. However there has been significant technological and safety improvements since the mid ’70’s.

When we became aware of the Cygnet 20 (Cruising Helmsman magazine article) it seemed to offer the combination of high build quality, good sailing performance, ease of use and realistic cost.

An unannounced visit to the factory confirmed that impression and introduced us to the enthusiastic and proficient team at Blue Water Cruising Yachts. A second visit during construction of our boat including a sail out on Lake Macquarie in 30+ knot winds in Davids boat ratified the Cygnet’s capabilities.

Having had our Cygnet now for a few months (and learned the ropes!) we’ve been impressed by the very high standard of build throughout as well as the sailing performance and general user friendliness of the whole package.

Being able to deal directly with the owner of BWCY, meet the builders as well as the designer was a real bonus for us not possible with the available imported production yachts.

Would definitely recommend the Cygnet 20 to anyone interested in a modern, high performance take on a timeless classic craft.

- Brett Webster

About a year ago I started looking for a sailing boat which I could sail on Moreton Bay, Qld which met the following requirements.

1. 20-25 feet LOA
2. Stable and forgiving 
3. Could be sailed single-handed
4. Simple to maintain (no electrical system, inboard engine, etc.)

I wanted to keep the boat in the water but couldn't find anything until I realised that the boat I was looking for was probably in the 'trailer sailer' category. That's when I found the Cygnet 20.

In January 2019, I went to the BWCY factory in Newcastle where I spent two days with David and his boat builders, Kevin, Joe and James. I was able to sail the Cygnet with David on Lake Macquarie, and placed an order before returning to Brisbane. The Cygnet was a lovely boat to sail, built to a very high standard and perfect for my requirements!

I returned to BWCY in May and was present for the final completion of my Cygnet 20 including a test sail on Lake Macquarie. David and his team were able to solve a number of particular issues, including attachment of the electric outboard motor adjusted for the particular propeller depth specified by the manufacturer. No bracket on the transom!

Delivery to Brisbane went without a hitch and David sailed the Cygnet with me for two days going over various details of the boat as we enjoyed ourselves on Moreton Bay. David's passion and attention to detail and quality were very evident. It was also lovely to meet the Bradburn family as well and see the support given by Corinne, Will and Jessie Rose. BWCY is very much a family business!

Since delivery last week, I have sailed the Cygnet as much as possible with my brother in law as we have fitted 2 months of 'weekend' sailing into 2 weeks. From no wind to over 15 knots the Cygnet handled very nicely. This boat is fun to sail! I really enjoy the gaff rig and the 280 litres of water ballast is a great innovation which assists stability without sacrificing performance.

I am very happy to have found the Cygnet 20 which has met all the requirements that I was looking for in a sailing boat.

Well done to the BWCY team!

- Michael Shannon

Kerry and I have been sailing around South Australian waters for over 30 years. We had always planned to cruise further afield when the time was right. Kerry said if we are going to do it we will need to purchase a more suitable yacht. We put our 34ft steel yacht on the market and before Iong it was sold.

As we no longer had a yacht our friends invited us to join them on their Tayana 42ft centre cockpit for a four day cruise to Kangaroo Island. We were impressed with the ease that she handled the 35kt winds and sloppy seas that were not forecast. We then knew that we needed a yacht of similar size and displacement with a cruising fin, and skeg hung rudder but with a more modern layout and no teak decks.

After searching the web for 2 years my son recommended that I look at a Bluewater 420 Centre Cockpit that was back on the market. I contacted David Bradburn and we spoke for a long time about the construction methods used by Bluewater Cruising Yachts. Having the ability to speak to David with his knowledge of the yachts history convinced me that an inspection was warranted.

My son and I were most impressed by the construction and the ability to access everything that may need to be serviced or replaced. The staunchions and lifelines are rock solid, and all the stainless work is still highly polished after 20 years. Kerry was most impressed by the huge aft cabin with a queen sized bed and generous storage. The well laid out galley with plenty of bench space and storage. The head being located amidships at the bottom of the companion way was another desirable feature.

We have now owned Footloose II for six months and so far she has exceeded our expectations in her ease of handling and performance in both light and moderate winds. We are confident that she will take us wherever we decide to venture in both safety and comfort.

- Bob and Kerry Graham

My wife Margaret and I have been dreaming of our ultimate cruising boat for many years (or I have at any rate!).  We have both sailed dinghies since we were kids and more recently raced small keelboats on Sydney Harbour. 

We were looking for a cruising boat that sailed well, was easily managed by one or two people and could handle long distances in safety and comfort. 

The Bluewater 400 fitted the brief perfectly as an outstanding example of a high quality Australian designed and built long distance ocean going cruising boat. The Joe Adams designed hull with integral keel and skeg hung rudder is fast and very seaworthy and combined with the build quality from the Bluewater factory has created a good looking robust addition to our family. 

It was love at first sight when we first inspected Michael and Merle North’s beautiful Polaris 2 mid 2015. After 17 years and over 30,000 sea miles including a circumnavigation, Polaris was still in immaculate condition. Michael still had the hull cores from the original build (from installation of hull fittings etc) which showed the carefully laid layers of fiberglass and the generous reassuring thickness (some over 1’’ thick ). 

Margaret and I are only the second owner of Polaris 2 and we feel very privileged to own such a beautiful boat. We are planning to sail to Hamilton Island later this year and then to Melbourne and Tasmania later in the year in preparation for a circumnavigation of Australia and, hopefully, another go around (the world) over the next few years. 

David and Corrine Bradburn have been very helpful in introducing us to the wonderful Bluewater family of cruising boats and we recently enjoyed an Easter on Lake Macquarie with six other Bluewater yachts  who made us feel very welcome.