Cruising Helmsman – June 2017

ON the last day of February,
Buizen Yachts founder Eddie
Buizen passed away.
His Buizen Yachts are
considered among the most
desirable and capable cruising
yachts within the Australian
cruising yacht fraternity. Eddie
Buizen had a passion focussed
on the design and building of
cruising yachts engineered to
meet the demands of transocean
passage making while cocooning
owners in high quality joinery
and luxury interiors.
At the time of Eddie’s
retirement in 2005, he had
built 80 semi-custom cruising
yachts for satisfied owners
with many becoming friends.
Eddie Buizen, emigrated
from Holland to
Australia as a 20
year old in 1953 and
quickly established
himself as a quality
builder of homes and
commercial buildings
in the 1960s. Eddie’s
keen joinery and cabinet
making skills combined
with his passion for
marine led him to create

the joinery company Boat

Interiors and then Mastercraft

Marine in the Sydney suburb of

Terrey Hills in the 1970s.

It was not long before Bill

Barry Cotter engaged Eddie to

produce the timber fitout kits

for his range of Mariner and

Riviera cruisers. Soon after,

many of Australia’s established

yacht builders including

Cavalier and North Shore

Yachts enlisted Eddie’s timber

kit services too, however Eddie

was quietly developing plans

for his own sailing yacht.

Eddie’s vision was to create

a cruising sailing yacht with

proper accommodation and

single level access while

maintaining visual contact

with the outside from within

the main saloon. A design

which came to be known as

the pilothouse or deck saloon

design. Joe Adams was enlisted

to design the hull and the

Zeston 40 was born, soon to be

followed by the Zeston 36.

The factory was soon

reaching its capacity as orders

built quickly. Eddie soon began

to conceive of a larger more

luxurious yacht and began

penning the lines of the yacht

that became the Buizen 48.

The first Hull 1 of the 48 was

launched in 1992. The Buizen

40 followed in 1996.

Eddie retired from his

business in 2005. ≈

BEST OF THE WEB 9

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CruisingHelmsman

Fair winds to Eddie Buizen

TEN years after John and Lyn
Martin took over the Island
Cruising Association the part
time project has turned into
a full time occupation and
excellent life.
The day to day operations
of the New Zealand arm of
the ICA will now be handled
by Nigel, Amanda and eleven
year old Ella Richards.
The Martins' will be
concentrating on expanding
other areas of ICA: building
up its Australian operations
and expanding the cruising

guides of the Sail South

Pacific series.

The Richards are a full time

liveaboard family are looking

to ensure not only the current

needs of the New Zealand ICA

members but also to encourage

the participation of more

families with children to get out

there and live their dreams.

Nigel has a lifetime of sailing

experience growing up in the

South of England messing

about in boats, with his father

being a master boatbuilder. He

has over 5000 nautical miles of

bluewater experience. Having

just retired as a fire officer with

over 30 years service both in

the UK and NZ, he is keen to

give the ICA his full attention.

Amanda was introduced to

boats when she met Nigel 20

years ago! Together they own a

steel Bruce Roberts 53, Va re k a i.

In 2016 the family participated

in the ICA Doyle Pacific

Rally, which encompassed

Western Fiji, Vanuatu and New

Caledonia; loving the whole

ethos of cruising and the ICA.

http://www.islandcruising.co.nz ≈ ABOVE: Amanda and Nigel Richards.

Richards family joins ICA NZ

Vale Eddie Buizen