Based on the Brisbane River, Norman R Wright & Sons has a reputation for building premium quality motor yachts incorporating traditional timber boat building techniques with state-of-the-art processes, products and materials.

Aura was launched in March this year, and delivered to her owner in April. The boat is on the Gold Coast where the owner has already started fishing her.

The 60-foot flybridge sports fisher boat was designed by Norman R Wright & Sons' in-house team of naval architects Bill Wright, Adam Evripidou and Angus Cameron.

"Aura is completely designed in-house as we have been doing so since 1909. None of our boats are built in moulds, allowing for every aspect of the build to suit the custom requirements of the owners," Evripidou says.

Aura was five years in the making, with the Melbourne-based owner providing input to the builders every step of the way.

The brief from Aura's new owner was a 'go anywhere' serious sport fishing boat, and Norman R Wright & Sons were happy to oblige.

The only moulds used were made specifically for Aura, built for the hull, deck, deckhouse, flybridge and console.

Aura's structure was designed by ATL Composites, while the hull was designed in conjunction with Donald L. Blount and Associates in America.

Aura features a warped planning hull with deep tunnels below the waterline with substantial flare forward.

The boat has been constructed to be stable at speed and at rest when fishing, without sacrificing performance. This was achieved without the need for noisy hull bottom spray-rails or planing strakes.

The hull's monocoque construction provides strength and rigidity with minimal internal framing to maximise usable space.

The hull bottom is designed and constructed for 2g loading and is infused with epoxy resin and e-glass either side of a high density Divinycell structural foam core.

Topsides are also foam cored with the highly stressed and impact zones such as the chines, keel and stem all being solid GRP.

Aura's owner, a seasoned sports angler, specified a Seakeeper 16 to eliminate excessive roll and a transom shape that has large radiused corners designed to facilitate backing up hard on fish.

There is also a custom game tower teamed with 43-inch triple spreader with 15-inch centre spreader outriggers from Rupp Marine.

Inside, the saloon and other interiors feature stainless, leather and timber details with plenty of space to entertain.

An electric hopper window separates the saloon from the cockpit, where you will find a a live bait well and plenty of refrigeration.

Down below there are three cabins for overnight guests, with a fourth cabin dedicated to storing fishing gear.

Maritimo's international Racing Technologies Division new R30 XCAT performed strongly at the UIM XCAT World Championship in Shanghai. Maritimo Racing took out two of the three races in round two.

The new R30 was having only its second outing after a strong debut in Italy earlier this year.

"The team have worked tirelessly on developing the setup to improve performance since Italy, and we continue to find more pace with what was already a fast package out of the box," said driver Tom Barry-Cotter

"The new R30 advantages are seen in its handling and balance characteristics with the new design carrying noticeably higher cornering speeds to the rest of the competition in Shanghai."

Port Stephens will host the upcoming Australian 16ft Skiff & 13ft Skiff Championships from January 4, 2020.

The Australian 16ft Skiff Association is expecting a fleet of 60 16ft Skiffs and 15 13ft Skiffs to compete on neutral waters. Host club Port Stephens Sailing and Aquatic Club at Salamander Bay will host nine races with two drops, up from a seven-race series with one drop as in previous years.

Last year's national titles saw the veteran Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club crew of Dave O'Connor, Trent Barnabas and Rob Napper prevailed by a narrow margin over up-and-coming clubmates Felix Grech, Tom Potter and Paul Darmanin.

Also firmly in the hunt, finishing third overall, was 22-year-old skipper Henry Makin from Belmont 16-Footers.