Lifelong boaties Les and Karen Scanlon were on the hunt for a compact cruiser, with the idea of bobbing about on Moreton Bay, just at their doorstep. But a dearth of small boats on the market, thanks to a pandemic-fuelled boating boom, prompted them to charter – an experience that motivated the couple to buy an Aquila 44 power catamaran they’ve called Pearl. Based in Brisbane, they’re now counting the days until they drive north, first to Yeppoon to see their sons Mitchell and Christopher, then on to Airlie Beach to spend Christmas as a family aboard Pearl.
Self-described 10-pound Pom Les and his wife Karen have been married for over three decades. They bonded over boating and water-skiing on the Coomera River, though Les has been on boats since he was a teenager. In 1989, he designed and built a houseboat. Karen recounts, “When the houseboat was finished, it was moored at Hope Island, and Les lived on it for a year before we were married. We’d go boating and spend time on South Stradbroke Island.”
