Boating - My idea of a good time -

Combine good food, good company and a good boat and you have David Fincham’s idea of a good time.

According to Mr Fincham, some of his best memories have been sharing a meal with good friends onboard his Nordhavn 58 boat.

Mr Fincham said he’d been sailing since he was 13-years-old, starting at Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, competing in “around the buoys” racing and ocean racing.

While he’s owned other boats, he says his current boat, Speed Bird, was the best boat he’s owned.

The name Speed Bird has stuck with the 10-year-old boat since it’s original owner.

According to, Mr Fincham, the boat’s first owner was an American man who did a lot of business in London.

“He used to fly from New York to London on the Concorde and the radio call sign for the Concorde was Speed Bird. That’s where he got the name from,” Mr Fincham said.

“I liked the name so I decided to keep it.”

The 57-foot, 54 tonne boat has a total fuel capacity of 7500 litres, divided into four tanks.

“You get a bit of a shock when you take it down to the servo and say ‘fill it up’,” Mr Fincham said.

Mr Fincham said he usually filled the boat once a year. The boat normally cruises at about 9 knots, which uses around 28 litres of fuel per hour.

Mr Fincham said he had done about 2500 miles in the boat in the past two and a half years.

He travelled from Sydney to Melbourne in the vessel when he first purchased it, has cruised in Bass Straight, journeying to Flinders Island, Kind Island and Wilson’s Promontory and last year travelled to Tasmania.

He also enjoys spending time on the boat when it’s docked at Marina YE at Yarra’s Edge.

“My wife and I often come down here and we’re more than comfortable,” Mr Fincham said.

“We might go out for dinner or a show on a Friday night and then come down here and stay until Monday morning and just take it easy.”

Mr Fincham said Speedbird would probably be his last boat, but it’s also his best.

“It’s the best boat I’ve had for what I want to use a boat for.”