Boat Wraps Vanuatu Style With Ocean Blue Fishing
Fishwreck is known world wide for its unique style, world renown artists, personal service, quality materials and attention to detail on all of our boat wraps an apparel.
We regularly deal with international clients and on occasions requested by them to not only design and manufacture the wraps but to also install onsite outside of Australia.
Several months ago we were contacted by a company that has the reputation of being at the pinnacle of every sports fishing enthusiasts to do list including ours, Ocean Blue Fishing, Vanuatu.
After watching Ocean Blue Fishing on shows like “Mark Berg's Fishing Addiction”, “Big Angry Fish” and “Fishing with E.T.”, we could only have imagined having the opportunity to fish the pristine waters of Vanuatu with them. After being approached by them to wrap their entire fleet, we knew that this is one that we just had to do.
ARTWORK: The obvious choice was to use some of the magnificent artworks we have available depicting many of the Game fish species on offer in the fertile waters off Vanuatu. However it was decided to use simpler design elements that would compliment and not distract from the beautiful clean lines of the Edgewater boats whilst making a feature of their internationally recognisable Ocean Blue logo. For this we chose the “Insidious Camouflage” as the background, designed by our artist Nick Laferriere in a dark Blue. The camo created interest without taking anything away from the logo whilst the deep Blue would make the remanding predominately white exterior pop.
Our own Deep Blue Insidious Camo Background
The measurements we required for the hulls were emailed to us from the crew at Ocean Blue so we could create the print template. After artwork approval we immediately started the process of printing, laminating and packing the wraps into 2 large boxes to take with us to Vanuatu.
THE PLAN: Fly into Port Villa, Vanuatu on the Sunday afternoon, spend 5 days wrapping 3 x 32ft and 1 x 17ft American built EdgeWater boats (port, starboard and stern), slip a little fishing in somewhere and fly back to Australia by the next Sunday.
That's 4 boats in 5 days, a total of over 100 metres of wrap, installed by one person in a tropical location during their wet season in 30+ temperatures and near 100% humidity. Sounds near impossible but thanks to the organisational skills of the Ocean Blue crew this task was an absolute pleasure.
THE INSTALL: Wrapping boats in tropical conditions brings its own share of challenges but Ocean Blue had everything needed on hand to complete the job comfortably thanks to fishing guide extraordinaire and head of maintenance, Andrea Traverso.
Surface prep after years of UV exposure
Early morning glue removal with Junior
Can't let a little tropical downpour stop you
A good idea of the size of these boats
By day 4 there was still 2 x 32ft boats to go and only 2 days to complete. This is when I decided to give Donny and Alex a lesson in wrapping boats. These guys were naturals and picked up on the skills very quickly. Buy the 5th day all the boats were complete with the 3rd 32ft EdgeWater being almost entirely wrapped by Donny and Alex in approx. 4 hours, an amazing effort considering their experience.
Donny making sure I trim correctly
Donny and Alex working their magic
Looks like I'm out of a job, trimming & sealing
FISHING
AZZURRA wrapped and put to work
Having completed the wraps with over a day spare I decided to go for a half days fishing with JM or JC as I think I called him all trip, sorry JD :).
One very excited 11 year old
Within 30 minutes from the jetty we were popping for a myriad of species in over 200m of water. It wasn't long before Layden had landed his first Yellowfin Tuna with another coming on board soon after.
JM decided it was time to do some micro jigging and it proved to be a lot of fun with my 11 year old getting hat tricks on small Yellowfin. Before we knew it lunch was waiting back at the “Trees and Fishes Resort” and our half day had gone in a blink of an eye.
During the week of our stay many prized species had been landed by other guests. These included Yellowfin Tuna, GT's, immeasurable reef species, Wahoo, Mahi Mahi, Blue Marlin and the mighty Dogtooth Tuna.
Checkout the smiles on these diles
It is a must for any sports fisherman to experience fishing with Ocean Blue Fishing in Vanuatu. The variety of species on offer is mind blowing and with everything seeming to be on steroids, the crew at Ocean Blue are geared to everyone from the most experienced to the complete novice.
STAY IN COMFORT
TREES AND FISHES RESORT: When fishing with Ocean Blue, the “Trees and Fishes Resort” is the choice of accommodation. Situated right on the water with the Ocean Blue boats docked directly in front, it is a stunning sight to wake up to everyday.
Looking out from our front door
The lower pool
There are several different accommodation options to suit different budgets. The resort has 2 pools but with crystal clear water at your front door that has a thousand-and-one species of fish with snorkelling and paddling equipment supplied, I think you will spend the majority of your spare time exploring all this beauty.
Time to explore
Jeanine and Mia were amazing
Jeanine the host is something special and so is the entire staff (Lucy, Michael, Emma and Squid - a nickname we gave William, as well as all the other staff). The fact that I can remember their names speaks volumes, they are all fantastic and made us feel at home. The meals are 5 star and all served overlooking the beautiful Port Havannah in a very relaxed atmosphere.
Layden trying his luck
Nothing is too hard for these guys, watching my son pop for GT's from the jetty at the front of the resort was a proud moment but seeing the staff hop on the paddle boards to retrieve his popper whenever he snagged a rope was something special, all done with a huge smile. Of course I would have done it myself but I was busy with the boats :).
A great place for a meal and a brew
Evening meals were another highlight. Where you dine is completely your choice, fortunately for us everyone staying at the resort chose to dine together. It was fantastic to sit back and listen to all of the fishing tales from the days adventures while enjoying a 3 course meal washed down with a few of the local brews. We met some fantastic people and will keep in touch with them for sure.
Sunset over Port Havannah
CONCLUSION: It doesn't take a genius to workout that we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Trees and Fishes and the experience with Ocean Blue. They are both extremely professional and are at the top of their game in both sports fishing and hospitality with a common goal of making your experience the best it can be.
We are very grateful for the opportunity of wrapping these fine boats in one of the worlds best fishing destinations for a company considered to be at the pinnacle of their industry.
Thank you Ocean Blue, we will be back!.
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