Beach Baby: Sharon Peaty’s Palm Beach 32 and Her Sydney Cruising Life

Sharon Peaty grew up on the water. Encouraged by her father, John Peaty—who describes himself as “always been a boatie”—she learned to sail as a child and later moved into powerboats, most recently enjoying a Sea Ray bowrider. When Sharon decided she wanted a larger, more capable cruiser to explore the waters around Sydney, Australia, she turned to her father for guidance.

John has steadily traded up over decades of boating, following the old joke that you need a foot of boat for every year of your life. He started with a 26-foot Caporn Cruiser, progressed to a 35-foot Bertram, owned two 46-foot Australian Crestas (one custom-built), and ultimately commissioned a Palm Beach 65 Flybridge. That experience gave him a strong familiarity with Palm Beach craft and an appreciation for the brand’s build quality.

“I built the Palm Beach,” John remembers. “I spent a lot of time at the factory in Malaysia, traveling back and forth from Sydney. It’s a very custom boat.” His positive experience with the 65 made him attentive when a Palm Beach 32 became available during Sharon’s search. Knowing the 32’s reputation and seaworthiness, he recognized it as an excellent choice for his daughter.

The Palm Beach 32 earned a strong reputation after a dramatic 2005 photograph showed the model punching through large swells during a storm in Sydney, with Palm Beach founder and CEO Mark Richards at the wheel. While other boats sheltered, Richards pushed through the seas to reach the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show—an image that highlighted the model’s robustness and handling in rough conditions.

For John, safety and seaworthiness were key. Australian waters can change quickly—a day that looks calm may still produce challenging seas—so he wanted Sharon in a boat that performs reliably. The Palm Beach 32 rides on a warped-plane hull with generous flare and deadrise, giving it efficient handling and stable behavior in a variety of sea states. The result is confidence for an owner-operator like Sharon, whether she’s exploring estuaries or handling a busy harbor swell.

Named Beach Baby, the boat is hull number five of the 32 series—the third model the company launched after the 38 and the 50. Built in 2005, Beach Baby had previously belonged to another Palm Beach owner who used it as a bridge vessel while awaiting delivery of a new 52. John located the 32 through a brokerage in Queensland and bought it sight unseen. Because he had an established relationship with Mark Richards from his Palm Beach 65 project, he reached out to Richards to coordinate a thorough refit.

“Dad loves a good project,” Sharon says. John enthusiastically managed the refurbishment and worked with the Palm Beach team to return the 15-year-old boat to like-new condition. The process included stripping and replacing old bilge fittings, installing new bilge and water pumps, painting the bilge, and reconditioning the bow thrusters. They also sourced a new 315-hp Yanmar 6LPA diesel—the same model as the original—and removed, sanded, and flow-coated the engine room and underfloor.

“We ended up with pretty much a new boat,” John says. The thorough recommissioning gave Sharon strong confidence in the vessel’s reliability and extended its useful life for cruising around Sydney’s bays and estuaries.

One practical modification addressed Sharon’s priorities as an owner-operator: a lockable companionway door leading to the V-berth. The custom installation uses an alternate hinge so the door can swing and lock either the companionway or the head, offering enhanced security and privacy while maintaining a tasteful interior finish.

Palm Beach is known for building highly individualized boats. Externally, models may look similar, but each interior can be unique down to the fit and finish. That bespoke approach made the factory refit especially engaging for John, who enjoyed testing ideas and learning from the experienced Palm Beach crew.

Sharon took delivery of Beach Baby just before Christmas, but COVID-19 lockdowns limited her initial time aboard. Since New South Wales reopened, she’s been out more regularly—short cruises through nearby estuaries and bays, always at the helm with an extra hand on board when needed. “I’ve had her out in Bate Bay at about 24 knots,” she says. “She handles a swell really well, even when I got buzzed by a huge boat and the waves were enormous.”

Beach Baby has made regular runs to local spots like Cronulla Beach, where Sharon enjoys day stops and occasional overnight stays. Her longer-term plans include a trip up the coast to visit the Palm Beach factory—coming full circle to reconnect with the team that helped restore her boat.

Sydney’s coastline offers a mix of remote-feeling anchorages and easy access to city amenities. “You can be very remote, but in reality, just on the other side of the hill is Sydney,” John notes. That balance gives Sharon the freedom to explore quiet coves and estuaries while still being close to city comforts.

With her marina just a couple of miles from the office, Sharon often slips out in the afternoons for a break from the corporate world. The convenience of having Beach Baby nearby, combined with the boat’s capable design and the careful refit overseen by John and Palm Beach, has made Sharon feel fortunate. “I have become a very lucky girl,” she says.

This article was originally published in the July 2021 issue.