The couple bought the 55 from a private seller and loved it. “We had plans to cruise the world, but within four months, a Fleming 65 came up for sale on Pittwater,” Nick remembers. “We traded up and spent 10 months of the year on the 65, running the businesses remotely.

“We did some really great cruising in that time – up and down to Lizard Island twice, out into the Coral Sea, and lots and lots of diving.

We intended on going to Papua New Guinea and further afield – then we saw the 85, exited the businesses, and ordered one with a two-and-a-half year build time.

“That meant we got her just the way we wanted her,” he adds, explaining they took delivery of hull #6 and named her Freja.

“We hadn’t seen an 85 in the flesh when we ordered one,” says Johanna.

“We made four trips to the yard and did a lot of tweaking to remove unnecessary cabinetry and get bigger storage spaces, which also meant we could get it how we wanted with the feel – having a freestanding Italian dining table, getting light into the galley rather than everything being teak-heavy. There was also the excitement of putting our own touch on her as we hadn’t built the 55 or the 65.”

Collecting the boat directly from the shipyard in Taiwan, the Baxters set out on a serious shakedown sail – some 500 miles to the Philippines. Freja took it all in her stride, hardly surprising considering the 85 combines impressive range – 3,700 nautical miles at 8.5 knots – with impressive seaworthiness.

From the Philippines, they cruised the Asia region, heading to Malaysia, Borneo, Indonesia and then Thailand, where the yacht was scheduled to be transported across to Genoa, Italy, early in 2025.

For the rest of last year the couple started exploring the Mediterranean, and there was no doubt they’d made the right choice with the 85.

We could have done a lot of the cruising we’re doing now on the 65,” Johanna offers, “but we visualised having guests on board when we started to travel overseas and the 85 can definitely offer more space when the cabins are full – someone can sit in the love seat on the bow, or go upstairs or out the back, so you have that little bit more privacy.”

Fleming offers the 85 with an array of configurations, including with an open or enclosed flybridge – indeed, of the 11 85s so far, the split has been roughly even between the two styles. For Freja, the Baxters opted for the open version. “When you’re on the flybridge with a glass of red and a blanket wrapped around you, it’s so nice to sit up there – it’s definitely our favourite space on the boat,” Johanna enthuses.

Although the flybridge is open, with the seating, alfresco dining and helm area both under the hardtop and almost completely separated from the aft boat deck, it feels secure. Perfect for enjoying even on passages in a seaway. Aft, a small deck hatch to port marks access from the cockpit, while the bulk of the boat deck is taken up by a 5.2-metre K5000 RIB from King Watercraft in New Zealand. Nick has also considered reconfiguring the boat deck by removing the aft stair access to make space for carrying more toys – in particular, a sailing dinghy to enjoy his wind-powered passion.

Forward, there’s a C-shaped lounge and dinette to starboard, and a stepped bar counter to port complete with fridges and a sink, served by a BBQ mounted aft of the divider between the social area and boat deck – a practical choice ensuring that any fat splatters or spills fall on the boat deck’s non-skid paint rather than the teak decking of the forward area.

A twin helm seat to port offers a comfortable command spot, while a bench seat to starboard affords guests a view forward. The helm itself offers three screens and full controls. In addition, there are no less than six joystick stations positioned around the yacht, including aft on the boat deck and one on each side on the aft deck. Dynamic positioning with heading hold allows time to swap between control stations as well as prep mooring warps and fenders, and essentially means that either Nick or Johanna could moor the boat singlehanded.

The couple do have a deckhand who takes care of the washdowns, drives the tender and helps with operational aspects, but with both the Baxters holding boating licences, there’s no need for a professional skipper.

Steps forward lead down into the pilothouse. There’s a comfortable lounge and table to port, and a twin helm chair facing a comprehensive dash with three large Furuno screens, and two supplemental screens showing engine and system data. Monitoring is by Boning, although Fleming has moved to CZone on recent builds.

Freja is powered by twin V12 MAN 1550s. “They’re the standard package, and super-efficient at displacement speeds, which most people are doing at 10 knots, with consumption around 50 litres per hour,” says Adi Shard, Designer and Director at Fleming

“The MANs will still take the yacht up to 21 knots or more, although we also offer the 1800s as an option, which gives a top end up to 24 knots. The standard engines will deliver around 3,000 nautical miles of range at 10 knots from the 12,000-litre tanks – useful range for world cruising adventures – and even more if you cruise slightly slower.”

Fleming offers several layout versions, with up to four lower-deck cabins and companionway access on the centreline or to one side. Freja has two guest double cabins forward that share an ensuite and can be accessed via a portside stair from the pilothouse. “Freja is customised forward in terms of the bulkheads and layout,” says Shard.

There’s a washer-dryer hidden in a cupboard in the passageway forward, and a dayhead at the top of the steps that lead aft down to the main living area. Here, the galley is arranged in a U-shape forward and to port, serving the freestanding dining table to port. Aft of that are two armchairs opposite a starboard-side lounge. The whole area feels bright and airy, blending clean design and contrasting expanses of white with the warmth of the wood.

The midships master cabin is accessed via a separate stair from the saloon, which ensures privacy. The suite feels spacious, and the Baxters opted for a semi-open ensuite to port – the twin sinks sit outboard, open to the cabin, with enclosed shower and head compartments fore and aft. It’s a layout that works well, dramatically enhancing the sense of space by allowing the full beam of the hull to show.

Personal touches are evident here, not only in the Scandi chic-meets-trad teak look and the earthy tones that feature throughout, but also in the headboard finished in silk with a raised animal print. There’s also a full walk-in robe, complete with additional shoe space – essential for long-term liveaboard cruising.

Outside, the Portuguese bridge leads to a foredeck perched atop the seaworthy high bow, which with a raised coachroof and opening hatches for the forward cabins, doesn’t follow the trend for forward sunpads –hardly surprising given the serious cruising nature of the 85. However, for those who want to enjoy the breeze or a bit of privacy, the forward end of the coachroof lifts on hydraulic rams to reveal a delightful forward-facing clamshell love seat. At the bow, there’s some serious ground tackle with both an electric and a hydraulic windlass for redundancy, and twin anchors with plenty of chain.

Aft, the cockpit provides sheltered space for lounging or alfresco dining, and also gives access to the technical areas – and crew cabin – via a hatch and stairs in a starboard moulding. Fleming offers a couple of different crew cabin arrangements – here, with only one deckhand, the crew space is geared for single occupancy and offers a reasonable amount of space, including an ensuite and a little mess area.

The 85 has a 1,400-amp-hour lithium-ion battery bank, plus hardtop solar panels. “The boat has been designed around our needs – we worked with Duncan Cowie to make sure we could live the way we want,” says Nick.

“That’s running the generator for a bit in the morning, letting the solar do its thing during the day, maybe running the air con for a couple of hours in the afternoon, then running the generator for an hour with the air con in the evening.”

As a result, over 12 months and roughly 250 nights at anchor, Nick estimates they put less than 300 hours on each generator. It speaks to a determination to use the boat as she was intended – for serious go-anywhere exploring.

After cruising the Med in 2026, with plans to head east to Croatia, Turkey and Greece, the Baxters plan to head north to Norway, Svalbard, the Faroe Islands and Scotland before heading across to Sweden for a milestone birthday in 2027.

On the 55, our dream was to bring her from Nick’s hometown in Sydney to mine in Sweden,” Johanna says. “So that’s what we’re doing, although on different boats and allowing for the fact we had to have Freja shipped from Phuket to Genoa!”

It may be 40 years since Tony Fleming started the brand, but Freja proves the Fleming spirit of adventure remains as fresh as ever.

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