By Nick Mabey.
The 54th Southampton International Boat Show opened to beautiful weather and good-sized crowds. 322 vessels of all shapes and sizes provide the centre point of this large, sprawling trade show, which has evolved over the years to include water sports activities, presentations from hardy explorers and all sorts of other entertainment. Most of the hundreds of stalls offer boat-related equipment and merchandise but there is also plenty of other treats to tempt willing shoppers, including wine, art and even zip-up dog coats.
Southampton’s Boat Show advertises itself as Britain’s biggest festival of boating and it’s easy to see why. The sheer scale is matched by the organisation, which involves constructing a temporary marina, erecting a massive ‘ocean hall’ and installing a boulevard of stands and activities from the main entrance at West Quay shopping centre all the way down to Mayflower Park, including a temporary footbridge over the busy road. It’s a good job there’s dozens of refreshments stalls to keep punters and workers going over the nine days that the show is open for.
Boating is not the most accessible sport for mass consumption, relying as it does, on water, weather and some fairly specialised equipment, which doesn’t come cheap. So it is interesting to see the innovative ways companies are looking to attract a more mass market. As well as the traditional charter firms, there are organisations offering Air B’nB-style rentals, shared ownership, boat clubs and other schemes that are too complicated for me to explain here. There is no doubting boating is an expensive pastime – witness the plethora of super yachts with eye-watering price tags – but opening it up to the likes of you and me seems a good idea.
- Southampton International Boat Show runs from 15th to 24th September. Tickets available on-line or at the main entrance and from the show website: southamptonboatshow.com
