It's the first week of the 2011 PSP Southampton International Boat Show. The MBM Team reports on what's been happening on day 3
The weather over the first weekend has kept everyone on
their toes. If we want a new Olympic sport guaranteed to deliver Team GB a
gold medal we should go for canopy-erecting. Boat canvas has been raised and
lowered in record times as the rain and sun vied for position over Southampton
water.
Unsurprisingly, visitor numbers have struggled to keep up
with last year. Press day saw an estimated 8266 visitors come through the
turnstiles, slightly up on last year, but the weekend figures were well down.
Business seems to be holding steady, though, with dealers
reporting good levels of interest from the pontoons. Sealine told MBM that its
new SC42 is receiving plenty of interest with several confirmed sales, while
Bavaria dealer Clipper Marine took deposits on three boats on Monday alone. We
imagine those exhibitors inside the halls may well have seen their sales
figures spike as people ran for cover from the frequent downpours.
Away from the cut and thrust of commerce, the finals of the
RYA Youth RIB Challenge were held over the weekend. Shouts and screams of
encouragement rang out across Solent Park as youngsters from across the UK
piloted boats around a specially designed course. In the end it was a clean
sweep for Parkstone Yacht Club, with twelve-year-old Harrison Faull and sixteen-year-old Ben Edwards deftly manoeuvring their way to glory and winning
Parkstone two new RIBs.
Looking for bargain at the show? MBM’s Claire is trawling the stands to bring you the best deals on equipment, supplies and services.
From rope, to clothing we hope there will be something for everyone and we will be updating it as the show continues too so check out our Southampton Boat Show gear deals gallery
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