The first boat show of the season is already over!

The Newport International Boat Show and the Newport Brokerage Show Fend off TS/Hurricane Ophelia

The first couple of days were a little tough to take as buckets of water came down on those hungry enough for the first taste of boat shows. The next couple of days were hugely rewarding to those willing to brave the forecasts that the almost stationary, wobblingly lost, occasionally-tropical-storm-and-otherwise-hurricane Ophelia was heading straight for Rhode Island from the nasty scene she left behind in the Carolinas . She in fact passed well offshore and, despite some great lightshows Saturday night, the days proved sunny and warm, perfect for imagining oneself on a shiny new boat or in a distant destination. Saturday had fewer attendees than expected, but Sunday saw the crowds descend.

The festive sailboat exhibit area

We spent two exhausting but exhiliarating days seeing what's new on boats, talking to scores of exhibitors, and feasting on the vessels offered in the brokerage show. It was really hard to pick favorites, but here are a few innovations that were impressive or useful to the coastal sailing community:

The lovely new breed of daysailers: Friendship 40, Bruckmann 42, and Tofinou 9.5 M

The new Oysters - magnificent design with every detail perfected

The Stephens Custom 53 Robert Perry design, new this year

The practical yet inspired in design Jenneau cruisers, like the Sun Odyssey 54DS offering 6 different configurations

The fishing lures and cool fishing pole designed for sailboats from Chaos Fishing

The great women's foul weather gear from GUL, designed by women for women

The new anchor line from Yale, that stays flexible and fits in a fraction of the space (also works great as dockline)

The new interior Epifanes varnish that has a pleasing satin finish

The new exterior paint colors available from Alexseal

A great new set of marina guides from Atlantic Cruising Club

Lots of new electronic gear to drool over.

And there was so much more worthy of note. Inflatable dinghies by the dozen, flushing heads to test, the newest gear, the finest accessories, and of course, Lats & Atts' own Bob Bitchin and Jodie! The brokerage show over at Newport Shipyard was a bit of a hike from the main show but well worth it. The mega yachts interspersed with classic vessels impeccably maintained, including a schooner called the "Tree of Life", were something to aspire to and appreciate. Some were accessible by appointment only, but many were very accomodating to visiting yachtsmen.

We never made it to the seminars but there is always next year.  All in all the show was well organized with a few high points and few low points.  The high points were the sheer volume of exciting boats to see in one place and in the water, along with the vast number of high quality exhibitors.   Having easy access to a few good places for meals was good too, but the onsite food service could have offered tables and chairs in strategic places for people to take a break over a quick meal.

The low point for us was believing the claims that the shuttle service from Jamestown would be faster, more convenient, and less expensive than driving in.  It cost $12 to park there; no one at the information service was able to tell us where to pick up the bus despite it stopping a block from the booth; we were sent walking a good 1/2 mile in the wrong direction by the police; and when we found the right place for pick up (in front of the Red Parrot) we waited for more than an hour for the bus to show up.  It’s too bad that this is the last thing we remember about an otherwise great experience.  We urge the organizers to provide more detailed information about how to find things overall, and to provide an adequate number of shuttle buses.  The number of buses servicing the beach parking areas was over the top while quite frustrating to the people cuing up for Jamestown with limited service .  Next time, we'll park at the beach lots or take our chances dealing with the traffic downtown.

	Left: Roving musicians added to the festive spirit Right: Chaos Fishing Gear
		Left: The lovely Friendship 40 daysailer provides comfortable overnight accomodations for a couple
	Left: A family tests a tri. Right: View toward the boat show area from the deck of Newport Yacht Club.

For a list of more boat shows, please click here.