Bridgeport welcomes annual boat show
Steelpointe yacht and charter show draws interest
BRIDGEPORT — Patrick Sikorski, executive director of the Greenwich-based 12 Metre Yacht Development Foundation, showed off The Lionheart, a racing boat he compared to a warship, in Bridgeport on Friday.
It can reach speeds of up to 25 knots. The boat was built to go fast, he said.
“It was designed for one purpose, speed and power. And that's it,” Sikorski said.
Sikorski was in the city Friday for the Steelpointe Yacht & Charter Show.
The show, which is now in its fourth year, is a weekend-long event where attendees can check out gigantic yachts complete with living quarters rivaling high-end hotel rooms, vintage Land Rover cars, speed boats, airplanes and live music. Participants said the event shows the city is on a rebound as it not only attracts newcomers to the area but also reconnects with its past as a shipping and cultural haven.
Sikorski said the city had a storied reputation as a cultural magnet, having had theaters, and ballet, but the city's manufacturing base was hollowed out in the decades after World War II.
Now, he said Bridgeport is approaching a golden age.
“I think this facility and the things that are going on here, and some of the traditions of its maritime history, I think Bridgeport is entering a renaissance,” he said.
Annie Venditti, who does events and marketing for X Shore, an electric boat manufacturer, said the event is different this year because it's partnering more closely with Bridgeport businesses.
“This year, in particular, we've incorporated Bridgeport artists, they're all around here. We've added some planes, we've added helicopters, we've had a whole electric function. Now there's a 100 percent, electric yacht outside,” Venditti said.
The event is invite only. The boat Venditti mentioned has a retail price starting at $329,000.
Diane Smith, who lives in Derby, came over to see the attractions on Friday and she said it shows the improvements in the area.
“I think it's amazing. I think they did a great job, you see the energy here that everyone's enjoying it. I think they're actually trying to improve it, to get the people here... which is good for the area,” Smith said.
Smith said she got her invitation from a BMW dealer and it was her first time at the show. The event is in its fourth year, but Adam Wood, a public relations representative for Steelpointe Harbor Marina, said it's gotten more popular, especially now that the state has reopened after the shutdowns of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So it started during the pandemic, and it was very limited, very low numbers, because of the pandemic. Lots of precautions were taken. The difference from then, and today is really night and day,” said Wood, who was once chief of staff for former Mayor Bill Finch.
People, he said, came for the yachts, but some might be staying put.
“I think this brings so much new investment potential and new potential residents, brings them to our area and brings them to Bridgeport and that's a real positive,' Wood said.
Wood said he's already gotten inquiries from visitors, asking about the rents in the area and home prices. He said some visitors who asked about housing in the area usually didn't come to Bridgeport, but were surprised at the development going on in the city.
Michael Palma, communications manager for Black Horse Garage, said the neighborhood is a far cry from what it used to be before the yacht show.
“I had been around the city a long time and a lot has changed down here. This used to be just (a) run down, ragged, terrible neighborhood,” Palma said.
But grittiness has been replaced with boat shoes, yachts tall enough to include three levels and the largest sail manufacturer in the world. Bob Christoph, a principal for Steelpointe Harbor, said North Sails is now a Bridgeport company after having moved from Milford.
“We're excited to have them here. They have about 63 employees that they brought to Bridgeport. And they're headquartered here at the shipyard,” Christoph said.
At least one visitor who came to Bridgeport for the first time said he thinks Bridgeport is a ritzy city. Jonathan Kimble originally grew up in New Orleans, La., but now lives in New Jersey.
“Being from Louisiana, I would probably say, high end and (a) nice, clean environment. It's my first time. Well, I'm a southern guy, man. I don't get up north very much,” Kimble said.