SOUTHAMPTON BOAT SHOW
As well as new boats look out for new features at this year's Southampton Boat Show
Our guide to the show + Readers’ ticket offer
The Southampton Boat Show, held every year in Mayflower Park and its temporary marina, still attracts swathes of visitors and industry big names. It has long been seen as the show with a great atmosphere, particularly if the UK is still enjoying good weather in September – not always a given.
The show has grown over the years, slowly taking more space in Mayflower Park and has now more or less reached the full extent of the land availed there. A real boon, however, is the purpose-built marina, on which many boats are displayed, as it is effectively, endlessly expandable.
Happily, the on-the-water area of the show is increasingly in demand for stand holders so growth should not be an issue any time soon. ‘We have seen a number of stand holders looking to move to the marina area in recent years,’ explains Annabel Burrow PR and communications manager at British Marine who organise the show. ‘There are always going to be those who want to remain ashore and for who it suits to be ashore, but certainly some brands are now starting to take bigger spaces on the marina.’
One such brand is Beneteau who, for the 2019 edition have taken a large section of the marina. In addition to showing a range of boats on the water it will also have a larger guest area and a more traditionally land-based stand feel. The famous French marque will be bringing a multitude of boats to this year’s show including the new twinrudder ‘entry level’ Oceanis 30.1. There are many other new launches at the show this year too, see the August issue of Yachting Monthly for more details.
The expansion of the marina has also enabled organisers to include more try-aboat berths, to fit around an ongoing aim to increase the sport’s inclusivity. It is an on-water boat show, after all, so it makes sense for more visitors to have the chance to get afloat.
The increased focus on on-the-water activities does not end at the pontoons, however. The Mayflower Complex overlooking the marina has always been a two-storey restaurant. On reflection it was felt this was a somewhat wasted opportunity to provide visitors with an excellent view of the water-based activities. With that in mind, this year it has been converted to a seating area open to the public near the southeastern show entrance. There will be food and drink options available here too but the feel should be much more casual and relaxed.
Changes ashore
The main entrance (the only entrance for standard ticket holders) on Harbour Parade road opposite the P&O Cruises office has
been reimagined this year for extra ‘wow factor’. Inside, the Arena area has a tidier look and will be easier to navigate. This will remain the home of small boats, wooden boats and some of the smaller vendors but the organisers hope to offer a slightly more slick entrance. The entrance has also been moved fractionally so now it is not directly from the pavement.
This year’s highlights on the main stage will include another dose of likeable Youtube sailors, Sailing Uma. Dan and Kika are hoping to follow up their visit in 2018 with a second appearance – this time aboard their Pearson 36 Uma. Currently in New York City heading north, they are intending to take an extreme northern route to Europe, eventually overwintering in the Med.
Make sure you pop by the TI Media stand, E001 to get the latest copy of Yachting Monthly and meet the team.