Getting Ready

They are preparing for next month’s YachtMarket.com Southampton Boat Show by installing pontoons by the city’s Mayflower Park already.

Mind you, it is a rather significant show this year celebrating its golden anniversary. Over the last 50 years it has been the launchpad for boating legends, seen the evolution of ground-breaking technology and tracked the rise of global marine brands…and shows no sign of stopping!

The show has come a long way since founders Norman Kemish and Arthur Gale launched the first Southampton Boat Show which ran for a just six days, in 1969. There were about 50 exhibitors, compared to 500-plus this year..

Taking place September 14 to 23, this year’s Show promises an expected 100 plus debuts and more than 500 exhibitors, and according to organisers British Marine 81 will be new to the Show for 2018, and will showcase pioneering environmental research.

Sad to say, I can remember the early Boat Show was a far more modest affair and was contained solely within Mayflower Park with the army, based on the other side of the river at Marchwood Military Port, supplying the small pontoon where just a handful of boats were moored.

The entire marina is a Walcon project and one of the largest temporary marinas to be built annually anywhere in the world. It will have over 2,000 metres of pontoons and hosts more than 300 vessels ranging from tenders to superyachts.