Maritime & Marine
Published: September 28, 2023 | Updated: 28th September 2023
With the 54th Southampton International Boat Show drawing to a close last weekend, organisers are pleased to have received upwards of 92,000 visitors throughout the event.
Covering over 70,000 square metres, the show welcomed more than 650 craft – a 17 per cent increase year on year – as well as 86 new companies.
They were particularly proud to host the impressive Sunseeker 100 Yacht and Spirit 75, as well as the innovative electric hydro-foiling Candela C-8.
“There’s been a great atmosphere at this year’s show” said Lesley Robinson, CEO of British Marine.
“We’ve been delig
hted to welcome over 92,000 people over the past 10 days, and we had been well on track to hit our target of over 100,000 visitors this year – until the bad weather hit.
“This year marks our first full show after bouncing back from Covid and since last year’s closure out of respect of the Queen’s passing.
“The feedback from exhibitors from across the industry has been positive, with many indicating strong sales.”
Visitors enjoyed a fly-past from the Red Arrows and heard from celebrity guests including Captain Sandy from the TV show Below Deck Mediterranean, who shared stories about her career and life at the helm.
The water activities were also a great hit, at least while the weather was playing ball.
Lesley added: “Due to lightning on the first Sunday and exceptionally high winds on Tuesday and Wednesday, a decision was made to close all of the show’s water activities for the safety of our visitors and exhibitors.
“Despite this, we still managed to host over 9,000 visitors on the water, who were able to try everything from dinghy sailing, paddleboarding and kayaking to RIB rides, yacht cruising and motorboating.”
“I’d like to offer my thanks to Rockley Waterports, Flexisail, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and Andark for making the on (and under) water experiences such a huge success.
“With the feedback we receive from visitors and exhibitors, our thoughts now turn to planning for next year and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2024.”
