Maritime & Marine
Dean Shaw and Jonathan Purvis of Gallagher.
Published: September 21, 2023 | Updated: 21st September 2023
As the 54th Southampton Boat Show continues, Gallagher’s Poole-based marine team have been meeting with clients, industry partners and friends of the show.
Over the last two decades the event has cemented itself as a mainstay on the team’s calendar, providing an opportunity to learn and keep up with the latest trends in the industry.
Dean Shaw
Yacht Development Executive Dean Shaw said: “The team provide our clients with specialist risk management advice and insurance that spans across everything from yachts and motorboats to marine trade and commercial craft.
“The weather has been inclement which has obviously affected the numbers attending the show each day.
“Tuesday 19th was particularly quiet, with sparse crowds on the pontoons and lots of salesmen sheltering on the boats under the covers.
“We’re really hoping that the sun will come out later on in the week.
“It’s been great to catch up with everyone exhibiting, it’s always a very enjoyable show.”
Among those at the show was James Coker, Sales Director at Osmotech UK.
James Coker and Joe Caudery of Osmotech UK
“We refit and repair almost anything on a boat and install upgraded systems”, said James.
“We specialise in bow and stern thrusters and stabiliser systems which stop the boat from rolling.
“Some say it ‘stops the divorces’ of marine couples. We do a product called Sea Keeper and one client of mine has changed the name to ‘wife keeper’!
“The Boat Show has been good for us. Friday opening day was extremely busy and the bad weather has impacted us positively as we’re based in the marquee.
“The weekend is more about families visiting but that’s still important to us as it’s the opportunity to educate people, as one day they might buy a boat.”
Also at the event was Henry Hillier, MD of Marine Matters who run Stone Pier Yard Marina in Warsash.
Henry Hillier of Marine Matters
“We’re national distributors for Joker Boat RIBs and Tiger Marine RIBs and one of the largest Suzuki authorised dealers in the country”, said Henry.
“We’ve come to Southampton primarily to showcase our RIBs, and as well as selling directly to customers, we also want to attract new dealers and networks around the UK.
“We’ve been coming to the show for years but it’s the first time as a distributor.
“The weather has been pretty dire. We’ve had some strong conversations though, and the products are going down well.
“We expect some good results from the Sea Trial Event that we’re running after the Show. Better weather would definitely help though!”
Dave Hill of Prior Power Solutions
Other attendees from across the border in Dorset included Luke Watts, MD of Saltwater Solutions; Sam Robinson, a technician at the Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy; and Harry Whittle, Marina Operative at Poole Quay Boat Haven.
Luke Watts, MD at Saltwater Solutions, said: “We come to the Boat Show every year but it’s our first year with the Windy brand. We have 3 boats on display, including Windy SR 28CC, Windy 27 Solana and Windy 34 Alize. We’re delighted to be here and representing such a fantastic and premium brand. We’ve sold 2 boats since we’ve been here!”
Luke Watts, Lewis Dale, Saltwater Solutions
Harry Whittle, Marina Operative, Poole Quay Boat Haven, Poole Harbour Commissioners, observed: “My general day to day role is running the marina, checking berths, general maintenance and berth allocations.
“I split my time between the Port of Poole and Poole Quay Boat Haven. At the Boat Show we like to ensure that we have good brand exposure and it’s also the first time that we’ve been able to showcase our new plans to extend Poole Quay Boat Haven to accommodate more boats.
Jonathan Purvis, Gallagher, Harry Whittle, Poole Harbour Commissioners
“We’re exhibiting our Masterplan and our 20-year vision board and it’s grabbing lots of positive attention from visitors. Our ambition is to be the UK’s number one marine leisure location. There’s a real shortage of marina berths on the south coast and we are aiming for an additional 600 berths, to take us to 950 berths at Poole Quay Boat Haven in the next 4 years. It’s really needed as we are currently operating a 3 – 4 year waiting list. All other local marinas are full to capacity too. We also need visitor berths.”
Sam Robinson, Technician at the Boat Building Academy, based in Lyme Regis, commented: “I teach on the Boat Building and Furniture courses. The Boat Building course is our flagship 40-week course. I am a former student of the Boat Building Academy so really appreciate all that it has to offer, having graduated some 10 years ago.
“Being at the Boat Show is an excellent opportunity to show people what the Boat Building Academy is all about and we’re having lots of conversations. I highly recommend checking us out at www.boatbuildingacademy.co.uk “
From further afield there was also James Scott-Anderson, Director at Blue Parameters; David Hill, Business Development Manager at Prior Power Solutions; and Taylor McGraw, a student at Staffordshire University who’s entered into the Superyacht UK Young Designer competition.
James Scott-Anderson, Blue Parameters
James Scott-Anderson, Director at Blue Parameters, remarked: “The remit of our company is to provide solutions & resources to the marine industry that provide a genuine positive sustainable benefit long term. One of our products is the Mermaid-K Mooring System. It’s a mooring system for boats in water.
“It doesn’t use a chain and is guaranteed not to damage sea grass. The whole system has a life cycle assurance built in. Being at the Boat Show is a great opportunity to show the industry how there are practical and simple sustainable solutions which can benefit the industry and the marine environment.”
Taylor McGraw, Staffordshire University, Young Designer Competition, student entrant
David Hill, Business Development Manager at Prior Power Solutions, added: “We sell Volvo Penta engines and offer sales advice & technical advice for people who have any issues. I’ve been coming to this boat show for 21 years now. A lot has changed.
“There’s a feeling this year that everyone is being a little bit cautious, and business is slow in comparison to other years. Because we haven’t had a brilliant summer weather wise, people haven’t been using their boats. At the Show we’ve done a few commercial quotes but due to the weather footfall is very low.”
The Young Designer Competition brings together design students from across the country. Competitors are given a day and a half to produce a profile illustration of a vessel, from a brief created by the judging panel. They then present their designs to a team of judges. An awards ceremony takes place later on in the week when the winner is announced.
Taylor concluded: “I’m studying Transport Industrial Design at University, so this competition is very relevant to my course. When I graduate, I’d love to get a job in the marine or automobile sector. I’m really the opportunity this week!”
