Beaucoup de Boat Shows

Few things get boaters more revved up about their sport that boat shows, where they can check out the latest gadgets and gizmos, ogle their dreamboats and pick the brains of experts on a wide range of nautical topics. From January through April there are a number of excellent shows you might want to consider attending, both here in San Francisco Bay and elsewhere.

This month, the massive Seattle Boat Show will take place January 29-February 6. We plan to attend in order to visit with our Northwest friends and advertisers, and to present seminars on the 2010 Baja Ha-Ha cruisers rally (2 p.m. Saturday, January 30, and 1 p.m. Sunday, January 31). We’ll also be distributing info on the annual Pacific Puddle Jump rally to French Polynesia.

The Northern California Boat Fest will take place February 18-21 at Marina Village. Both new and used boats will be on display in the water, in addition to seminars and a variety of exhibits. Admission is free, as is parking. For further info, email Deb Reynolds.

As we noted here earlier, Strictly Sail Pacific — the West Coast’s biggest sail-only show  — will take place at Oakland’s Jack London Square, April 15-18. Come and visit us at the Latitude booth and consider attending our seminars (dates and times TBA) on both the Baja Ha-Ha and the Pacific Puddle Jump.

But if you are a real boat show diehard, who just can’t get enough of all things boating, consider attending the second annual Bahrain Boat Show International (BBSI), April 20-24. Yeah, we know, it’s halfway around the world and hotel rooms probably cost a gazillion dollars, but what the heck, you’re likely to see things there that you won’t see elsewhere. After all, with a seemingly endless supply of millionaires in that region who’ve only recently become exposed to the world of yachting, this is a market that designers and manufacturers can’t afford to ignore!