Weather conditions led to the planned official opening ceremony of this year’s PSP Southampton Boat Show being cancelled. At short notice, the Royal Navy Parachute Display Team had to abort their performance. Instead Royal Marines were drafted in to cut the ribbon on the title sponsor’s (PSP) stand.
Managing Director of PSP, Frank Dixie said his company had decided to sponsor one of the twelve yachts competing in the Clipper Round the World yacht race 2013-14 which had set sail from the UK at the beginning of September. Each boat has a crew of twenty novices competing under the tutelage of a professional skipper.
Islanders running Cowes PSP
On the first day of the Show, PSP was celebrating one year of managing its Isle of Wight operation at their office/depot in Cowes. All the staff there are Island residents with Michelle Navin as office manager.
As ever at the show, there were a number of new product launches from quite small products to luxury yachts. Two of the latter were the latest editions from Princess and Sunseeker. We like the ethos of Princess which is based in Devon where they employ all local people, some 2,500, by keeping much of the design and production work ‘in house’.
Sunseeking Hammond
Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond entertained show visitors on the Sunseeker stand.
It was a case of a hamster being all at sea.
Centenary for British Marine Federation
This year the British Marine Federation (BMF) is celebrating its 100th anniversary as the trade association of the marine industry.
National Boat Shows Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of BMF the organisers of both the Southampton and London Boat Shows.
‘Yachtsman (or woman) of the Year’
One of the launches at the show was with Geoff Holt MBE who supports the ‘Yachtsman (or woman) of the Year’. Apollo Boats, based in Arctic Road, Cowes are the current sponsors of this award and will continue as sponsors until 2015. Dating back to 1955 the person voted as the ‘Yachtsman of the Year’ receives the Sir Max Aitken Trophy. Yarmouth IW resident Eric Hiscock was the first recipient following his round the world passage.
Winners over the years provide a ‘who’s who’ of sailing and powerboating with the latter represented by Sir Max Aitken himself, Charles Gardner and Steve Curtis. As well as successful Olympians other names on the trophy include Francis Chichester, Ted Heath, Chay Blyth, Eric Tabarly, Peter Blake, Pete Goss and Ellen MacArthur.
Sir Ben Ainslie is the current holder and he is now taking part in the America’s Cup currently being contested in San Francisco.
