Ms Wombat and I went for a wander through the show yesterday afternoon.
Met up with SimonV for a beer or two and a chat. I'd reckon that when he gets to the US later this year you will enjoy his company should you meet up. Nice chap, quiet, softly spoken and enjoys Becks. My guess is he'd make a good shipmate.
As for the show itself, well, it was disappointing really. Highlights for me were probably the Dehlers and the Hanses but even so I'd rather have a late 80's Moody 425 than any of the new boats on show. Loved the fold out bowsprit and
anchor arrangement on the D44. Very neat answer to the bluff bow
anchor go bang scratch problem. As for the rest, cheap plastic and nowhere to kip at sea, most of them. Oh, but they all have two bathrooms. Noticed a big increase in the number of stinkers and a corresponding descrease in the number of masts.
Sure there where some standouts if you have a cool million or two to spend but for now the Buizen 48 is a touch out of my price bracket. I was also impressed with the way the salespeople spoke to Ms Wombat. Unlike the moron on the Hunter last year who was falling over himself to show her the self draining crockery cabinet.
As seems to be usual at these affairs it's the ooh ahh gee gaws that are most interesting but there seemed to be fewer of the equipment suppliers in attendance this year as well.
We did kind of fall in love with this new (to Australia at least) inflatable kayak from Hobie. Foot pedals , twin
seats, slightly less storage space required than a 2.5m inflatable tender. Fabulous for exploring creeks and rivers or even the odd lagoon. Want one.
Thas all.
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