Where Do We Go From Here?

Reading Time: 8 minutes
A boat built to cross the oceans.
A boat built to cross the oceans.

I rarely attend major boat shows these days, and sincerely don’t regret it. In the past I spent many a day on stands for whoever it was that I was working for, or supporting, at that time, generally in the foul aired mausoleum that housed the late, lamented (?) London Boat Show at Earl’s Court.

Not only was it a trial physically, but even then there didn’t seem to be much to get excited about, and that was in the days when the likes of Swan still attended and displayed, and money seemed to be far more plentiful. But now?

Regardless of the era, it’s obviously the case that boat shows offer the interested observer an insight into the direction that the market (and indeed yachting in general) is going, so when I get the chance I’ll still turn up.

Attending the recent La Rochelle Boat Show gave me a golden opportunity to catch up on ‘the industry’, and see where we’re currently headed, and if I’m correct in my analysis, it isn’t the direction I think we’d all like to see.

Far From The Maddening Crowd*

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Colin’s clear and insightful summary of their season cruising the Windward Islands of the Caribbean. This is the real story on this popular cruising destination from a deeply experienced voyager.

Us And Them

Reading Time: 9 minutes

Boat Boys in the Eastern Caribbean. Now there’s a subject to rouse passionate debate in any group of cruisers. Colin does his usual insightful and sensitive job of exploring the issue, along with some great tips for dealing with the practitioners of that trade.