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05/27/2015 10:00 AMLook for a little extra traffic—on the water and off—this weekend, thanks to a new maritime expo expected to draw crowds from New York and Boston to this corner of the Sound.
The 2015 International Cruising Boat Expo is the title of a nautical extravaganza being launched in Essex from June 2 to 7. The new five-day event is a combination of in-water boat show, seminar series, and social gathering that will take place at Brewer Essex Island Marina. The Expo is being presented by the publishers of PassageMaker and SAIL magazines, in the tradition of their TrawlerFest events held in other locations throughout the U.S., but expanded to include sailors.
Essex was chosen as the site for this new event for several reasons, according to Peter Swanson, seminar contact manager for the event, and past editor-in-chief of PassageMaker. The first is the town’s long maritime heritage. Second is the fact that the magazines’ sister publication, Soundings, has been headquartered in Essex since its inception 45 years ago. Third, Essex is about halfway between Boston and New York, making it convenient to boaters all along the coast.
Swanson says he likes to call these large-scale boating events “Woodstock for the nautically inclined,” for recreational boaters who cruise or want to cruise for long periods of time or live aboard their vessels.
The boat show and sale part of the event features trawlers, as well as other new and used powerboats and sailboats, and a variety of vendors.
“The show is representative of a Baby Boomer trend,” Swanson says. “For many people of my generation [older than 50] the idea of simplifying our lives and going to live on a boat like gypsies is a dream deferred. Then everything came together—kids in college (or better yet, graduated)—the economy is back on track, retirement has kicked in, so they’re buying that boat.”
Swanson notes that the end of World War II coincided with the construction of fiberglass boats, which really started to take off in the 1960s, making boats affordable for the Baby Boomer generation. A lot of sailboats were being built and many Boomers learned to sail in the ‘70s and ‘80s, but as the generation ages, he says, “a lot of people are looking at powerboats as a little less strenuous, with more creature comforts than sailing. Trawlers are based on how fishing boats looked, but they’re really designed for people to travel on for long periods of time—or to live on.”
Swanson explains that, like TrawlerFest, the International Cruising Boat Expo will give people the skills and confidence to go through the boat buying process.
“Or if they already have a boat, to head south to the islands or do the Great Loop, which is a circumnavigation of the Eastern U.S. using inland waterways,” he says.
“We’re seeing this trend at the shows, coming out of the recession, that a tremendous number of people in my age group are coming to get educated because buying a boat is a major purchase and they don’t want to be stupid about it,” Swanson adds. “They didn’t get to this point in life making bad decisions. They see this as a way to make wise choices.
“These aren’t the weekend warriors,” he emphasizes. “These are people that will spend a lot of time on their boats, they’re good citizens, and hugely responsible.”
Learning the Lay of the…Water
There are more than 30 seminars being offered at the Boat Expo, ranging from $50 to $400, depending on subject and length.
“The people giving the seminars are sometimes leading authorities on the subject matter,” Swanson says. “It’s not your average free talk from amateur boat enthusiasts.”
Seminars can be as intensive as Troubleshooting Boats & Engines, taught over two full days.
“It’s important that boaters know how to be self-reliant, even if they’re wealthy enough to have technicians work on their boats, so if a problem occurs they can deal with it up to a point,” Swanson says. “We also want them to be able to assess if they’re getting good value when they hire someone else to do something on their boat.”
Boat Buyers Survival Guide is a seminar “that involves taking a subject like boat buying and looking at it through the lens of various people,” he explains.
“An experienced insurance broker will talk about what kind of policy you need to have, a leading maritime attorney will speak about tax consequences, a naval architect will discuss which hull form is best suited for different types of cruising,” Swanson says. “He’ll talk about materials—should you consider a fiberglass boat, a steel boat, a wooden boat? So that’s a ‘team teach’ with all the presenters on stage answering questions from the attendees. Sometimes they don’t agree and can get a real good debate going.”
The long list of seminars includes Hands on Boat Handling; Soup to Nuts Navigation; Cuba Cruising: What You Need to Know; Emergency Situations at Sea; and even Pets Aboard; and Couples Cruising Communications.
And, not to leave out the social aspects of the Boat Expo.
“We have Dinner & a Movie Night and a Rum Fest & Cocktail Party on the docks,” Swanson says. “People get to know each other and some people establish long time friendships—they’re like-minded and share a lot of experiences.”
The first International Cruising Boat Expo will be held June 2 to 7 at Brewer Essex Island Marina, 11 Ferry Street, Essex, Thursday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday from 10 a.m to 3p.m.
General admission is $15 in advance, $18 on site; seminars are $50 in advance, $60 on site and includes general admission to boat show for day of seminar. For more information and to register, visit www.passagemaker.com/events/trawlerfest-essex-2015 or call 954-703-4789.