The 2014 Norwalk Boat Show

The National Marine Manufacturers Association brings its boat show to Connecticut

The largest in-water boat show in our home state of Connecticut starts this week. The annual Progressive Insurance Norwalk Boat Show starts this Thursday, September 18th, at Norwalk Cove Marina, and runs through Sunday the 21st. The show hours are 10 am to 6 pm each day. With Newport now in the rear-view mirror, this is the best show to check out next in the Northeast, especially for powerboat enthusiasts and paddlers.

Prices and special offers

National Safe Boating Week 2014

Fatalities are down two years in a row. Keep up the momentum and kick off the boating season with safety in mind... 

Photo Courtesy of The U.S. Coast Guard.

It's that time of year again, when safety organizations around the country celebrate National Safe Boating Week, with a healthy dose of reminders and warnings to boaters to be careful out there this summer.  It's probably no coincidence that Safe Boating Week begins a week before boating season officially kicks off with Memorial Day Weekend, one of the busiest weekends of the year for recreational boating...

The Fastest Growing Water Sport

A new inflatable SUP is making waves with boaters, and our exclusive $100 discount code will help you get in on the action...

We couldn't find the original journalistic-quality source for this statistic, but a quick Google search - or a quick glance around virtually any lake or beach - will tell you that Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) is the fastest growing water sport in the world.

If you've already tried boarding, you probably are not surprised by the growth of this sport. But what if we told you that we found a new SUP that is lightweight, compact and portable enough to take on almost any boat? Read on for more on the basics of stand up paddleboards and our exclusive Bigfish $100 discount code...

The Deal: Save $100 on a BIGFISH Paddleboard
Discount Code: BNG100
Valid only at: www.BigFishBoards.com 
Expiration Date: June 15, 2014 (Father's Day)

Boating Safety Tips from College

Broward College Offers Safe Boating Tips for the Summer... 

Photo Courtesy of The U.S. Coast Guard.

Since Florida is one of the most popular regions for boating with nearly one million registered boats, it makes sense that a school from the Sunshine State is offering helpful tips in observance of National Safe Boating week, which is coming up from May 17 to 23, 2014. Broward College’s marine engineering management program is the first institution to send us such an announcement with boating safety tips, and we're happy to pass them along.

“Safety on the water is everyone’s responsibility, but many recreational boaters make the mistake of assuming they can beat the odds, and without proper preparation, this may not be the case,” said Anthony Petriello, associate dean of the marine programs. “Don’t take anything for granted, as all on board are your responsibility.”

There are several precautions boaters should take before casting off...

SailQuest Boat Show This Weekend

Mystic, CT. The New England weather looks perfect for this weekend's SailQuest Boat Show at Mystic Shipyard in Mystic, Connecticut...

According to its website, SailQuest is "a unique boutique boat show that focuses on buying and selling sail, trawler, and down east style boats."

We've been attending the show each year at every location since WindCheck Magazine first launched the show in Mystic, CT, several years ago, as it moved from Mystic Seaport to Milford, Connecticut the past two years. The 7th annual edition of the show returns to its Mystic roots, but in a new location...

This year, SailQuest lands at Mystic Shipyard, which gives the show an opportunity to offer free admission and plenty of convenient free parking, so that visitors can easily navigate dozens of boat brokers and accessory vendors, with boats both in the water and on land.

Come to the show to see Nordic Tugs, award-winning sailboats, and more - even a few fishing boats and Standup Paddleboards will be on display. Come to shop for unique nautical items such as personalized boating gear, cannons, and more - maybe you can even do some Mother's Day and Father's Day shopping. You can even learn about both adult and junior summer sailing programs along the CT shoreline from multiple vendors at the show this year.   



SailQuest Boat Show Details:
WHEN: Friday - Sunday, May 2 - 4, 2014, 10am - 5pm each day
WHERE: Mystic Shipyard, 100 Essex St., Mystic, CT, 06355

For more information about the show, visit www.sailquestboatshow.com.

Latest on the Ferry Disaster

There are no words to describe the horror of the ferry tragedy in South Korea this week. In the disaster's aftermath, there will be lessons to be learned by captains and boaters everywhere that will hopefully prevent the future loss of life.

Scanning the multiple headlines this morning, there are reports that only one of nearly fifty life rafts was deployed; announcements were made warning passengers to stay put instead of abandoning ship; students on board were trapped behind windows that could not be opened. 

As of this writing, the most recent insights into the ongoing rescue mission can be found on the BBC and CNN, and Reuters.

Top 10 Boat Names 2014

What are this year's top ten boat names? Read on to find out...

For the past two dozen years around this time, the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) has released their annual list of top ten boat names, and we usually pay attention to see if any boat names jump out at us.

Personalized bamboo cutting board from Boat Name Gear

The 2014 BoatUS list of top ten boat names are...

1. Serenity
2. Second Wind
3. Island Girl 
4. Freedom 
5. Pura-Vida 
6. Andiamo 
7. Island Time 
8. Irish Wake 
9. Happy Hours 
10. Seas the Day

Maybe you've seen these boat names before. Heck, if they are popular enough to make the top 10 list, you've probably got one or more of these boat names in your marina. Maybe your boat name is even on the list.

Some folks use lists like these to come up with boat name ideas, while others peruse them to decide what NOT to name their boat, as they would prefer to choose something more unique. 

Let us know if your boat name is on this list, or if you've seen any of them around on the water.

List is courtesy of www.boatus.com

Additional boat name ideas can be found at the Boat Name Blog - www.boatnameblog.com

Photo of the bamboo cutting board with the 2nd most popular boat name of the year was provided courtesy of BoatNameGear.com.

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Biggest Spring Boat Show in New England

The biggest boat show of the season in the Northeast is in New Hampshire this weekend…

The 5th annual Great Northeast Boat Show is not only being hailed as the largest boat show ever held in the state of New Hampshire, but it is also expected to be the largest boat show in all of New England this spring.

Come see it for yourself this weekend, from Friday April 4 through Sunday April 6, 2014, inside the 94,000 square foot Hampshire Dome in Milford, NH.

The show covers more than a football field with 25 boat dealers from across New England, with more than 150 Boats on display, as well as dozens of boating lifestyle exhibitors offering products and services ranging from boat insurance to floating docks to personalized boating gifts and gear.

Show hours are:
Friday, April 4th: 12 noon to 7pm
Saturday April 5th: 10am – 6pm
Sunday April 6th: 10am – 3pm

Admission is $9, but there are plenty of ways to save. If you’re 65 or older, it’s only $8, and kids under 12 are free if they are with an adult. And if you “like” the boat show’s facebook page, you can get a weekend pass for just $7.

For more information, visit the shows website: www.greatnortheastboatshow.com



This article originally appeared on our sister site, www.northeastboater.com

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BoatUS Angler Catch of the Month Contest

One Fish Photo Could Make You a Big Winner with BoatU.S. Angler's Catch of the Month Contest...

Courtney Bacco of Orlando, Florida, was one last year's BoatUS
Angler photo contest winners. Photo courtesy of BoatU.S. Angler.

Remember to take your camera with you when you go fishing this year. This week marked the start of the annual BoatUS Angler "Catch of the Month" photo contest, which runs monthly through October, 2014.

Monthly winners will receive a one-year basic BoatUS Angler membership which includes $50 on the road and $50 on the water towing, a $50 Visa gift card and a “prize pack” filled with fishing and BoatUS Angler gear. In addition, winning photos will appear in BoatUS Angler Magazine and Tacklebox fishing e-newsletter.

Monthly winners will be automatically entered to win the grand prize in November: an upgrade of their BoatUS Angler membership to include Unlimited on water towing and on road towing assistance from Trailer Assist, a high-quality fish replica of their winning catch from FishReplicas.com and a $50 gift certificate from BoatNameGear.

To enter, submit shots of your catch at BoatUS.com/angler/contest between now and October 31, 2014.

Missing Sailor Alert

Dutch sailor missing in the Atlantic...

We don't receive press releases like this everyday, so we thought we would pass it along in its entirety. Hopefully all is not lost for this Dutch sailor...

The Netherlands, 25 March 2014
Dutch sailor Sietse Hagen left the port of Tenerife heading for the Caribian isles on January 15th, 2014. Since his departure, now over 60 days ago, he has not reported home. His friends and family, as well as the Dutch sailing community, are deeply concerned about the well-being of this very experienced sailor.

Sietse Hagen is sailing a 27ft Gib’Sea Flush Poker named ‘Pokerface’, small but well prepared for long voyages. He carries no satphone or SSB radio. The boat is recognizable by its fixed spray hood and the black painted stern. Sietse has been reported missing at the local and international authorities, but all help by keeping a lookout for his boat would be very much appreciated.

If you have any information that could help finding Sietse please contact The Netherlands Coastguard or your local police.

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The Whale And The Chief

Photo Credit: SEFSC.NOAA

Last weekend while manning a vendor booth at the Philadelphia Boat Show, I was approached by a young man with a whale of a tale.

He was wearing a white baseball cap, embroidered with the name "The Chief". I asked him for the story behind the name, assuming that the boat's owner was a fire chief or something of the like. While I never got the boat name's meaning, I did hear a story that I had to 'google' to believe...

Free Philly Boat Show Tickets

Our friends at BoatNameGear.com are giving away 2 pairs of tickets to next weekend's Greater Philadelphia Boat Show, March 7 - 9, 2014.

Win tickets to the boat show!

All you have to do is "like" the BoatNameGear facebook page, and send them your mailing address via the private message tab on their facebook page. The first two people to do that will receive a pair of tickets in the mail before the show.

The Greater Philadelphia Boat Show takes place at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in the village of Oaks, Pennsylvania, located 18 miles northwest of the city. Parking is free, and the show is one of the biggest in the Northeast with more boats on display than you'd expect to see at a show in the suburbs.

We checked out the show last year for the first time and were impressed. Lots of boats, plenty of free parking, and really good deals from vendors/dealers looking to move some boats to kick off the spring boating season. Only two complaints were overheard from some attendees... First, there were no sailboats. The show is primarily a recreational powerboat show with no shortage of ski boats, fishing boats and pontoons. Second, the other half of the expo center was hosting a gun show at the same time as the boat show. Some folks didn't like the gun show thing, and others were ticked off that their ticket for one event wasn't valid for both since they were in the same building.

This year, it looks like the gun show has changed dates and the boat show is the main attraction for the weekend, although the Commerford Kids' Fair & Zoo (also from Connecticut like us and Boat Name Gear) moves in to the expo center on Saturday and Sunday with elephants, camels and more on display (tickets need to be purchased separately for this event.) 

Greater Philadelphia Boat Show
When: Friday - Sunday, March 7 - 9, 2014
Where: Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks, PA
More info at http://www.phillyboatshow.com

Good luck!

Rolex Yachts-Persons of the Year

Brian Porter and Jody Starck were honored at US Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year Awards Ceremony on Tuesday in San Francisco...

Jody Starck with (from left) US Sailing President Tom Hubbell; Justin Hogbin of Rolex; Brian Porter; and Peter Nicholson of Rolex (Photo Credit Rolex/Tom O'Neal).

It may be old news that Brian Porter and Jody Starck were named Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year for 2013 since the initial announcement came out over a month ago, but it was made official last night in San Francisco when the two received their trophies, some very bling Rolex watches, and tons of accolades in front of their peers, predecessors, families and friends.

Effects of Weather Swings on Your Boat

After the nation's cold snap, boat owners should check their boats for damage and prepare for the next temperature drop... 

Small boat in Southeast Alaska (approximately 1930). Photo via arctic.noaa.gov

Here in New England at Daily Boater Global Headquarters, winter temperatures were below zero early this week and are expected to bounce all the way up into the 50's this weekend. And since it's still only mid-January, it is a certainty that we will see temperatures dip and rise again before spring. With that in mind, as it warms this weekend here and across much of the nation, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) says that now may be a good time to check on your boat in winter storage. In fact, BoatUS has offered these five tips to ensure old man winter is kept at bay...

New York Boat Snow

Whatever the weather, the first boat show of the year is worth checking out this weekend...

Photo courtesy of facebook.com/NewYorkBoatShow

New Year's Day was opening day of the 2014 Progressive Insurance New York Boat Show. And while there is a major winter storm forecast for much of the Northeast, a little snow is not slowing down the first boat show of the year. Tens of thousands of boating and fishing enthusiasts are expected to attend the event, which runs through Sunday at the Javits Center on the West side of Manhattan.

This year's New York Boat Show is featuring several new boat launches, including a new day boat from Sea Ray, a new amphibious boat from Sealegs, and new fishing boats from World Cat and Grady-White.They are also giving away a Yamaha Personal Watercraft VX Deluxe and an all expenses paid trip to the British Virgin Islands.

After literally 100 years, New York really knows how to put on a good boat show. So put on your hat and gloves, and check out this year's edition - the last one to begin on New Year's Day for at least a few years. Here are the details of this year's New York Boat Show: 

Dates and Times

January 1–5, 2014

Wednesday, January 1 - 12:00pm to 9:00pm
Thursday, January 2 -  12:00pm to 9:00pm
Friday, January 3 -12:00pm to 9:00pm
Saturday, January 4 - 10:00am to 9:00pm
Sunday, January 5 - 10:00am to 6:00pm

Admission Prices

Adults (16 and older): $15.00
15 and younger: FREE when accompanied by an adult.

Location

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
655 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001.
Main Entrance: Eleventh Avenue at 35th Street.
Telephone: 212- 216-2000

For more information and online tickets, visit http://www.nyboatshow.com

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