Norwalk Boat Show Now

What a way to spend the last weekend of summer! Visit Connecticut's biggest in-water boat show this week and see more than 300 luxury yachts, center consoles, watersports boats and affordable family cruisers.



The Progressive Insurance Norwalk Boat Show also offers live music on the water, free boat rides for the whole family, on-water paddlesports and more - all of these activities are within reach at Norwalk Cove Marina this Thursday through Sunday, September 19-22, 2019. With a full selection of boats for every budget and lifestyle, including boats that can be financed for less than $250 a month, there is no better place to shop and compare boats side by side.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

· Free Boat Rides & Fun for the Family – Relax and enjoy a free powerboat ride on Long Island Sound, courtesy of Rex Boating Club & Carefree Boat Club of Southern CT. Plus, bring the kids to hop aboard hundreds of boats and play captain, build their very own toy boat, splash around in a paddleboat lake & much more!

· Live Music by Land and by Sea! Immerse yourself in waterside fun with live music on and off the docks. Stop by the Waterclub Lounge (at the head of Dock B) or the Sandbar (next to the food court) and enjoy live performances by Christine Sweeney and Chelsea Takami.

· SUP & Kayak amidst hundreds of boats: Get your feet wet at Try-it Cove, the ultimate on-the-water experience featuring a variety of paddlesports including kayaking, canoeing and stand-up paddleboarding. Learn to paddle, demo a new board or simply take in the show from the water and enjoy the last days of summer.

· Shop, Save & Win Big on “Super Thursday” – Elevate savings, shopping and boat show fun to superstar levels at our annual “Super Thursday” on Thursday, September 19. Super Thursday deals include even deeper savings on the best in boating, discounted food & drink specials, and giveaways throughout the day. Plus, tickets are just $5 after 5pm – Thursday only!

· Virtual Boating at Progressive® Boat Club – Attendees can take the helm at Progressive’s Oculus Rift virtual reality experience and race against the clock as they master their captain skills. Plus, those looking to improve their nautical know-how will find an array of hands-on boating courses and a docking pool with remote control model boats from the Annapolis School of Seamanship.

· Boat U.S. Hands-On Boating Courses – All levels of on-water experience can sign up for boating courses to hone skills or learn new ones with Boat U.S. experts and captains. Visit www.boatus.org/norwalk for full schedule and to reserve your spot.

Purchase tickets online and save! Order your tickets online by September 18 and save $2 each.

For more information, visit BoatShowNorwalk.com

Let's Clean Up Our Shores

We are big fans of keeping our oceans and shorelines clean, so when West Marine sent us the following announcement about their clean up initiative, we decided to share it with you immediately.

Yes, we recognize the fact that West Marine is partially using this to get people to come into their stores, but we do appreciate any effort to clean up our beaches.

Keep the Coast Clean with West Marine on Sept. 21

West Marine encourages everyone to participate in International Coastal Cleanup Day

WATSONVILLE, Calif. – Sept. 11, 2019 – Between producing more than half of the earth’s oxygen to providing a place for the activities we love, the health of the ocean impacts us in more ways than imaginable. That is why on Saturday, Sept. 21, West Marine is encouraging customers to participate in International Coastal Cleanup Day in one of two ways:

Pickup a Complimentary Beach Cleanup Kit

Starting on Wednesday, Sept. 18 customers are invited to stop in any West Marine location for a complimentary beach cleanup kit. The kits are available while supplies last and includes a detailed guide on how to hold a beach cleanup in the local community as well as:

·      Biodegradable trash bash bags and gloves

• Mineral sunscreen lotion
• A reusable bag
• Hat
• West Marine “Thank You” Coupon

Participate in a West Marine Sponsored Beach Cleanup

Thirty West Marine locations will host a beach cleanup with partners in their communities. Participants will receive a cleanup kit, swag and a West Marine coupon for their efforts. 

Customers can sign up at the following West Marine locations to support in their beach cleanup efforts:

·      Annapolis

·      Aventura

·      Bellingham

·      Braintree

·      Bremerton

·      Buford

·      Charleston

·      Crystal River

·      Deerfield Beach

·      Fairhaven

·      Ft. Lauderdale

·      Hermitage

·      Jacksonville

·      Marco Island

·      Miami

·      Morehead City

·      Mt. Pleasant

·      Myrtle Beach

·      N. Charleston

·      Naples

·      Pembroke Pines

·      Plymouth

·      Pompano Beach

·      Port Royal

·      Portland ME

·      Spring Hill

·      Vero Beach

·      West Islip

·      Wilmington

·      Winthrop Harbor

"This initiative not only helps take care of our beaches and oceans, but it also supports our mission to outfit, educate and inspire boaters. By hosting these cleanups and providing tools that make it easier to get involved, we hope to inspire participants through education about the importance of a clean coast,” said Aaron Carpenter, chief marketing officer for West Marine.

Heroes By Boat - BOATLIFT, An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience

The largest sea evacuation in history is one of the lesser known stories of 9/11 - eleven years ago today. Nearly 500,000 civilians were rescued from Manhattan by boat in less than a day.

If you've never watched BOATLIFT, narrated by Tom Hanks, today is a good day to take 12 minutes and check it out...




BOATLIFT was executive produced by Stephen Flynn and Sean Burke and premiered on September 8th at the 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Summit: Remembrance/Renewal/Resilience in Washington.

Boaters Helping the Bahamas

We've all seen how Hurricane Dorian left parts of the Bahamas completely devastated when it made landfall last week.

Over the years, many of us boaters have been warmly welcomed to the popular vacation destination which is a mere 50 miles off the coast of Florida

That's why it's no surprise so many boaters have embarked on rescue and supply delivery missions to the distressed islands this past weekend.

Celebrities and non-celebrities alike donated money, supplies, and in many cases, a boat ride bringing deliveries of necessities with them to the islands. Some of the good Samaritans even brought stranded islanders from some of the more heavily damaged spots to other towns in the Bahamas that weren't hit as hard.

You've probably heard about some of the big stories, such as major cruise lines bringing supplies, aid and meals to people on the islands. Among them are Carnival (per the Baltimore Sun), as well as Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Bahamas Paradise, according to Business Insider.

Superyachts are also getting in on the acts of kindness. According to MegaYachtNews, "multiple yacht and megayacht organizations joined forces with the city of Fort Lauderdale last week for Hurricane Dorian aid". One of the offshoots of these efforts is the planned deployment of the 110-foot yacht True North heading to the Abacos this week, loaded with aid supplies. One megayacht was even dispatched to rescue pups! According to a local ABC station in Florida, 60 dogs were rescued from the islands and brought to Rybovich Marina on Monday morning via the M/Y Laurel - a 240-foot superyacht that was donated for the effort.

There have been several reports of celebrities and professional athletes contributing, but our interest is in the stories involving regular folks, heroes, that used their boats to aid the Bahamas

Billy Brodbeck, a roofer from Florida, posted this video on Facebook of an armada of boats heading to the Bahamas with aid on Saturday.

According to an article on UPI, as many as 70 fishing boats in coordination with the National Association of the Bahamas based in Miami, brought tons of supplies from Florida to the Bahamas on Saturday morning and were planning additional trips this week.

We're sure there were many more stories of boaters helping the Bahamas that have gone unnoticed. It looks as if the death toll will continue to rise and many residents of the Bahamas are in a desperate situation.

Contribute here: https://www.bahamas.com/relief

Boat Shows Cancelled. Thanks Dorian

Tampa and Daytona boat shows rescheduled. Wilmington boat show cancelled!

With Hurricane Dorian beginning to meander up the east coast of the United States, boat show organizers are making new plans to cancel or reschedule their fateful events planned for this weekend. This seems like a good idea considering all the work that goes into a boat show, including transporting boats and accessories from all over the region, as well as the fear of getting stuck in a hurricane that would keep so many attendees away. We've been at many a boat show that looked completely abandoned due to the mere forecast of rain showers, so imagine what a hurricane would do to attendance.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), the world’s largest producer of boat shows, was quick to postpone the Tampa Bay Boat Show a few days ago when it looked like Dorian might inflict a direct hit on Florida. The 2019 Progressive Insurance Tampa Boat Show Presented by West Marine (which, by the way, has one of the longest names of any boat show we've ever heard of), originally scheduled for this weekend, is moving from its planned date of September 6 - 8 to a new weekend next month. Their press release states that the new Tampa Bay dates are now planned for the 25th to the 27th of October, 2019. 

Another Florida boat show that looked like it might get washed out this weekend is the Daytona Boat Show, which has been rescheduled to September 27th to the 29th, 2019.   

Meanwhile, North Carolina's Wilmington Boat Show, also planned for this weekend, looks like it has been completely canceled for this year. Wilmington looks to be more in the direct path of the hurricane based on current forecasts, so this was definitely a good idea.

 The rescheduled Tampa show will remain at the Tampa Convention Center for its new October dates, and all pre-purchased tickets will be honored during the new dates. .

"While we are disappointed to postpone the event, our main concern is the safety of the boaters, manufacturers and dealers that attend our show," said Kevin Murphy, show manager. "This decision was made to ensure attendees and exhibitors have time to adequately prepare for Hurricane Dorian. We look forward to seeing everyone October 25-27 for what will be our largest Tampa Boat Show yet, featuring thousands of the latest marine products on the market."

The Wilmington's website had this message on it when we visited it yesterday:

This message is to inform you that the 2019 Wilmington Boat Show will be cancelled due to the potential impact of Hurricane Dorian. This is a difficult situation and safety is a priority. Also, due to a heavy event schedule in the Wilmington area, the show cannot be rescheduled in 2019. We are working with officials from the City, Port City Marina, the Convention Center and Battleship Park to move the show out of September beginning in 2020. Please be safe and you will all be in our thoughts and prayers. 

This weekend's Atlantic City Boat Show, and all future east coast boat shows planned for September 2019 - including Newport and Norwalk - still look to be on, but always check before you make your plans.
 

Labor Day Boat Fire

Coast Guard and partner agencies responded to a vessel fire near Santa Cruz Island, California, early Monday morning.

At approximately 3:15 a.m. on Monday, September 2, 2019, Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach watchstanders overheard a mayday call via channel 16 of an engulfed 75-foot commercial diving vessel with approximately 38 people aboard. The boat, which was named "Conception" was reportedly anchored overnight Sunday during a 3-day dive cruise with about 33 passengers.

Crews from the Coast Guard, Santa Barbara Fire Department, Ventura County Fire Department and Vessel Assist responded. The fire department crews were fighting the fire when the vessel sank 20 yards off shore in 64 feet of water.

Five people were evacuated aboard a good samaritan pleasure craft named the "Great Escape". News reports are stating the survivors were all crew members that were awake, up top, while the remaining passengers were sleeping down below.

As of this posting, 4 bodies have been recovered and approximately 29 people that were aboard the vessel are still unaccounted for.

We believe the photo above may be from the website of the company operating the cruise, with the boat in question pictured in the center. The same website had a three-day dive cruise aboard the Conception from 08/31/2019 to 09/02/2019. If this is the fateful cruise, then the guests perished during the final day of their trip.

Sources: USCG Newsroom, ABC News, and via live updates from CNN