Melbourne Boat Show wrap good news for the industry - MarineBusinessWorld Oceania newsletter
by Peter Rendle 28 Oct 2022 03:00 PDT
Melbourne Boat Show 2022 © Joe Vittorio Photography
Good news emerging from Victoria this week: The 60th Melbourne Boat Show concluded at Docklands on Sunday and the initial signs are that the demand for boats, boating and boating lifestyle are very strong. Record crowds have been reported, along with a boat-hungry audience after more than three years with no boat show in Melbourne.
This has come at a time when the appetite for recreation, and boating, is on the rise. Family fun, connectedness and the great outdoors are all celebrated through boating, and that has been reflected at the Melbourne Boat Show in 2022. A huge amount of exhibitor feedback has been provided and it has been overwhelmingly positive. Specifically, Rachel Crook from The Yacht Sales Co commenting, "We enjoyed a strong show with a consistent flow of visitors. We will be back next year and are definitely happy to have Melbourne Boat Show back on the calendar."
Awards are a feature of this weeks' news. METSTRADE is pleased to announce that 48 products from a total field of 104 entries spanning 14 countries have been nominated to enter the final rounds of judgement for the 31st edition of the DAME Design Award 2022. This year marked a welcome full return of an international jury of leading design and user experts to the DAME Design Award's specially created assessment room at RAI Amsterdam. The show runs November 15-17.
Following detailed pre-visit scrutiny of submitted entry information, the eight members of the Jury, chaired by renowned yacht designer Andre Hoek, gathered to spend two very intensive hands-on days looking at products in detail. The nominations for final assessment were agreed after much discussion. It is from this list of 48 nominations that the winners from seven categories and the ultimate accolade of 31st anniversary DAME Design Award winner will emerge. The Jury will also name its first discretionary Environmental Design Award winner.
One of the contenders for a design award is ePropulsion, a global leader and market challenger in marine electric propulsion systems and services, who announced it has been shortlisted for a DAME Design Award for its innovative I-20 Electric Inboard Motor. The I-20 has been shortlisted alongside 48 other products in the Machinery, Propulsion, Mechanical and Electrical Systems and Fitting category in the awards, and is the largest design competition of its kind anywhere in the world. During METSTRADE, the I-20 will be on display in the DAME presentation area located at Elicium (hall 13).
While in the Middle East, prominent Australian sailing administrator David Tillett AM has been awarded World Sailing's prestigious Beppe Croce Trophy which honours an individual for their outstanding voluntary contribution to the sport of sailing. Tillet was presented with the Trophy at the World Sailing Annual Conference in Abu Dhabi, becoming just the second Australian to receive the honour after David Kellett AM was recognised in 2014.
"It's a huge honour," said Tillett on receiving the Award. "We have a previous winner of this award from Australia in David Kellett, and to join him in being a winner of sailing's most prestigious award is a huge honour for me and a real surprise."
Sailing also features strongly this week. The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has been named co-host of the 2022 World Match Racing Tour Final. Organisers of the Tour today announced the Final has been re-scheduled to 13-18 December in Sydney, where the 2022 Match Racing World Champion will be crowned.
The change of venue for the 2022 WMRT Final follows the ongoing border closures in China, where the WMRT Final was previously scheduled to take place in Shenzhen from 6-11 December. Strict travel restrictions for international visitors to China have been in place since the start of the global pandemic in 2020. The event will add to the buzz around the CYCA in the build-up to the 77th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, starting on 26 December.
The world's most exciting racing on-water - SailGP - returns to Sydney Harbour this February. Tickets are now on sale for the event of the Aussie sporting summer, taking place on 18 and 19 February. It will be the ninth leg of an eleven-stop global championship that visits some of the world's most iconic destinations such as San Francisco, Copenhagen and Saint-Tropez.
Now, for the fourth time, the purpose-driven league arrives in Sydney. Not only will the sporting action be exhilarating, but fans will enjoy premium hospitality on one of the world's most beautiful harbour playgrounds. With various price points to appeal to different audiences, there is something for everyone with a range of on-water and on-land fan experiences.
Australian Sailing has announced that Alistair Murray AM will be its new President, and Shevaun Bruland the new Vice President after their election at the 2022 Annual General Meeting. Murray has been the Vice President of the Board since 2019 after joining as a Director in 2016, whilst Bruland commenced her term in 2019.
"I am delighted and honoured to be leading the Board of Australian Sailing," said Murray. "Outside of my family, sailing has always been my one passion. I have built my life around the sport through my involvement at clubs, regattas and the sailing industry. I look forward to continuing the fine work done by the previous Boards of Australian Sailing and building on that legacy. We will stop at nothing to ensure there are more people on the water, in more ways, more often."
New products this week included a useful new app: Now that summer is on the horizon, Wavve Boating, a marine navigation start-up company, is helping boaters all across Australia get from point A to point B safely with their innovative approach to nautical maps. Recently promoted by Apple as a "New App We Love", and already built-in to over 35% of 2023 BRP Sea-Doo models, Wavve's unique approach not only shows the best routes, it intuitively shows boaters where NOT to go, completely customized to each boat to avoid shoals, water hazards and more.
Stay safe,
Peter Rendle - peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com