ALL AT SEA JULY 2022
20
BOATBUILDING TRAINING COLLEGE TO CLOSE
Inside Boathouse 4 in Portsmouth historic dockyard. Image: Nigel Jarvis/zShutterstock
ROUND-UP
The latest news, information and up-dates from British Marine, the trade association for the UK leisure, superyacht and small commercial marine industry.
SOUTHAMPTON INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW VIP GETS A MAKEOVER Upgrade your visit with an exclusive Quayside Club VIP package experience and enjoy an amazing trip on one of five unique craft. Feel like flying, then you can try out a Fliteboard. Step back in time on board the F8 Landing Craft or the Motor Gun Boat 81, enjoy a high speed thrill ride or take in the beauty of the majestic tall ship Morgenster and enjoy a glass of ‘fizz’ on a twilight cruise. All VIP guests will also have the opportunity to take a tour of the show and will have access to a dedicated coat and bag drop off area. Show VIPs receive complimentary drinks
Southampton International Boat Show is well established as the biggest marine showcase in the UK and one of Europe’s largest on-water events. Attracting thousands of visitors each year, it offers amazing on-the-water experiences, access to more than 500 exhibitors and everything the leisure marine industry has to offer. From paddleboards to superyachts, you will find all the products and services you need to enjoy life in, on or around the water. So how do you make an already great day out even better?
YOUR VIP OFFERS
This year visitors to the show will have the opportunity to upgrade their visit and take advantage of three fantastic new VIP offers, unlike anything seen at Southampton before. VIP guests will enjoy hospitality of the highest level. On arrival you will be greeted by the VIP hospitality team who will provide you with VIP accreditation, a show map and menu for the day. You will be given a tour of the VIP lounge, provided with key timings for the day and have your bookings confirmed. You will also be introduced to your dedicated contact for the day, should you require any assistance. There will be three packages available, Black Sea, Coral Sea and White Sea, all of which include the price of your ticket, plus complimentary morning pastries and afternoon snacks, access to the dedicated VIP Waterfront Lounge and complimentary drinks* for the duration of your visit. Upgrade from White to the Coral or Black Sea packages and you will also enjoy a premium served gourmet buffet lunch. In addition, visitors who choose the Black Sea package will enjoy VIP parking at the heart of the show and have access to the VIP enclosure over at the ‘On the Water stage’, where you can view amazing on-the-water demonstrations including the Fliteboard show, flyboarding or remote-control racing. And it does not end there. Black Sea ticket holders can also sign up to an exclusive on-the-water boat
BEFORE & AFTER
Your VIP experience does not start and end at the show either. Before you arrive, the team will be in touch to help ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible for your visit, from confirming your dietary requirements, to booking any on-thewater experiences. After the show they welcome your feedback to help shape future VIP hospitality. You will also be the first to hear about ticket offers and promotions for the 2023 event. Alongside all the new VIP experiences, guests will be able to journey through the show ‘zones’ showcasing different types of watersports activities. Enjoy thrilling on-water displays, check out some of the biggest brands from chandlery and clothing to gadgets and lifestyle essentials, or simply take time out and enjoy great family entertainment. From tall ships to dinghies, paddleboards to fliteboards, kayaks to catamarans, SUPs to superyachts there is a boat for everyone at the Southampton International Boat Show, which runs over 10 days from 16 - 25 September.
FIND OUT MORE
So, if you are a lover of all things ‘on-water’ and want to add a touch of luxury to your visit then the new VIP experiences could be just what you are looking for. To find out more about the exclusive VIP packages visit www.southamptonboatshow.com/ vip. For more information about the Southampton International Boat Show and to purchase your tickets visit www.southamptonboatshow.com.
Make your time at the show even more special *Complimentary drinks include: all draught, all house wine and sparkling wine, all soft drinks, tea and coffee, single house spirits and mixers.
British Marine is the trade association for the UK leisure, superyacht and small commercial marine industry. It has over 1,500 members from both seagoing and inland sectors and represents an industry which employs more than 38,700 people in the UK. British Marine also owns and operates the Southampton International Boat Show. For more information about the work of British Marine and how to join, please visit the website: www.britishmarine.co.uk or follow British Marine on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust has announced that the International Boatbuilding Training College, Portsmouth is to close in March. Since opening its doors in 2015 it has trained more than 100 students, many of whom have gone on to forge careers in boatbuilding, boat restoration and allied industries - preserving traditional skills for future generations. In a statement the college said: “Rising costs and falling student numbers have made it impossible to continue. Our current students will graduate as planned, but no more students will be enrolled. We hope that you take comfort from knowing that there are still two excellent boatbuilding colleges in England: IBTC Lowestoft and the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis. “We are immensely grateful to Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust, who rescued the College when it fell into financial difficulties in 2017. They
have raised funds, invested in our team and provided practical support throughout the last five years.” Boathouse 4, the building where they are based, will remain open and continue to be an important hub for boat restoration and maintenance skills. Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust’s team of volunteers and staff will maintain the Trust’s world-class collection of historic boats in the building for years to come. Hannah Cunliffe, director of National Historic Ships UK said: “It is sad to hear of the closure of IBTC Portsmouth which has been a nucleus for passing on traditional skills. However, I am pleased that Boathouse 4 will be continuing its role as our Shipshape Hub in the South East, offering support to the sector whilst displaying and caring for the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust’s significant vessel collection.”
READER LETTER
BOTTLED GAS PROBLEMS Dear Editor, I am writing about one of the most vexing issues affecting yacht owners - exchanging refill gas cylinders. Let’s face it, the majority of boaters use bottled gas for cooking. Last summer a growing problem with bottled gas floated into view. If you Google the subject, problems were highlighted two or more years ago - for boaters and caravan owners alike. I spoke to marinas up and down the east coast and north Kent and they all had severe problems - one had not had a delivery for a year. I later wrote a blog on my website. I am in a marina in north Kent and the office says the problem is dire. They showed a rack of empties but Calor will not take them away and provide a refill. The main problem seems to revolve around the common size of Calor bottles - 4.5kg butane and 3.9kg propane. Last summer we scoured the Thames estuary outlets for butane initially as scarcity grew. The problem appears to be associated with other brands too. Eventually a chandler exchanged my empty butane cylinder for a full propane.
Bottles are identical in size. I also bought a regulator, obviously. Aboard my Finesse 24, Whimbrel, my wife and I managed to make a small bottle last three weeks instead of two by eating ashore far more often. Calor blamed Covid last year and latterly Brexit. Something is not right and Joe Public is out on a limb. I have read that the small bottles are to be discontinued. Madness: many yachts and caravan lockers are built to take this bottle size. Calor’s website says they have ordered 100,000 new gas bottles, but there is not likely to be a change in supply this year. Presumably those are of all sizes, while it is the small sizes that are acute. Too many people are apparently sitting on ‘unused’ cylinders, which has exacerbated the problem… I would be most interested in your thoughts. Nick Ardley We asked AAS contributor Simon Everett for his thoughts on this subject, but if this issue is also affecting your boating please get in touch with us at editor@allatsea.co.uk.
Simon Everett: The subject of ‘bottled gas’ has been causing availability problems for the last two years. The massive increase in demand by people converting vans, buying motorhomes, caravans, boats, both on the sea and inland waterways put a squeeze on the available supply as well. Like you, for a delivery cruise I was involved with, we needed a 13kg bottle for the galley for our sail from Southampton to Preston in Lancashire. The lockdown period had caused the closure of production facilities and I was informed that there were now only two in the world, one in Brazil and one in Portugal. Fortunately we found a garage with one 13kg bottle left, it cost £67 and this was in September 2021. At least our woes are for leisure time, spare a thought for those who live in remote areas and are dependent upon bottled propane cylinders for their everyday cooking, with no other alternative available other than an electric hob. I do not see the price of bottled gas getting relaxed, not as the supply and demand situation remains as it does.
WHERE DO YOU MOOR YOURS? Did you get it right – it is Troon Yacht Haven
