by Bruce Hedrick, Northwest Yachting Associate Publisher.
Seattle Boat Show set to open with a Splash!
Sure there are boats and accessories galore and all the latest technology at the Big Seattle Boat Show. That’s why people travel from more than 40 states, 6 Canadian provinces and as far away as Dubai to attend the show, the largest on the West Coast. But this year’s show also includes many entertainment options, bound to please showgoers and add an extra incentive for attending and lingering at the show. Events include Seattle Boat Show Uncorked on Opening Night (a selection of Northwest wines available for tasting), Sails and Ales on the second Friday (a tasting of Northwest craft beers) and “Splash”, daily aerial acrobatic performances above the boats in the West Hall. The Seattle Boat Show opens on Friday January 25th at 11am and continues for 10 days through Sunday, February 3rd 2013.
“Splash” consists of three separate acrobatic performances high above the boats in the West Hall at CenturyLink Event Center. The daily nautical-themed performances will feature some of Seattle’s most talented aerialists and acrobats doing Cirque du Soleil-style aerial work and will be performed on a Corde Lisse (or rope) a Cloud Swing and a Triple Trapeze. There won’t be a bad seat in the house as all the boats in the West Hall will serve as viewing platforms as will the boater’s lounge on the mezzanine level. Performances are Monday –Thursday at 6:30 pm, Fridays at 7:00 pm and Saturdays and Sunday, January 27th at 3:00 pm. No performance will be held on Sunday, February 3rd.
Splash Lineup: The Triple Trapeze Quartet, Mermaid on Cloud Swing, Drunken Sailor
- The Triple Trapeze Quartet: Based on the grand film era of synchronized swimming, this triple trapeze piece incorporates synchronized dance and acrobatic work by four of Seattle’s leading aerialists. It is performed on a three-section trapeze on which all four acrobats are working together. The women are costumed in 1930s style cherry red swim suits with an Esther Williams flair. The feeling is fun, awe-inspiring, and deeply rooted in synchronized swimming history and is performed to music of the 1930s. Hailing from various local aerial groups (The Aerialistas, The Velone Sisters, and The Flying Caribe girls) are Carri Andersen, Cathy Sutherland, Esther Edelman and Martha Enson. They have performed across the United States and in Europe & Mexico, on the outer edge of the Space Needle and in the presence of Kings.
- Mermaid on Cloud Swing: She frolics, spins, rolls and swings, mesmerizing the crowd with the unattainable beauty of the mermaid. Mythical and powerful, she is equally at home hanging by her toes or her neck, cascading in a series of spins around the rope or and resting in the rocking of the sea. The Mermaid segment of Splash will be performed by Kari Podgorski, “aerialist par excellence” according to The Seattle Times. Podgorski has performed on her cloud swing in over 30 major U.S. cities from Las Vegas to Manhattan and everywhere in between, as well as internationally from Victoria, B.C. to Porto, Portugal. She has enjoyed show runs at both the critically acclaimed Seattle and San Francisco Teatro ZinZanni venues and more recently in Europe at Palazzo and Friedrichsbau variety theaters.
- Drunken Sailor: Every sailor is trained to tie ropes into knots, but this sailor has been carousing on shore or drinking double strength grog, and he can’t seem to tell up from down, nor manage to keep his feet on the deck. It’s a breath stopping solo skill act on a vertical rope. It’s a comic tour de force between the sailor and the crowd. It’s a fabulous balance of strength, flexibility, and humor, as the sailor tries to climb the ropes and not fall to the deck. The Drunken Sailor is performed by Jonathon Rose who trained under tutelage of world renowned circus artists Charly Dedessus le Moutier and Gregory Marquet.
Boat Show Wednesday January 30th.
From the annual NMTA/NYBA meeting this morning the results are in and for once this total consensus. The Show is a hit and sales are indicating a total turnaround from the uncertainty of the past three years. The major dealers (Ranger/Cutwater, Sea Ray, Seattle Boats, Signature) all say that their sales are 20-40% ahead of where they were a year ago this many days into the Show.
The boat yards are reporting the same uptick in with the team from CSR saying that they have written just over $500,000 worth of business just four days into the Show compared to $100,000 a year ago. Both Seaview and Donato’s are reporting a similar increase in sales, with Patti from Donato’s saying she doesn’t remember ever being this busy in January.
The interesting things I found today included the Nomar Bumpers from Holmes Marine Specialties. This is just one of those products that makes so much sense you wonder why every marina doesn’t use them. These replace your fenders when you dock in your home berth. They never mar or mark the hull and since they mount on the dock you never have to worry about having the fenders out when you return home. If you’re a marina owner the best thing is that they protect your docks especially the corners. You’ve seen the wheels that mount on the outer corners? The problem with those is that in a hard impact the wheel acts a lever and it pries itself off the dock damaging the surface the wheel is screwed into. We had them in the slip at Shilshole before the remodel and they were great. Since the remodel you’re not allowed to attach anything to the dock, ridiculous. Anyway, we did find a way around that by mounting them to a fender board and hanging it from the dock cleats. And to think, it’s helping the marina but it’s illegal. These great folks are located in the East Hall in booth 308.
Leave it to the guys from Sure Marine to come up with a very cool accessory like the JOL light. Built by Caframo, the JOL uses thermoelectric technology to transform the heat energy from a tea light candle into enough light to illuminate a cockpit or just about any outdoor living space. Within minutes of lighting the candle the JOL converts the heat into more than 18 times the light generated by the tea light alone. Constructed of stainless steel, glass and aluminum, the JOL is built to withstand the harsh elements of the marine environment. Stop by the Sure Marine booth in the East Hall at 1101.
Now for one of my favorite topics: FOOD! Always a tough one at the Seattle Boat Show because the concessionaire, Levy, has a lock on selling food inside the CenturyLink Events Center and while it is universally bad, at least it’s very overpriced. The only meal service generally available that is at all tolerable is the Ivars in the North Hall. The good news is that there is a large group entrepreneurial vendors who know what kind of horrible food is being served inside the CLink and they’ve set up shop right across Occidental Avenue directly the opposite the West Entrance to the Display Hall. Not only is it a way preferable alternative, it is also very reasonably priced. This is the reason why from about 11:30 until 3:00 pm there is a steady stream of folks who leave the facility to go enjoy the food across the street. In the past it has been pretty much just a variety of hot dogs. This year we have great new addition in the form of El Camion, a traditional Mexican food truck and the food is out of this world.
