This year's big show floats your boat

Tuesday 03 May 2016

Jersey's Marina was awash with visitors this Bank Holiday weekend with more than 35,000 people flocking to the Barclays Jersey Boat Show.

The weather was near-perfect for all the action on and off the water and business looks like it was booming for marine leisure traders and other exhibitors at the show.

The three-day event gave crowds the chance to check out the super yachts and watercraft on the pontoons and even give kayaking, rowing and stand-up paddle boarding a go. The Ports of Jersey say that although they don't know exactly how much business this year's event generated yet, it looks like it could exceed previous years.

This year's star attraction was the Royal Navy's HMS Severn that was moored along the Albert Pier. She was joined by two University Ships - HMS Blazer and HMS Exploit along with a number of Offshore Raiding Crafts (ORCs) which will were all berthed in St Helier Marina.

Gipsy Moth IV - the world renowned yacht that Sir Francis Chichester travelled around the globe in in 1966 marked its 50th anniversary with a visit to the show and was berthed on the Albert Pier pontoon.

The Solent Stevedores main stage saw performances from Inside Job, Little Black Dress, The Jersey Bounce, Les Quennevais School Steel Band and the visiting Royal Marines Jazz Band - all giving the show a festival atmosphere.

Nine years on the show is still the largest free entry event in the Channel Islands and its title sponsor Barclays has just confirmed it will continue sponsoring it for the next three-years.

Ports of Jersey's Group Commercial Director Myra Shacklady said: "This has been another successful weekend for us and we have received tremendous support and positive feedback from our exhibitors and the many thousands of visitors who have attended.

"The Jersey Boat Show was first staged in 2008 on a very low scale as a means of showcasing the local marine leisure industry. That commitment remains but it has grown over the years, successfully attracting a large number of diverse businesses from both on and off the Island.

"On behalf of Ports of Jersey I would like to say a sincere thank you to everyone who has supported us this year, whether as a sponsor, exhibitor or participant as well as of course members of the public who visited the show. We look forward to seeing you next year."

Organisers are now planning next year's show which celebrates its 10th year anniversary.