South Coast Showcase 2024

PBR reports on the highlights from the 2024 South Coast & Green Tech Boat Show, which this year featured product debuts, sustainable innovation and an iconic homecoming.

The South Coast & Green Tech Boat Show, one of the largest regional boat shows in the UK, concluded its highly successful three-day event on Sunday 21st April at MDL’s Ocean Village Marina in Southampton. The Lord Mayor and Sheriff of Southampton, Councillor Valerie Laurent, officially opened the show while underscoring its importance to the businesses it attracts.

In response to the increasing footfall and popularity of the show, Tim Mayer, Sales and Marketing Director at MDL, commented: ‘The best part of the show for me is speaking to businesses that have been coming from the start and have seen their businesses grow over the years.’

People & products

The show attracted around 4,000 visitors across the three days and featured an impressive line-up of global power, sail and electric boating brands alongside an extensive range of marine products, including electronics, covers, upholstery and even nautical bedding! With more than 100 boats and over 70 exhibitors, attendees also had the opportunity to view vessels that had never been seen before, including the world debut of the Hardy 50DS and the UK premieres of the Virtue V10 Top, Fairline Targa 40 and Moody DS48.

Not surprisingly, the show’s powerboat exhibits formed the largest share of the craft displayed afloat, with strong showings from the likes of boatfolk, who exhibited their Scandinavian brands, Quarken and Ryds. Also present were IdealBoat, the UK representative for the ever-popular Saxdor range of family-orientated sports craft. Besides Saxdor, IdealBoat offer the US-designed and -built Chaparral and Robalo water sports and bowrider ranges, plus the highly functional, deep-vee hulled Husky and Finnmaster ranges, the amphibious AMP and the originator of the jet ski concept, Kawasaki. All of these, as IdealBoat CEO Neville Williams explained, ‘have been handpicked specifically for their relevance and suitability for the UK market’. Along with all the other makes and types of boats presented, the 2024 show offered a broad selection of outboard-powered craft to suit a wide range of tastes and leisure requirements.

Sustainable addition

All registered visitors to the show were automatically entered into a free prize draw for Raymarine equipment worth nearly £3,000, thanks to their role as headline sponsors. Richard Marsden, Raymarine UK Sales Manager, commented: ‘We were thrilled to return as headline sponsor of the South Coast & Green Tech Boat Show 2024; it has been getting better and better each year. The success of the show is a testament to the enduring passion for boating in our vibrant community, and it was nice to catch up with so many of our customers.’

The Green Tech Boat Show was incorporated into the main event last year and returned this year after initially moving from Plymouth. It showcases the growing mainstream conversation surrounding sustainable boating practices. According to Mayer, ‘around 30% of the show is now green marine technologies’. A dedicated area, The Innovation Hub, was sponsored by ePropulsion and featured innovative marine technology businesses and organisations displaying products aimed at driving the industry forward on a greener, more sustainable path.

The Hub’s schedule included discussions and presentations from various companies on a broad range of topics, including recycling boat equipment, electric boating, carbon emissions, sustainable anchoring and eco-conscious cleaning practices. To highlight those making a special effort towards environmentally sustainable practices, products and services, MDL’s Green Innovator Award also returned for 2024, with PSA PrimeMarine winning it.

Steve Bruce, Managing Director of The Innovation Hub sponsor ePropulsion, said: ‘At the South Coast & Green Tech Boat Show this year, it was clear that the demand for innovative, sustainable marine technology continues to grow. Thanks to MDL’s good organisation and our contribution to the sponsoring of the media centre and Innovation Hub, the event offered our sector a strong platform to showcase its wares.’

Special guests

Aside from a significant focus on sustainability, a particularly noteworthy highlight of the show was the special welcome home parade and celebration for the iconic sailing yacht Maiden on Saturday 20th April, following her around-the-world voyage. Ocean Village offered the perfect vantage point to view the yacht’s arrival.

The official welcome for the all-female crew was to celebrate the completion of the 27,000-mile world race, which departed Southampton last September. The race also concluded Maiden’s six-year campaign promoting equality for the next generation, raising awareness and funds for girls’ education worldwide.

‘It was an honour to host this historic moment of Maiden’s welcome home parade to celebrate their incredible achievements; there was such a spirit of camaraderie and passion throughout the voyage, which also reflects our entire boating community,’ said Mayer.

On Monday 22nd April, it was officially confirmed that Maiden had secured first place in the Ocean Globe Race, becoming the first all-female crew to win a round-the-world yacht race. The Maiden crew also achieved several groundbreaking milestones, including the first female British skipper to win a round-the-world race, the first fully crewed British boat to win the round-the-world race, the first black women to race around the world and the first Afghan woman to compete in a round-the-world race.

‘MDL gave the entire fleet such a great send-off,’ said Tracy Edwards MBE, skipper of the first all-female crew in 1989. ‘Tim Mayer, Lauren McCann and the whole team went the extra mile for Maiden at the end of our world tour and were so supportive to us during our Parade of Sail and celebrations! A huge thank you from us all!’

The ‘Parade of Sail’ flotilla with Maiden crossed the Solent from Cowes on the Isle of Wight and into Ocean Village on Saturday, where the guest of honour and its 1989/90 Whitbread Round the World Race ‘Godmother’ Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, awaited. An enthusiastic and long-standing supporter who named the yacht at its 1988 launch, the Duchess was also joined by more royal visitors within the welcoming parade, including the daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan, Princess Haya bint Hussein. Media outlets BBC South and the Daily Echo attended to cover the exhilarating homecoming.

The South Coast & Green Tech Boat Show will return to MDL’s Ocean Village Marina in 2025. For more information about next year’s show, keep an eye on www.mdlboatshow.co.uk.