Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show Success!

Wow – the show has come and gone in one big flash!  The show was a mix of exciting, entertaining, informative, stressful and exhausting.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take very many pictures, I regret that now!  I wish I had taken before and after pictures. We watched the docks getting put in place, water and electricity laid out, and temporary showrooms being built.

People wandering about the boats on the lightest day, Thursday

By far, the best part of the show was getting to see so many friends and meet so many great people. We were able to see everyone from “Team Blossom” – Scott Cole was there (two of his boats were in the show, us and the former “Eliana”), Steve D’Antonio and Jeff Merrill. Our training/delivery captain, Jim, was there as well as he’s also working with a new 68 that’s just being commissioned now. It’s a working show for everyone so we were grateful to get to see them as much as we did. We met with several other Nordhavn owners whom we’ve met over the past several months of commissioning, traveling and from the owners yahoo group. Nordhavn put on an owners party Friday night that was great!  There were so many people I didn’t even get to meet everyone. And then there were our friends who were attending the show that we got to catch up with. We were so busy but really enjoyed our time with everyone.

The people who come through the Ft. Lauderdale boat show are from all over and in all stages of boat life. Some are exploring boating as a lifestyle they might enjoy, others are deciding which boat would suite them best. Some are waiting for the right time to move forward, or have just pulled the trigger and are waiting for their boats, There are those of us just beginning our travels and then there are the seasoned cruisers.  We met several people who are doing east coast cruising and whom we hope to meet up with around Florida or in the Bahamas this winter.

Martin and I spent most of every day sat out on the aft deck. We were a bit nervous about having so many people walking through our boat and just felt better being there. This proved to be the right move for sure as that’s how we met up with so many people and we were able to answer questions. I joked that Blossom got a bit of an ego from all the accolades. She really is a pretty boat (I’m very Mama proud). We got a lot of positive feedback on some of the changes we made. We weren’t sure if people would love or hate some of them (removing the captain’s cabin, for one). But for those people with similar needs as ours, many thought it was a good idea. Of course, there’s no “right” layout, it’s just what suits your own needs/tastes the best. 

Don’t Sit, Don’t Open, sheesh J 

We were very lucky to run into another owner who generously chatted with us for quite a while about black and gray tank management. We learned a great deal and got some great suggestions for maintaining them, odor-free. His N55 is for sale and we got a tour and were amazed at how “fresh” it is! His broker, who is also a known Nordhavn expert was also a great help discussing best practices for the tanks.  We’re going to implement some additional changes and start using some new products to address the gray tank issues we’ve been struggling with.

This was the first show we’ve been to that we didn’t really explore much. Martin spent a couple hours visiting booths and spoke with a couple of the people about some purchases we want to make (there are always “boat show” specials” to be had). The Yachtsign folks came by to take some pictures of our Blossom signs. Everyone raved about Cecilia’s design on our transom, thank you Cecilia!! We had the Release Marine rep, Matt, come out and take a look at our cockpit table that was installed upside down. He said that they can redo the one section with the design we wanted and plug the holes that show on the top.  We’ll see if it’s something we want to address or not next fall. We learned that the talented young man who made our table was recently killed by a drunk driver. It makes me think that we may keep what we have in respect for his outstanding work. Even the “bottom” of the table is, in fact, quite beautiful.

The Nordhavn booth, we were right in the middle of the action

We’re very grateful for all the PAE folks who showed our boat. They worked hard the entire show and “crowd control” was very good!  At times it was a madhouse but Jenny and Robin kept control and everything went very smoothly.  We met many of the Nordhavn team too. All three principals were there, salesmen from all over the states, England and Turkey, as well as representatives from the Ta Shing and South Coast yards. We hadn’t had the opportunity to meet Jeff Leishman, the chief designer, before. We were happy to meet him and thank him in person for our lovely boat!

Hauling out the little boats on land

Monday night at five o’clock all the boats in the marina sounded their horns (yes, it was Loud!) to celebrate the end of the show. Some pretty rockin’ parties were taking place on the megayacht docks that night for the yachties. The wind was really blowing the last few days of the show and by Tuesday, it was too rough for leaving on the outside (the ocean). So hundreds of boats began the conga line trip up (and down) the ICW. I felt a bit guilty leaving Martin & Jim to the task but I’m sure my anxious energy wasn’t missed too badly :/  Martin & Jim departed the marina about noon and were able to make it up to the West Palm area to anchor out in the evening, and to Stuart by mid day Wednesday. I headed back to California on Tuesday morning. 

Blossom passing CJ & Margie’s home on Tuesday

It feels good to be “home” though I now consider Blossom “home” as well. So I guess I should say that it feels good to be “west coast home”. I do love the Bay Area, the people, culture, crisp air and clear skies. I’ve had some minor adjustments to make, returning to the land house. I keep trying to step on the garbage drawer (that’s how you open the trash compactor/garbage on Blossom) and this morning I found myself staring at the toaster oven waiting to turn it on until the Keurig was finished so I wouldn’t pop a breaker. And of course, being in the house, I still expect George to come walking into the bedroom and jump up on the bed with me. L 

I’ll take a break from blogging for the next couple of weeks and as my girlfriends and I explore Paso Roblas and taste wine…not very Blossom related until I bring back a case to Florida. I’m trying to get Martin to fill in for me as he’s staying aboard with a two page list of boat tasks to tackle in addition to the warranty work we're having done!